The Progression of Fifths

As you know, lots of music ends with a V-I (or i) cadence. This is because the notes in the V chord have a very strong "pull" towards those in a I chord. For example, in the key of C major the chords V-I are G major - C major. The B in G major has a strong pull towards the tonic C. The semitone interval creates this strong pull.

Chord V is called the "dominant" for this reason - it's the most important chord after the tonic. The 7th degree of the scale is called the "leading note" for the same reason - it feels like it leads somewhere, and the note it leads to is the tonic. We say that the leading note resolves to the tonic, because our ears feel satisfied when we hear the tonic played after the leading note. So, chord I is most strongly related to chord V, its fifth. In fact, every chord has a very strong connection with the chord which is a fifth higher. So, a chord of G has a strong link with the chord of D. In C major, D is chord ii (minor, not major), but that's ok - the link is still strong whether it's a major or a minor chord. So far we have have discovered that the following chords have a dominant-tonic relationship: I-V-ii We can carry on in the same way, until we've used up all the triads of C major:

We now have the complete cycle of the progression of fifths. All we need to do now is reverse the order, so that each "dominant" chord resolves to its "tonic": Progression of Fifths: I - IV - vii - iii - vi - ii - V - I

Here's an easy way to remember the order of chords: Write down these numbers: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 backwards, leaving a big gap between each number:

Then write the numbers 5 - 6 - 7 between those numbers, also backwards, and finish off by writing the Roman numerals below each number:

You will almost never see the whole series of fifths in use in one go. Usually just 2 or 3 chords taken from it at one time, for example, you might see vi - ii - V, or ii - V - I.

The Cadential 6-4

Often, the perfect cadence is stretched over three chords, in what's known as a "cadential 6-4". (See the lesson on figured bass for why!) The cadential 6-4 progression uses the chords Ic - Va - Ia. This is one of the very few occasions when you are allowed to use a second inversion (c) chord. (The inversions are very important here). The bass note in chords Ic and Va is the same (in C major, for example, the bass note will be G in both chords). The effect is that the bass stands still for a moment, while the chord above it changes. This "powers up" the bass note - our ears are expecting something important to happen - and when we finally hear the root position tonic chord Ia, with the bass dropping solidly by a 5th, our ears (and brains) feel satisfied. Listen to a cadential 6-4 - pay particular attention to the bass line:

Tip! Always see if you can use a cadential 6-4 at the end of a piece in your grade six exam. They are not always possible, but if they work, they are great! To use a cadential 6-4 correctly, you must be careful that

the tonic of the Ic chord resolves to the 3rd of the Va chord the 3rd of the Ic chord resolves to the 5th of the Va chord the 5th (bass note) of the Ic chord becomes the tonic of the Va chord, i.e. the bass line keeps the same note in Ic-Va.

Read more: A4. Chord Progressions - My Music Theory http://www.mymusictheory.com/grade6/lessons/a4chord-progressions.html#ixzz1ovAfKY8q