CHORD PROGRESSIONS
What are they and how will they
help you?
Chord Progression
v
Harmonic Progression
• Any two or more chords heard in
succession can be called a harmonic
progression
• Successions of chords that have become
a regular, standard part of our harmonic
vocabulary can be called chord
progressions
How can chord progressions help?
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By knowing them you can:
Choose chords to harmonise chorales
Understand baroque counterpoint
Choose chords for middle eights (of 32 bar
pop songs)
• Compose and analyse music
• Understand your performance pieces
better
Functional Harmony
• Chord progressions within functional
harmony serves a purpose - usually to
establish and maintain a key
3 main groups of chords
• Tonic Group: I (sometimes VI). Chord I has the
tonic in its root and is normally the only chord
considered stable enough for a whole piece to
end on.
• Dominant Group: V, V7 & VII (normally used as
VIIb). All 3 chords contain note 7; the leading
note – so called as it wants to lead back/rise up
to the upper tonic and tonic group of chords.
• Subdominant Group: IV, II & II7. Again these
chords have a close relationship with each other.
Chords I and V
• Chords I & V (or V7) are the two chords best able to
establish and maintain key, and much music
(particularly C18th) makes extensive use of them.
Composers often move from I to V7 (and their
inversions) and back again.
• Think of these chords as ‘Home & Away’ – I invites a
journey away & V signals a need to return home.
• The progression V-I is the strongest of all
progressions.
• It forms a perfect cadence and is the most widely
used type of cadence in functional harmony.
Approaching a Perfect Cadence
• Many phrases that end with a perfect
cadence use the following progression:
• A chord from the subdominant group
• A chord from the dominant group (usually
V or V7)
• Chord I from the tonic group.
Your turn!
• Complete the activity on your desk
labelled ‘Christmas!’
The Cadential 6/4
• A perfect cadence can also be approached from a chord
Ic.
• This is a common approach.
• It is similar to a chord V as it shares the same bass note.
• It is often used as an approach chord in between the
subdominant group and the actual perfect cadence e.g
IV-Ic-V7-I
• When the progression produces intervals of a 6th falling
to a 5th, and a 4th falling to a 3rd it is known as a 6/4 – 5/3
movement and is the essence of the IC-V progression.
• When Ic is used in this cadential progression it is often
called the cadential 6/4.
Your Turn!
• Complete the exercises titled
‘Cadential 6/4’
Interrupted Cadences
• Interrupted cadences are sometimes used as a
delaying tactic.
• To create an interrupted cadence you can replace
chord I in a perfect cadence with any other chord.
• Chord VI is the most common chord to use, but any
chord that creates an effective surprise is possible.
• In a minor key, chord VI is major which makes the
effect more arresting.
• Chord VI cannot replace I at the start or end of a
piece as it does not help to establish the key.
Listen & Play!
• Play the example & follow the instructions
to create different effects.
Imperfect Cadences
• An imperfect cadence is formed by ending the
phrase on a chord V.
• It is commonly approached from a chord I, but
other progressions may be II-V, IIb-V & II7b-V.
• I-V does not have to restrict itself to cadences
and can be used almost anywhere.
• Chord V in an imperfect cadence is often
preceded by a cadential 6/4, particularly in
music from the classical period.
Plagal Cadences
• A plagal cadence is formed by using chords IV-I.
• It is sometimes referred to as the ‘amen’
cadence as it was common to sing ‘amen’ to this
cadence years ago in church hymns.
• IV is widely used before & after chord I
• A plagal cadence can end a section or piece
because its final chord is I, but it is used far less
frequently than a perfect cadence (it has a
weaker effect).
SUMMARY
• Perfect & Imperfect cadences are the most
frequently used.
• PERFECT:
V(7)-I
• IMPERFECT:
any chord–V (often IIb(7)–V
• INTERRUPTED:
V(7)–any chord except I
(often V(7)–VI)
• PLAGAL:
IV-I