Many songs and popular pieces of music contain characteristic, regular sequences of certain chords. They are based on the basic key of a piece and the scale degrees based on harmony theory (see ⇒ scale). The chords usually change after one half, one whole two whole measures.
A set model or scheme popular in many musical genres leads from the tonic (degree I) over a second chord to the dominant (V) and finally back to the tonic (I). The second chord can be the tonic itself (I), the subdominant parallel (II), the subdominant (IV), the dominant (V), or the tonic parallel (VI) – resulting in the following progressions:
The chord progression I-vi-IV-V, which can often be found in classical music, has been used in numerous pieces of pop music since the 1950s (and therefore referred to in the Anglo-Saxon world as „50s progression“), some of which like „Heart and Soul“ or „Stand by Me“ have become standards. Well known variants are I-vi-IV-V7 and I-vi-ii-V (e.g. „Bohemian Rhapsody“).
In principle, it is a short form of the Pachelbel sequence.
The working of this progression is often compared to an adventurous journey: from the safe home (the root note I) into the dark unknown (the minor parallel) until a sign of hope is heard (the subdominant) and the dramatic rescue (by the dominant) that takes us back home. The term “ice cream changes” alludes to this clichéd, „sweet“ process.
The sequence invented by Johann Pachelbel for his Canon in D major is as follows:
1563-4145 | I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V7 | C-G-Am-Em-F-C-F-G7 |
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A single change in the penultimate chord (replacing the repetition of the subdominants with their minor parallel) results in the modified Pachelbel sequence, which leads through all common chords and is therefore particularly suitable for practicing:
1563-4125 | I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-ii-V7 | C-G-Am-Em-F-C-Dm-G7 |
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The following chord progression 2) contains a number of elementary ukulele chords. It begins with a major cadence (1451) and enters a softrock-like cadence (64751).
Chord | Am | Dm | E7 | Am | F | D | G | E | Am |
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Degree | i | iv | V7 | i | VI | IV | VII | V | i |