Recognizing chord progressions

Thinking in degrees

A progression is a sequence of degrees. “I-IV-V” is C, F, G in C; G, C, D in G; A, D, E in A. The key changes, but the sound of the progression stays the same: that sound is what your ear is going to learn.

I-IV-V: rock, blues, folk

Three major chords, the foundation of rock ’n’ roll and the blues. The V pulls you back to the I.

By ear: everything is major and bright; the tension builds on the V and resolves on the I.

I-V-vi-IV: pop

The most used progression in pop over the last fifty years. The vi (minor) adds a touch of melancholy in the middle of all that brightness.

You’ve already played it in G in the beginner course: G, D, Em, C. A very common variation: the same thing starting on the vi (Am, F, C, G), which sounds darker.

ii-V-I: jazz and soul

A minor chord, a seventh chord, then the resolution. You hear it everywhere in jazz, and often at the end of pop songs, like a signature.

By ear: a movement that “comes down” toward home. The G7 creates a strong expectation, resolved by C. In jazz, it’s played with richer chords, Dm7, G7, Cmaj7: you’ll learn them in step 7.

Your ear: three clues

1. Where’s home? Sing the note that sounds “final” to you. That’s the root of the I.
2. Major or minor? A minor chord in the middle of a major progression is almost always the vi (or the ii).
3. Where’s the tension? The chord that pushes hardest toward home is the V.

The test

Close your eyes, start one of the three players at random (or ask someone to), and say which progression you hear. Then start again in a different key: play the progressions yourself in D (D, G, A; D, A, Bm, G; Em, A7, D) and in A (A, D, E; A, E, F#m, D).

Last step: put on a song you like and work out which of the three it uses. Lots of pop songs are I-V-vi-IV, barely disguised.

You’ve got it when…

• You play I-IV-V, I-V-vi-IV and ii-V-I in C and in G
• You recognize I-V-vi-IV by ear 4 times out of 5
• You’ve found the progression of a song you know