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A progression can be
described as a series of chords played one after the other. Many times,
progressions are described in terms of numbers. For example, a I
- IV - V progression would contain
a I
chord, which in the key of C, would be a C, a IV
chord, which in the key of C would be an F, and a V
chord, which in the key of C would be a G. The I
- IV - V progression is a very
popular chord sequence in rock, blues, and country. Other popular progressions
would include the ii - V -
I progression. The ii
- V - I is a common jazz chord
progression.
The numbers referred to when
discussing a progression describe the degree of a scale from which a chord
is constructed. In almost every case the numbers used to designate the
chords are written as Roman numerals. In the key of C, the C chord would
be considered the I.
The
capital I
indicates that the chord is major. In the key of C, the Dm chord could
be written as ii
and referred to verbally as a ii
minor . The lowercase i
indicates that the chord is minor. A seventh chord will usually be written
as V
or V7,
the minor seventh chord as ii7
or iim7,
and the major seventh as I
maj7.
The 12 bar blues and the
8 bar blues are progressions. The 12 bar blues is a progression consisting
of 12 measures. The 8 bar blues is a progression consisting of 8 measures. |
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