In what manner do chord progressions progress?

Question

diaganolly, corkscrewise...?

Answer 1

You asked about chord progression. Basic chord progression theory is based on Jean Philippe Rameau's "Theory of Inversion." All chord progression is based on root movement.

Starting with the 3 basic tonal triads: I, IV, and V overall chord progression follows a pattern of fifths. The V is a fifth above the tonic( I ) and the IV is a fifth below tonic. This takes care of the most basic and frequent root movements.

The next most frequent root movements are seconds (2nds), THEN thirds (3rds) and then primes. A chart of root movements for the common practice period would be:

5ths - over 50%
2nds - 20%
3rds - 10%
Primes - the repeat of a root - remaining %.

If you follow the circle of fifths this relationship becomes apparent: F-C-G-D-A thus you have - C (tonic) - G( a fifth up from C) - D (a 2nd up from C) - A (a 3rd down from C) and the F is a fifth down from C in the opposite direction. While this could be extended on up (to E and B) the relationship becomes extremely weak.

So, TO SIMPLIFY, your strongest and most used root progressions in order are : 5ths up or down , then 2nds up and then 3rds down. -----Additionally, there are rules that affect which of these chord movements are usable. One rule being that one chord of a two chord progression must be a tonal chord (I , IV, V and adding the II although it is considered a mixed tonal/modal chord).

These 3 root movements take care of probably 95% of all basic progressions(The 4ths mentioned by some are simply 5ths in the opposite direction !! ). The addition of 7ths, 9ths, etc. to chords are extensions to the dominant or non-dominant function of the chords.

I must give credit to a friend and fellow composer Dr. W. Francis McBeth for the circle of fifths/root progression theory.

Hope this will help.

Musician,composer,teacher.

Answer 2

Chord progressions can "progress" in a number of manners. It might be best to think of root progression, where we describe the distance between the roots of each chord in sequence. This narrows things down somewhat, as there are only 4 possiblities -- progression in 4ths or (or 5ths) being the most common. Example: G to C. Next would be progression in 3rds (6ths)Example: E to C; and then in 2nds (7ths) Example D to C. Progression by tri-tone is a special case (Augmented 4th of Diminished 5th). Example: C to F#

Two chords in progression usually have at least one common tone between them. Progression in 4ths generally exhibit one common tone, progressions in 3rds have 2 common tones diatonically, but chromatically may have just 1 or none. Progressions in 2nds generally have no common tones and are therefore the rarest and most difficult to do with proper "voice leading" -- a whole other subject.

And so far everything I have said only applies to triads -- chord of on ly 3 notes. When you start adding 7ths and 9ths, etc., thing open up a bit, because this adds common tones to chords that wouldn't otherwise have them, and progressions start to get highly chromatic.

I have simplified, because it is a deep subject -- whole books have been written on it.

To CubCur:

Your are not correct.

Well, now, if the distance from f to b is an augmented 4th, then how would you classify it's inversion? -- not to nit-pick, but I think you would have to call it a diminished 5th. There's just no way around it. It's still a tri- tone.

(You remember the rules about inversions? Perfect to perfect, minor to major, diminished to augmented, and vice-versa?)

So let's take that G7 chord and present it as a G 42 (with the 7th in the bass). Pray tell me the quality of the 5th that is described by the distance from the b up to the f??

Now we could take that same interval and spell it C flat to F, whch would make it a tritone belonging to the dominant 7th in the key of G flat (a D flat 7th) and it's STILL a tri-tone.

Now why you started talking about Gdouble flats is beyond me -- in fact I can't think of a voice-leading imperative that would require you to spell that g-b-d-f chord with a G double flat. E Sharp maybe, if you needed an aug 6th (German variety) in the key of B. Perhaps this is what you were thinking of?? But guess what -- IT"S STILL A TRITONE!!

Answer 3

When writing and recording, we speak of 'the riffs' as in each seperate section defined by a different progression in notes/chords/combo or a change (of riff), so second riff, third riff, repeat first riff and so on.....its just semantics i reckon. C A F G, repeated twice or 4 times, thats a riff, then you then change to playing something else, and thats the second riff, etc. WHY NOT call them LICKS heheheheeeee ;) When writing, you should go wherever your fingers take you on the fretboard....WATCH OUT for mistakes - they can often be the most blindingly brilliant riffs ever.

Answer 4

(Sorry to nit-pick Glinzek) Careful does it here: many a student has come a cropper with this mistake in a test paper. Though the interval of an augmented fourth is indeed that of a tritone, the diminished fifth is *not*. It may well sound accoustically similar in equal termperament, but functionally and historically no such similarity exists.

Edit in reply:

The argument about the tritone arises solely from an assumed tuning in equal temperament. The concept and definition of the tritone however, predates the adoption of equal temperament tuning by several centuries. In mean tone temperament, three whole tones only arise as an augmented fourth. The inversion is not possible as it does not come true. Whereas in meantone temperament, two tritones amount to 6 whole tones and a diesis short of an octave, in equal temperament two tritones amount to an octave with the diesis in question distributed equally over the whole. It is this equal distribution of the diesis in equal temperament that makes the enharmonic equivalence possible which the mistake depends on. It is, however, completely anachronistic with regard to the tritone and its original establishment. My admittedly crooked notation of G-double flat arose from the fact that though the inversion F-B in meantone temperament is a diminished fifth and therefore not a tritone, the interval C-flat-F *is* a tritone in meantone temperament and, thinking for a moment in two temperaments at once (not wise ) the enharmonic equivalent diminished fifth would be C-flat-G-double-flat. Apologies for that bit of fog. With this extended excursion into the reasons why having taken its place, I have accordingly cut that sentence from the para above. Thanks for alerting me to it!

Parlance and the passing of time more recently may have diluted the sense of what are genuine tritones (as defined by the non-equal temperament practice of their origins) and what are merely augmented fourths in equal temperament, but the diabolus in musica owed its notoriety as much to the specificity through which it could only come about in meantone temperament as to the grating dissonance it brought in its wake. Deep into the 19thC, the awareness of the distinction between the two still compels composers to prefer to deploy 'true' (i.e. achievable reliably under meantone temperament) tritones at moments of high expressive tension as a silent nod to that ancient practice and its 'devil in music'.

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to think what might be known as a corkscrew-wise progression in future: it has a certain serpentine charm all of its own as an expression... :-))

Answer 5

My brain started progressing corkscrew-wise with CubCur's answer. I fail to see his logic and I am not sure the words used exist. But alas, I am just a jazz and R&B musician who uses the old II-V7-I and I-IV-V progressions.

As far as I am concerned, a tritone makes a great car horn, but has little other use!