Knowra Chord progression Chord progression A chord progression is an ordered sequence of chords that forms the harmonic structure of a passage or piece of music. Its chord changes shape musical expectation, motion, and closure.
Roman numeral analysis : A notation system that identifies chords by their scale degrees and qualities within a key. It describes a progression by function rather than by fixed chord names.
Chord : A combination of notes sounded together, commonly built from stacked intervals. A progression is made from chords arranged in sequence.
Twelve-bar blues : A twelve-measure blues form built around a recurring sequence of tonic, subdominant, and dominant harmonies. Its repeated harmonic pattern is a widely recognized progression framework.
Modal harmony : Harmony organized around a mode’s characteristic pitches and center rather than conventional major–minor functions. It can sustain a tonal center without relying on standard functional progressions.
Tonal music : Music organized around a central pitch whose relationships structure harmonic stability and motion. Chord progressions are a principal means of organizing tonal music.
Harmonic function : The role a chord plays in establishing a tonal center, creating motion, or providing stability. Progressions gain direction as chords serve tonic, predominant, and dominant roles.
Triad : A three-note chord formed by a root, a third, and a fifth. Triads are the basic chord type in many tonal progressions.
Twelve-bar blues progression : A recurring twelve-measure chord sequence, typically using I, IV, and V chords in a blues form. This specific sequence shows how a progression can define an entire form.
Atonality : Music that lacks a governing tonal center or key in the conventional major–minor sense. It challenges the key-centered expectations that guide many chord progressions.
Functional harmony : A tonal system in which chords relate through roles such as tonic, predominant, and dominant. Progressions make functional relationships audible over time.
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