Chord Progression Theory Course

You're playing piano and wondering to yourself "what can this chord lead to next?" Well, that's where chord progression theory comes in. It'll help you realize which options you have next when you are improvising or composing.

Due to the popularity of the list of chord progressions, I decided to come up with a theory behind the chord progressions which allows greater freedom that I believe when utilizing chord progressions.

Chord Progression Theory

• The I chord can go to any chord, but commonly goes to the IV or V chord.

• The ii chord leads to the IV, V, V7, or I chord.

• The iii chord leads to the IV chord.

• The IV chord leads to V7, I, or V chord.

• The V chord leads to the I, IV, or vi chord.

• The vi chord leads to IV, ii or V chord.

• The vii° chord leads to I, or iii chord.

I hope the above chord progression theory helps you in your composing. Again, it's based on numerous popular chord progressions found in this list.List of Chord Progression.

If you take the time to memorize this list, I believe that you will be able to come up with chord progressions on the fly. Of course, once you attain enough skill, you'll be able to create your own chord progressions that do not hold to any rules. But a foundation will help you if you're a beginner.

COURSE CONTENT

• Chord Progression Theory

• Chord Progression List - Extensive

• Harmony Music Theory Online and Chord Progressions

• How to use Seventh Chords in Compositions

• Advanced Piano Chord Substitutions

• *Harmony Music Theory for Harmonizing Musical Melody

Chord Progression List - Extensive

Learn common chord progression with lists of two chords, three chords, four chords, five chords and six chords. The list of chord progressions below will help generate ideas for song compositions.

If you are confused by the Roman numeral notation, click Roman Numerals and How to Play a Chord to learn more about them or you can find their definitions online.

Chord Progression Content

Simple chord progression list with two chords

• I-IV Common progression.

• I-V Common progression

Chord progression list with three chords

• I-IV-V Commonly used in rock and roll

• I-II-IV Used by the Beatles in – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

• I-IV-V7 *V7 is a regular V chord with a minor third on the top. An example of a V7 would be G, B, D, F. You can learn more about sevenths at *How to use 7th Chords in Compositions.

• I-flatted VII-IV Used in gospel music

• I-flatted III-IV One of my favorite progressions, used by Lynyrd Skynyrd in ‘Free Bird’

Chord progression list with four chords

• I-IV-I-V Common progression

• I-IV-I-V7 Common progression with dominant 7th chord in place of V chord

• I-IV-V-IV Common progression with a rolling motion.

• I-vi-IV-V Heart and Soul – Theme from the film Big with Tom Hanks. Thischord progression is fun to play.

• I-vi-ii-V Gershwin in ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’

• I-V-vi-IV Used by Journey in ‘Don’t Stop Believin’. Another fun rollingprogression.

• IV-I-IV-V Chord progression not starting on the tonic!

• I-I-IV-V Similar to the I-IV-V, but more this is more widely used because itis four measures long. Many musical phrases are divisible by 4, normally 16, which makes chord progression using four chords more popular than others.

• vi-IV-I-V Currently a very popular chord progression used by The Offspring, Linkin Park, The Cranberries, OneRepublic, and others. Also used in our composition titled Medley of Waterfalls

Chord progressions list with five chords

• I-vi-ii-IV-V7 Common Progression. Notice how the subsequent chord has many of the same notes. I and vi, ii and IV, both have two notes in common.

• I-vi-ii-V7-ii Similar to the previous chord progression, but with a ii squeezed in between the V7 and the I. This added ii makes the progressionless final at the end. V to I is a popular way to end songs. With the ii, it sounds like the song keeps going.

Chord progressions list with six chords

• I-IV-I-V7-IV-I Blues and jazz is normally a 12–bar progression making this chord progression ideal for jazz tunes.

• The numerous above chord progressions lists are ideal to use if you’re stuck at the keyboard and unsure where to begin. The above chord progressions are popular progression that have been around, but feel free to compose your own progressions. Who knows, maybe you’ll compose the next popular progression.

Dolce Music Institute

Dolce Music Institute is a premier western music school in Hyderabad, India. Founded by a skilled musician Alexander in 1999,it caters over 400 students every year and is regarded as one of the best music institutes in Hyderabad with a highly experienced and qualified faculty.The emphasis is not just on individual performance but also on ensemble playing, aural development and musical appreciation. Courses for Western classical instrumental training, Piano, Keyboard, Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Violin, Music Theory, Songwriting and specialized courses like Flamenco,Jazz and Blues Guitar outlines are catered. Classes are generally held on a one to one basis. The students can also give Certification exams for Classical music from The Trinity college of London, The London college of Music and The Associate Board of Royal School of Music.

As each day dawns, new challenges await. In this changing scenario, it is quite imperative for us to train our youth to stand aloft in this age of cut-throat competition. Within a short period,the institute has been successful in spreading its wings. This would not have been possible without the incredible support of students, staff members & other generous members of the society. Apart from the regular classes, several workshops by visiting artists and other musicians are also regularly conducted which provide musical interaction for the students. Periodic pupil’s concerts and other events help to develop the performance skills of the students.

The school has put a special focus on its website by providing many add on services through it. Students and other visitors can now interact with each other and share information on the website. People can request for chords or tabs of particular songs which are posted in due time. Students and visitors can also sell and buy music instruments (brand new and second hand) on the website. The website also gives latest happening events in and around Hyderabad. Also the school regularly posts new informational articles on music (general and technical) to help young musicians. The website also helps the budding musicians by providing them a platform to promote their music by uploading songs on the website.

Our Mission

• To provide a platform for musically inclined people to get formal but personalized training in western music.

• To constantly innovate in our methods of teaching.

• To become the one stop solution for any service related to music in the country.

• To nurture talents, give them professional skills and develop their creative potential for successful careers in music.

• To promote values and well being through music.