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A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence), as its name implies, is a series of chords played in order. Chord progressions are central to most modern European-influenced music and the principal study of harmony. Compare to a simultaneity succession. A chord change is a movement from one chord to another and may be thought of as either the most basic chord progression or as a portion of longer chord progressions which involve more than two chords (see shift of level).

Generally, successive chords in a chord progression share some notes, which provides harmonic and linear (voice leading) continuity to a passage. In the common-practice period, chord progressions are usually associated with a scale and the notes of each chord are usually taken from that scale (or its modally-mixed universe).

Contents 1 Common progressions 1.1 Common progressions used in contemporary popular music 2 Rewrite rules 3 Sources 4 See also 5 External links

The most common chord progressions, in the common practice period and in popular music, are based on the first, fourth, and fifth scale degrees (tonic, subdominant and dominant); see three chord song, eight bar blues, and twelve bar blues. The chord based on the second scale degree is used in the most common chord progression in Jazz, II-V-I.

As stated by Tom Sutcliffe on harmony.org.uk:

“… during the 1960's some pop groups started to experiment with modal chord progressions as an alternative way of harmonising blues melodies. . . . This created a new system of harmony that has influenced subsequent popular music.”

“The use of modal harmonies to harmonise the blues came about because of the similarity of the blues scale to modal scales . . . by experimentation with the possible uses of major chords on the guitar. This phenomenon thus probably derives from the characteristics of the guitar and the way it is used in popular music. This is also linked to the rise in the use of power chords.”

Sutcliffe’s hypothesis is that major chord combinations such as: I , bIII , IV, V and bVII cannot be explained in pure modal terms as, in this combination, these don’t exist in the usual modes. They have to be explained as a new harmonic system combining elements from the blues and elements from modality.

The circle of fifths progression is generally regarded as the most common progression of the common practice period, involving a series of descending perfect fifths that often occur as ascending perfect fourths. The circle of fifths makes up many of the most commonly used progressions, such as II6, V, I in major.

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• Twelve-bar blues
• I - vi - IV - V : the 50s progression. Modern examples include "Jesus of Suburbia" (Green Day), "Welcome to my Life", Simple Plan, (also I - vi - ii - V).
• I - V - vi - IV : for example 'Dammit' (Blink-182), 'Feeling This' (Blink-182), 'No Woman, No Cry' (Bob Marley), 'Farmhouse' (Phish) 'Glycerine' (Bush), 'With or Without You' (U2), 'Let It Be' (The Beatles), 'On Fire' (Switchfoot), 'Hide and Seek' (Imogen Heap). This progression uses the same chords as the 50s progression, in a different order.
• I - I - IV - V : for example the verse of 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' by Green Day and the verse of Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones.
• i - bVI - bIII - bVII : a progression in minor. One of the more common progressions nowadays. Used in many genres, including pop, rock, techno, punk, metal and many others. For example, 'The Kids Aren't Alright' (The Offspring), 'Dammit I Changed Again' (The Offspring), 'Self Esteem' (The Offspring), 'Crawling' (Linkin Park), 'Numb' (Linkin Park), 'Hands Held High' (Linkin Park), 'Don't Drag Me Down' (Social Distortion), 'Let U Go' (ATB), 'Jokero' (Akcent), 'Believe' (Yellowcard), 'Holiday' (Green Day), 'The Scientist' (Coldplay), 'White Shadows' (Coldplay), 'My Happy Ending' (Avril Lavigne), 'Animal I Have Become' (Three Days Grace), 'Behind These Hazel Eyes' (Kelly Clarkson), 'Pieces' (Sum 41), 'Still Waiting' (Sum 41), 'Zombie' (The Cranberries), 'Save Tonight' (Eagle-Eye Cherry), '(*Fin)' (Anberlin), 'Disarm' (Smashing Pumpkins), 'Try' (Nelly Furtado), 'All You Wanted' (Michelle Branch), '9 Crimes' (Damien Rice), 'You're Not Alone' (Saosin).
• Any combination of the chords I , IV and V.
• I - II - IV: e.g., Stay With Me (The Faces), Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts club Band (The Beatles).
• I - bVII-IV : came into prominence from the late 60's onward with gospel/country/blues influenced rock. e.g 'Sweet Home Alabama' (Lynyrd Skynyrd), 'Gloria' (Van Morrison), 'With A Little Help From My Friends' (Beatles), 'Sympathy for the Devil' (The Rolling Stones), 'Takin' Care Of Business' (Bachman-Turner Overdrive), 'Pink Houses' (John Cougar Mellencamp), 'Can't You See' (Marshall Tucker Band), 'I Can See Clearly Now' (REF) (Johnny Nash), 'The End' (w/ '♭II') (The Doors), 'More Than A Feeling' (intro & vs) (Boston (band)), 'Paradise City' (Guns N' Roses), 'R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.' (John Cougar Mellencamp), 'Beautiful Girls' (Van Halen), 'I Can't Explain' (The Who).
• i - bVI - IV : e.g.,'Heart Shaped Box' (Nirvana) (first chord can be major).
• i - bIII - bVII - IV : 'Mad World' (Tears for Fears), 'Wonderwall' (Oasis) and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' (Green Day) (First chord can be major (I-♭III-♭VII- IV): e.g., 'Bohemian Like You' (The Dandy Warhols)).
• I - bIII - IV : e.g., the guitar solo from 'Free Bird' (Lynyrd Skynyrd).
• I-♭VI-♭VII : e.g., 'All I Wanna Do' (Sheryl Crow).
• i -bIII-IV-bVI : 'House of the Rising Sun' (The Animals), 'Polly' (Nirvana) (First chord can be major).

• i - bVII - bVI - bVII : e.g 'Don't Fear The Reaper' (Blue Oyster Cult) (first chord can be major).

Steedman (1984) has proposed a set of recursive "rewrite rules" which generate all well-formed transformations of jazz, basic I-IV-I-V-I twelve bar blues chord sequences, and, slightly modified, non-twelve-bar blues I-IV-V sequences ("Rhythm changes").

The original progression may be notated as follows (typical 12-bar blues):

1  2  3  4   5   6  7  8   9  10 11 12
 I/ I/ I/ I// IV/IV/ I/ I// V/ V/ I/ I

Where the numbers on the top line indicate each bar, one slash indicating a bar line and two indicating a phrase marking, and the Roman numerals indicating the chord function. Important transformations include

• replacement or substitution of a chord by its dominant or subdominant:

1 2  3 4   5  6   7    8    9  10 11 12
I/IV/I/I7//IV/VII7/III7/VI7//II7/V7/I/I//

• use of chromatic passing chords:

...7    8    9...
...III7/bIII7/II7...

• and chord alterations such as minor chords, diminished sevenths, etc.

Sequences by fourth, rather than fifth, include Jimi Hendrix's version of "Hey Joe" and Deep Purple's "Hush":

1        2        3 4  5          6       7 8   9         10      11 12
bVI, bIII/bVII, IV/I/I//bVI, bIII/bVII, IV/I/I//bVI, bIII/bVII, IV/I/I//

These often result in Aeolian harmony and lack perfect cadences (V-I). Middleton (1990, p.198) suggests that both modal and fourth-oriented structures, rather than being "distortions or surface transformations of Schenker's favoured V-I kernel, are more likely branches of a deeper principle, that of tonic/not-tonic differentiation."

• Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). "Studying Popular Music". Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0-335-15275-9.
• Steedman M.J., "A Generative Grammar for Jazz Chord Sequences", Music Perception 2 (1) (1984) 52-77.

• Cadence (music)
• Passamezzo moderno
• Three-chord song
• Tonality
• Chord chart

• Google spreadsheet [1] of hundreds of 3 chord songs
• Guitarz Forever's Three Chord Progressions For Guitar website
• Tom Sutcliffe's Chord Progressions in Tonal Music explains how chord progressions work in relation to musical phrases
• Harmony.org.uk explains the use of modal harmony in popular music and its origins
• Hot Fret's Chord Progression Generator a useful tool for building chord progressions.