A chord progression is a combination of chords that together form the harmonies of a piece or song. Even if you don't notice any chords in a piece of music, don't doubt that they are still here! They may be unobviously “hidden” in the musical text, arranged in different ways, or reversed. Chords always form the basis of harmony in any piece of music.
The piano chord progression in a piece often shapes the color of the music. It determines whether the piece will sound inspired in a progression of major chords or depressed through a series of minor chords.
What You Need To Know About Chords
You will usually find chords in this form:
You won't find logic between the chords A, C#m, and E without context. This context will be created by the key. It is in the key that chords acquire a certain logic and system, as we find ourselves in a certain organization of sounds, where the relationships between these sounds work.
You shouldn't be afraid of chords in the key, because it is thanks to it that you can build a chord sequence in any key and key! Besides, chords work much easier than you think. You don't need to think about the structure of the chord, whether it's major or minor. You just need to find the degree (sound) of the key that is indicated and build a chord from it through the note!
For example, we have a chord sequence in C major:
I - III - IV
The first chord indicates the first sound of the key - the note “C”. Now we build a triad from it through the note. There are no signs in C major, so we just build on the white keys. If there were signs in the key, you would simply take them into account when building chords.
So, we got the chord C-mi-sol. The second chord is built from the third sound - “Mi”, so we get - Mi-Sol-Si. The third chord is the fourth, so we build from the fourth sound - Fa-La-Do.
If we translate into more familiar chord notation:
C - Em - F
On the sounds of major keys, we will find both major and minor chords. For example, in C major, we have the following chords:
There are not only minor chords in minor keys! Let's take the example of A minor:
How Does Chord Progression Works
You may wonder, where is the logic here? All chords in a key have a specific role - some give a sense of support, others add a sense of instability. These roles in the key are called functions.
In any key, we have 3 functions:
- Tonal - this is the support of the key. By using the piano chords of this function, we will feel stability. We often use these chords at the beginning and end to introduce the key.
- Dominant - unstable chords that sound sharp and need to be resolved, i.e., to move into something more stable, into the tonic.
- Subdominant - chords of this function are often a transitional link between the tonic and the dominant. They are not as stable as the tonic, but still not as sharp as the dominant.
The I, IV, and V keys are the main degrees of the key, which perform all these functions. Accordingly, their chords will be the main chords in the key. I is the tonic chord (T), IV is the subdominant chord (S), and V is the dominant chord (D).
They are the embodiment of these functions. However, other chords that have a similar color and sound can play the role of tonic, subdominant, or dominant.
- Tonic function: I, VI, sometimes III
- Subdominant function: IV, II, and VI
- Dominant: V, VII
If you understand how the functions work, you'll be able to catch the sound of each of the chords in the key even if you can't hear them.
Need a harsh, unstable chord? Chords V and VII will do the trick! If you want a soft, flexible chord, choose something from the subdominant chord group - IV, II, or VI.
We'll start most progressions with a tonic, most often the I chord. It indicates what kind of key it is, gives us a sense of support. In a major scale, it will be a major chord, and in a minor scale, it must be a minor chord.
Try to create our own progression! For example, we want to create a soft sequence, without sharp moves and consonance. Accordingly, we'll make minimal use of dominant chords. Let's look at this progression in C major:
Most of the chords used are chords from the subdominant group, so we got a soft, gentle sequence. The dominant function could not add any sharpness, as it sounded only once in the form of the V chord. Or let's set ourselves the task of creating a sharp, more dynamic progression. The chords of the dominant group - V and VII - will add instability and sharpness. Consider the following sequence of chords in A minor:
In the minor scale, the chords of the dominant group do not quite play the role of dominant, as described above. In order to make these chords sound more active and have a stronger tendency to sustain (in the tonic), we use the harmonic minor, in which the VII sound is raised (G# in A minor). As a result, we have a major chord - V and a diminished chord - VII. These chords add sharpness and dynamism even to a minor sequence!
Useful Piano Chord Progressions And Their Notation
I - IV - V
Probably the simplest chord progression is the combination I - IV - V
In the major scale, this progression consists of major chords. The progression sounds quite classical, so it may not always be suitable for modern compositions. In minor, i - iv - v are minor chords:
As mentioned above, in a minor progression, we can use a major chord instead of a minor chord as V. In this case, the sound will be more dynamic and we will feel the instability of the last chord:
I - VI - IV
An interesting option would be to go down with a steady step. For example, in the progression I - VI - IV, we will go down a note. You can finish the progression with another step down a note or end with a V chord.
Or
I - VII - VI
You can also use the same descent, but with a successive move down one note. Such a progression can start with any chord, but let's look at the example from I.
It's better to use a similar sequence in the minor to avoid the diminished chord, which in the major is on the VII step. You can also end with a major V to add a special sound.
I - V - VI - III
The chord and this movement step are successfully combined:
This progression is just as common in the major, and this logic can be continued:
You can see this progression in Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D!
Tips For Playing Chord Progressions
As you may have noticed in the various note examples above, triads are not necessarily used exclusively in the form of a note-by-note consonance. The sound of such a chord will be somewhat primitive and not always interesting. To improve your performance of chords, follow a few tips:
Add Bass
Bass is the lower sound of a chord, often played by the left hand in the lower octaves. The bass note adds fullness and space to the chord, making it sound more full. We usually use the bottom sound of the triad as the bass note, but you can experiment and use other triad sounds!
Add a Different Arrangement of Sounds
You can play the same triad in at least three different ways:
The triad doesn't change in any way, because the chord still contains the sounds themselves. However, by using different arrangements of the chord sounds, we can add more variety to the sound.
Look for Close Combinations
If your chords always look too obvious - like structural triads - try adding other arrangements, like with other sound arrangements. And look for arrangements in such a way that the chord sounds make a minimal step when moving to the next chord. To find such successful combinations, look for common sounds between chords.
Play Progressions in Different Keys
This skill will help you navigate chords and different keys better and faster.
Practice Playing And Creating Chord Progressions
To master piano chord progressions, you need to practice! It's not enough to just understand chord progressions - you have to play them on the piano keys. Over time, your fingers will reflexively help you with the progressions.
Try playing chord progressions in different keys. Use both major and minor keys to practice. I - IV - V - VI I - IV - II - V I - VI - IV - VII I - II - V - VI - I
Don't be afraid to build your own sequence! Look for chords in the key that you think go better together. And for practice, you can try filling in the missing bars with chords in the suggested fragments:
A Minor
C Major
A Minor
