6 common chord progressions and why they work
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มิ.ย. 2024
- You can see my first video on common chord changes here:
• 7 super common chord p... 🎹🎶
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0:00 Introduction
0:22 the Plagal Cascade
2:44 the "Can't Stop" progression
5:45 the "Closing Time" progression
9:05 the OTHER other Axis progression
13:02 the "Mr. Brightside" progression
15:39 the 12 bar blues
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I'm kind of disappointed that your background is in focus, as I can now see that it's not a photo of Barry from Eastenders in your guitar strings.
But I kind of preferred the randomness of believing otherwise.
perhaps there is a practical reason that I'm missing, but I find it much easier to think of the first progression as iim IV I V. The example you gave would be in Eb major and frees the mind of the overcomplicated explanation.
@@petealba707 the reason we wouldn’t do that is the tonic chord is defined by the key, which is ultimately defined by the melody. Wonderwall is in the key of F#m so the F#m chord has to be “i”
is this video a reupload, i am having a huge deja vu, swear i saw the video yesterday
@@DavidBennettPiano the problem with that is that many will assume it's in F# natural minor which it is not. It's actually Dorian flavor which puts it in E major. The tonic needn't be the first chord, it can be the third and gives someone a much better idea how to write a solo or melody.
It’s funny how certain chord progressions are instantly evocative of a certain era of music. The ‘Closing Time’ progression instantly makes me think of turn of the millennium / noughties music as soon as I hear it, even when used by someone like Phoebe Bridgers in completely contemporary songs.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. There is something very nostalgic about that progression that just takes you back when you hear it.
I had the same feeling with the Plagal Cascade/Wonderwall progression. For me, it strongly reminds me of the mid '90s to early '00s era of music, mainly due to it being used in "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and a bunch of Britpop songs.
It even works because at the V chord, you indeed, “don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here”.
@@justsomeguy6133 Yep, time to go out to the places you will be from. So strange I couldn't tell that song was about giving birth until someone told me. It's about a uterus, not a bar.
Yeah like D ..Bm...G ...A..is very reminiscent of the 50s and early 60s with songs like blue moon and runaround sue
12 bar blues makes me think of 50s rock and roll
As a band geek back in my school days, I always wondered why every American high school and university fight song sounded almost the exact same. With videos like this, I've actually been able to put it into words. They all have almost the exact same 16-bar "Fight Song" Chord Progression. It was always some variation on:
||: I | I | I | I |
V | I | V | V |
I | I | IV | iii |
IV | I | I V | I :||
Holy smokes you're definitely a band nerd
||:
@@Trombonemusic765 Notre Dame Victory March almost matches- but Texas A&M basically uses Coney Island Baby, which barely has anything in common!
a fact i've always got a little giggle from is that a good portion of the soundtrack for the original DOOM is in 12 bar blues
Really? Damn, I guess it just goes to show how versatile it is. Which songs in particular can you make that use it?
Well when you remember that most of old school metal comes from blues, it makes a lot of sense. That and the original DOOM soundtrack heavily took inspiration from those artists.(oldschool E1M1 to Metallica’s No Remorse for example)
Hell Black Sabbath, the ones usually cited as the first actual instance of “metal music”, were literally a blues band before discovering the sound lol
I never realized that U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For uses the 12 bar blues progression. With major 7th's instead of dominant, it certainly doesn't have much of a blues flavor, but does fit the progression.
and finally U2 get a mention in David Bennett Videos :)
Changes the whole vibe of the song doesn't it
It's 12 bar GOSPEL, not blues!
It's a gateway to real Gospel.
In this video I was struck by how well the lyrics in the U2 song fitted with the chord progression. It's like Bono went on a journey to the V chord, but couldn't find what he was looking for, which was a return to the home chord.
Shoutout to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" for using two of these progressions.
Also, another common variation on the 12-bar blues that wasn't covered here: bar 2 sometimes uses the IV chord. You will probably hear the term "quick-change" used for this variation.
I mean Boulevard of Broken Dreams was off American Idiot for crying out loud. Their most experimental album of their career.
@@MorganTC Eh, I'd say they were most experimental during Uno Dos Tre. Problem is because of that, a lot of them misses and barely any of them hits.
Blues is fun, despite it' name, a whole similar set of variations. It's more like Anti-Blues if you ask me.
@@MorganTC American Idiot was super experimental but Boulevard of Broken Dreams in particular was a focus on production and composition planning, it's awesome how it's used as an example for having great theory put into it considering it's a punk band. It was a hit for a reason in my opinion
@@altdechet5075it's not that theory based. I bet Billie Joe Armstrong didn't even cared about that aspect, he just threw a bunch of chords and knew how to make a good song out of them
Love how you include a wide spectrum of music genres to these videos
Also this helps explain why I kept getting reminded of "Misery Business" in "Good 4 U" they share the same chord in the same instrument (Guitar), have a female vocals and deal with similar topics (Something in a School Drama)
th-cam.com/video/qX7a2p5_JsM/w-d-xo.html Might I recommend this exploration of literally just that controversy?
Misery Business and Good 4 U comparison was also widely discussed by other youtubers, some argue that Olivia stole the chorus from Paramore - interesting topic!
@@TheViliukasth-cam.com/video/qX7a2p5_JsM/w-d-xo.html Adam Neely made a great video on this
@@TheViliukas half the video is that chord progression. I guess a lot of people were stealing.
@Cheeser steeling chords that have and will always be there for the take ?
Merci beaucoup David. I've been watching you for years, and I'm not a musician.
Ahem, I wasn't a musician. I bought a piano last month and started at 65. Now your videos make much more sense since I'm also taking a foreign language course.
I legitimately burst out in laughter with the Paramore -> Olivia Rodrigo cut. HAhahahaha very well played David.
😂😅
As soon as I saw the paramore I thought Rodrigo has to be next
Is there an inside joke there I don’t get?
@@AtomizedSound Really? It's pretty obviously more than heavily inspired by the Paramore track. It's practically copy & paste.
@@AtomizedSound th-cam.com/video/qX7a2p5_JsM/w-d-xo.html
You’ve done secondary dominants, but I think it would be a really interesting video if you covered secondary leading tones. Those can get really fun, and I’d very much like to learn more about them. I know what they are but never how to use them!
I concur, there needs to be a video about them.
Are those like using the flat 2 to lead you down to the 1?
@@martianmurray Secondary leading tones are similar to secondary dominants. With secondary dominants, you go to the V of a certain scale degree, but with secondary leading tones, you go to the vii° of a scale degree. You can probably imagine that you can start getting into some super complicated progressions with these.
well a secondary leading tone is really just a secondary dominant seventh chord without the root
@@thurm64 Of course, but change the root-change the chord. There’s no doubt they’ve still got the same function, but I’ve never taken a liking to that train of thought. We call them different things for a reason, after all.
10:46 What's My Age Again? actually switches to the I, V, VI, IV in the chorus, so it's actually the same progression as in the verse but shifted along by one chord. The intro riff is actually brought back in in the outro, only shifted along by one note. Always thought it was clever how they did that :)
Nice!!
33861551563386155954,
I love the 3 TSwift songs in a row, and then including "Half of my heart" which has Taylor on backup Vox
In the jazz idiom, it's the chord progression of "I Got Rhythm" by the Gershwins that became one of the most common. Several be-bop era tunes are written over "Rhythm Changes", and commonly played by jazz musicians at jam sessions as a medium for improvisation.
Sensational, how you put all that songs together in a row and have also incorporated most recent songs from Olivia Rodrigo and others! You have put a lot of work into this. Very enlightening!
Your transitions between songs in your examples are really well done :)
He should do dj vids of just chord progression medleys
Your song examples in this one are fantastic! I discovered that my heart is owned by the "Plagal Cascade". Every one of those song examples is an all time favorite of mine! Of course the 12-bar Blues kicks some serious ass, too, but nothing like that first one. Great video!
I am big Oasis fan and love others mentioned bands too
Pretty late, but a very popular example of plagal cascade is probably Blinding Lights by the Weeknd. Also, this kinda explains why I always confused Wonderwall and Boulevard of broken dreams as a kid
That transition from Attention to Sweet Dreams was so smooth
I've been composing more years than you've been alive. but I did it thru intuition. it's very great to me to have certain musicals conventions defined and labeled. I figured there were a names for these things, but being uneducated, I never knew what. thank you for sharing your knowledge. you're giving a gentleman's language to a savage's instincts.and nice playing at the end of your presentation. love it.
"a gentleman's language to a savage's instincts" is suuuuch a beautiful phrase
some of those examples of 12-bar blues progressions surprised me a lot. never thought of "black or white" or "still haven't found what i'm looking for" as 12-bar blues before, but they totally are. great video!
I remember reading how they write pop music to play with your emotions and they have it down to a science. My guess is that with the Axis of Awesome chord progression they switch the order of the IV and V just so that when you stop listening to the song you just run it over endlessly in your head. If it ended on the 5 then the song would be over and I wouldn’t go out and buy big macs or whatever it is pop music these days is on about. Having a looping chord progression in your head is maddening!
I love ur chord progressions videos - they are informative, not too long, nice examples and some musical theory here and there so that we also learn something
Same. My YT algorithm thinks I'm a sound engineer or something, suggests me other channels, yet I just want to understand music I listen to better, and David does it so unashamedly simple and enjoyable, like, damn
Important note: the Plagal Cascade (i-bIII-bVII-IV) is dorian. So you can write the melody in dorian or minor pentatonic quite easily. (You can even sneak an aeolian b6 in there, provided you keep it away from the IV chord.)
Sometimes they play that chord but the last chord would be iv instead of IV.
It's also important to know that "Wonderwall" and "D'You Know What I Mean?" aren't in Dorian but Aeolian. Their main loops are i7-bIII-bVIIsus4-IVsus4, which lack either the major or minor 6th, and their vocal melodies remain in Aeolian minus a brief diminished 5th in "Wonderwall".
i want to know stuff like this as much as possible!
what should i google? much appreciated in advance
It’s like they are saying something, I just know it!
The Axis progression is magical in that its 4 chords always sound good no matter how they're arranged. I even just found a variant royal road: IV > V > vi > I.
It's interesting to have the Axis Progression (and the 'other' Axis Progression) and the Closing Time progression in here mentioned all together because in Benny's (the pianist from Axis of Awesome) Six Chord Song video he blends all together with a few more and it's been my warm up song for years as adding the two extra chords makes it go from hundreds of pop songs to almost all of them.
When you played the Can't Stop progression I immediately heard Can't Hold Us, and Heartbeat by Childish Gambino. Both songs that use this chord progression on piano very prominently.
everything i wanted by billie eilish too
yes
@@ethanryan5319 True
The Can't Stop progression is sometimes altered. Instead of the minor v chord. They use the bIII instead. Making it [i-bVII-bIII-bVI]. But can also use both two versions at the same time such as in OUTRO: TEAR from BTS.
Also I want to add four more chord progressions
The first I call, the "Uplift Chord Progression" [ bVI-bVII-v-i ]
The second one is I would call "Axis Progression in Parallel Minor"
[i-v-bVI-iv] or [i-V-bVI-iv]
The third is I call the "Brightest Minor Key Progression Ever"
[i-bIII-bVI-bVII]
The fourth is I call the "Dorian plus Minor Mix Progression" I love the sound of this one.
[i-bVII-IV-bVI]
Another very well explained progression lesson; I can’t get enough of this in my search for the ‘perfect’ progression. Thanks, David. 🙏
I think it uses David's chord, I heard it pleased the Lord
I’m a big fan of 1-1maj7-1dom7-4-4minor-1-5-1 a lot of of chromatic movement
@@lukaopalicki519 but you don't really care for music, do you?
@@MilKeys Also the opposite chromatic movement I - I aug - I maj7 - I7 - IV - iv - I - V is really nice
Chuck Berry, among others, often uses the IV chord in the second bar of the twelvebar, which to me is one of the most delicate flavourings of classic rock'n'roll and blues. (Sweet little rock'n'roller, Roll over Beethoven).
Congrats on your abroad trip that’s coming up dude! Babel is awesome!!! So was the Cascading Plagalness via the 1 to 4 progression. Love your process and how you share your knowledge.
This is fantastic information. Thank you so much for the tutorials. I’ve learned so much from your videos already. Thanks again. Looking forward to more videos.
Do common Jazz chord progressions next! We still haven't seen the 2-5-1.
Worth noting that part of why we see the breakdown to divisions of 4/8/16 in popular music goes back to jazz. The two forms are commonly called, in jazz circles, 12 bar blues, which follows the 12 bar pattern, and "pop-song format" which is, at its core, a 16 or 32 bar pattern built around 4 bar sections. Formal Western music theory usually refers to pop song format as Songbook or American Songbook.
David, I love this series of videos. I’m tempted to create playlists based on the chord progressions.
Let me know if you do, the familiarity of these chords gets to my OCD
I like it when your notes are near the camera. Now you're speaking to me, to us, to your followers. You are a joy to watch and hear. Keep teaching us.
As a guitarist this is one of the best TH-cam channels.
Interesting, I noticed that if you take out the IV chord in the "closing time" progression, you get "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star
After the second 'fade into you' in the chorus they actually play the IV
I really enjoy these videos, Mr Bennet. If there are any more common progressions, I would be really interested in a third part. Two I am personally interested in are:
bVII > bVII > i > iii or V7
And also bVI > iv > i > v
An amazing video as always, hope the series continues! Thanks!
Another memetic chord progression had perhaps its most famous outing in ~1700: I V vi iii IV I IV V, with several songs either sampling that tune directly, using the entire chord progression (for all or part of the song), or diverging in the last two bars...
"Plagal cascade" is a fancy name for something you learn in classical harmony as "Ascending 5th sequence. These progressions are less goal-directed than descending 5ths but very common in all music. In minor keys the ascending 5th sequence would benefit by starting on bIII since the diminished chord on scale degree ^2 would make an ascent from the i chord undesireable. It is for this reason you will usually see the "plagal" motion starting on the bIII chord. It allows us to bypass the dimished triad and use the ascending 5th sequence.
Another fantastic video. I think for someone who has a lot of music training, these series of videos isn’t that insightful. But for the rest of us, these are way more helpful and insightful than you’d think. So many “an -ha” coin drop moments. Thank you so much.
Thanks Andrew 😀
I learn so much from this channel thank you so much David
Please make more videos like this. I used these chords right after I read them and learned a lot. thanks.
Using this video in my 7/8 classroom. We’re learning uke, and I’m trying to drive home chord progressions to make more independent players. So happy about this!
"You Keep Me Hanging On" (The Supremes, Vanilla Fudge, and Kim Wilde) is my favorite of the i bVII v bVI songs.
Your hard work is much appreciated.
I literally take notes when I watch your videos. So informative and I love the piano outros, too! You're both a talented musician and a wonderful teacher.
David forget the most famous example for the 13:04 's chord progression: BABY SHARK!
The Twelve Bar Blues has been used in such video game songs as “Bunny Hop” from Rhythm Heaven and “Mike’s Song” from Warioware.
i think youd be hard pressed to find a video game soundtrack that doesn't use the twelve bar blues somewhere.
Man, last week i was looking for this like crazy. And now you posted, awesome!!!
Great video. These explanations of chord progessions really pull music together for me!
LOL that transition from the songs using of IV - I - V - vi to the three specific songs that Adam Neely referenced in his video about Olivia Rodrigo's "plagiarism". Very cheeky
That’s great, David, and very useful to my musical education. One progression that is almost unique but should be used more often is “Key to the Highway,” 1/5/4. Thanks so much for educating us.
Niiiice one sensei!!!! I've been finding simmilar patterns between songs over years, starting with the Plagan, of course! Now THIS is just great - not only you named several patterns and lots of examples, you also explained WHY they sound so good to a human's ear
you have a great, clear and figurative way of explaining and teaching. Thanks!!
One thing you didn't mention: the closing time progression is the same as the plagal cascade, just shifted over by two chords.
The Axis of Awesome progression isn’t the only rotatable progression! If you rotate _Those Magic Changes_ so that the vi chord is the starting chord, you get the Humoresque progression, which also often substitutes ii for IV.
The IVMaj7-V7-iii7-vi chord progression is another iconic one, used in such songs as “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley and “Hold It Against Me” by Britney Spears. Its common name is the Royal Road progression, but I like to call it the Rickroll progression.
Solid as always.
Thanks a lot David!
Thank you so much. I have been playing for 3 years now and this has been the most amazing information. You have blown my mind sir!😊❤
What a fantastic video, not only as a fun music theory lesson, but also as a trip through pop music history. Loved your blues improvisation at the end too! Jazz players tend to make their blues too jazzy, it's like they can't help it.
The "Can't Stop" chord progression also has a relative that's used in "My Way" by Calvin Harris: i --> VIIb --> IIIb --> iv, which is the same as the "Can't Stop" progression except for the last two chords, which are shifted down a third.
Also, another chord progression I feel comes up surprisingly frequently is the "Dorian Descent" chord progression, or i --> i7 (usually in 3rd inversion) --> viø7 --> VIb, which is featured in Alessia Cara's "Here" and Toby Fox's "Megalovania".
your edits are so awesome that I get goosebumps!! Your vids are great inspiration for young composers!!!
Honestly, such a perfect video. So many great examples, and just really well done 👏
I've learnt so much random stuff from this channel he deserved more subs
This may sound like a really dumb question but when you say "flat seven" or "flat four" etc., does that just mean it's a flattened version of a chord from the major key?
For example:
Key of C:
I - C, ii - Dm, iii -Em, IV - F and so on......would a flat four be E major??
I hope that makes sense, I feel like a bit of an idiot
first time seeing this series of yours! very well cut together
I love your channel so much man, thank you for the work you are doing.
I've recently noticed that a lot more pop songs these days are using ii-V-I-vi (or some variation of that) chord loops. And I find that really interesting because it calls back to the evolution of modern pop music out of jazz and that genre's constant use of ii-V-I. I know you briefly mentioned a similar loop on Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 in your video on the ii-V-I chord progression a few months back, but I've heard ii-V-I-vi get used in recent songs like Say So, 34+35, Kiss Me More, and Better Days. I think there might be a few similar songs that use a minor variant of this loop as well.
I always find it interesting when bands use the same progression more than once.
It's a strategy that seems to have worked well for Taylor Swift!
@@AutPen38 aren't her chord progressions really basic ? Like it's always the standard chords in a key with non major or extended /borrowed chords ?
@@THOMAS2910able I think Taylor Swift's songs are generally a bit more interesting than some of the "one hit wonder" artists, but most chart-topping pop tunes of recent years just use diatonic triads, with the occasional 7th note. (Pop songs in the 1980s were much more "interesting", with various suspensions, and 9ths and 11ths etc). I mentioned Taylor Swift because - in one of the sections of this video - two or three of her songs used the same progression (although they may have been recorded in different keys). It's kind of hard not to use the same sequence (like 1 5 6 4) *somewhere* in your catalogue if you've done a few albums. After all, most pop hits just use the four "most important" chords from the major scales (I, IV, V and vi) in various different orders. Those four chords just work so well together and are usually easy to sing over too.
These progression vids are my new favorite things on TH-cam. Thank you, sir! Kind regards, Daniel 🤙🏼
I have to tell you I really enjoy your videos on chord progressions. Keep em coming.
love to see those alvvays and Phoebe bridgers inclusions
You could also say that II-V-I is one of the most used chord progressions, especially or mainly in Jazz. But because Jazz is so little by todays generations it's hard to say it's one of the most common chord progressions. Even if it is
251 is used in basically all contemporary music. It's extremely hard to find soul music that doesnt have a 251. It's mainly pop music that uses 451 instead for whatever reason.
Man, your channel its just simply perfection.
Brilliant as always David. So clear and informative.
Great video!! Thank you for showing us the examples!
PD: I like these new credits with you playing while we can see the patrons! ❤
Tori Amos uses this chord progression in Welcome to England. My interpretation is that the song is referencing the Oasis and U2 songs you mentioned to evoke a Brit Pop vibe because the song is about an American moving to England for love. U2 and Oasis were ubiquitous in the 90s so that is the biggest association for me.
I seriously really do love your videos.
What you do is gold David
Another very good vid. I'm waiting for you to talk about my favorite progression, VI/VII/i (at least I think that's what it is, I am no expert on music theory by any means). I find it fascinating how it has that rising tension with the first two chords, and then when it sounds like it's going to resolve, it adds even more tension with the minor i, practically begging for another attempt. You can hear examples in Redbone and Bad Romance, as well as tons of electronic and modern Japanese music.
It's amazing how much eurodance/techno since about 1990 revolves around Am, F, and G (in various configurations) presumably because so many computer musicians (including me) can't really play piano, but can put 3 fingers on the white keys. Worldwide smashes like 'Mr Vain' and 'Rhythm is a Dancer', along with loads of other eurotechno and EDM tracks, are basically the same song.
@giascle I doubt that progression even exists in Western music, in fact it sounds really odd. Are you sure you're not mixing up major and minor modes?
The Wonderwall/boulevard of broken dreams progression has to be one of my favourites!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Great content
14:14 I heard that and immediately began humming the first verse of Sorry For Writing All The Songs About You
I am at 18:32 and i am amazed you made it this far without mentioning The Beatles. One could argue but i think we can agree you almost managed to do it.
I agree, although I never object to The Beatles. I never thought of Can't Buy Me Love as a blues progression, but sure enough, it's so close as to count that way!
@@sschmidtevalue To be fair, i'm just poking fun. I don't mind the compulsory Beatles point. I just can"t stop imagining an excited David Bennett asking you if you've ever heard of The Beatles like Jehovah's Witnesses asking you if you've ever heard of the Bible.
To you, David Bennett, i answer, yes, i do. I think i've already heard a few. My listen list is packed, but i'll make room for them.
These chord progression videos never get old for me.
This videos are so good. Such valuble useful clarifying helpful inspiring information.
more vid like this please david! it's good, so clear and useful!! i loved it
Thank you!
Love the Alvvays inclusion!
The I - V - ii - IV pattern was the original progression used in Torn by Ednaswap before the Natalie Imbruglia version that diluted it to the more common “Axis” progression of I - V - vi - IV
You're the first person I've ever knowb that natalie imbruglia wasn't the original musician on that song.
Excellent video, David, thank you.
Thanks Peter!
Hey David, thank you so much for this Videos about chord progressions. It’s a great ressource for learning fluently speaking language of songs. Thanks a lot for your work, really appreciate it.
One of the first rock songs I learned to play on the guitar was Silver Machine by Hawkwind which uses I II IV V. Am I right in thinking this progression is rarely used? The climbing nature of the progression might make you think of a spaceship taking off, but I've heard that the "Silver Machine" was actually Robert Calvert's bicycle.
I always thought Boulevard of Broken Dreams / Mad World / Gone Away
were parts of the same song. Whenever I heard the first ones, I kept waiting for the overdrive guitar to enter.
Such an amazing work! I really appreciate it as a music teacher and music fan. Especially for really contemporary examples like Alvvays and Phoebe Bridgers
You pick some of the very best live performances! With everyone singing in tune!
Plagal cadence - did you know that the Beatles shifted Western pop music toward it? It's part of why they sounded "different" at the time. Pop music back then relied more on the perfect cadence. Note how the Chuck Berry simplified 12-bar ends in a perfect. _Love Me Do_, 1962, spews plagal and even _Can't Buy Me Love_, a 12-bar, lengthens - ie. stresses - the plagal cadence at the end.
I can believe it. They changed so much.
Great overview of more common progressions. For your next video, it might be interesting to review the progressions that use the mediant, eg, I iii IV V I or I iii IV ii V I. Great job!
I always enjoy your theory videos. They're so clear and easy to follow. Keep doing that thing you do.
Once again. Thank you for producing the video on this very interesting music theory topic. It really helps get the creative juices flowing in my head for some new tunes I can crank out on my guitar.