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 The
"Blue Moon" Chord Progression
In the lesson before last we
learned the most obvious chord progression of all:
The
"Oh Duh" Chord Progression
- If
there are 3 primary chords in a key -- I, IV, and V --
and there are:
- And
since most songs start and end on the I chord -- and they
do;
- Then
the obvious conclusion is that there are only two possibilities
for the next chord -- the V chord or the IV chord;
- So
if the melody note is part of the V chord, then the chord
is probably the V chord. (Duh!) If the melody note is
part of the IV chord, then the chord is probably the IV
chord. (Duh!)
Just
to briefly review, here they are again -- the 3
most used chords -- the
primary
chords -- in each major key:
Then
we learned the "creep" chord progression:
Once the progression reaches a stable
chord -- usually a primary chord -- then it can be combined
with one or more other progressions to create an entire
song.
Then we learned that two or more
chord progressions can be combined in one song. That gives
the song a form. And forms are named such as:
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Theme
Theme
Contrast
Theme
This
form is known as A
A B A musical form.
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If
the song went like this:
Theme
Contrast
Theme
...it would be known at A
B A musical form.
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Can
you guess what this might be called?
Theme
Contrast
Theme
Contrast
Theme
Contrast
Theme
Contrast
Right
you are! A B A B form.
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Can
you think of a book of songs made mostly out of
A B A B form songs?
Sure.
A hymnbook. Verse 1, chorus, Verse 2, chorus, Verse
3, chorus, etc. Whether a hymn has 1 verse or many
verses, as long as it has a verse-chorus form it
is called A B A B form.
Since
every song has a form of some kind, so you can do
yourself a HUGE favor and begin to look at songs
with an eye to figuring out their musical form!
Why?
Because
if you can recognize a song as an A A B A form song,
all you have to do is determine the chord progression
of the "A" section, and you've automatically learned
3/4 of the song! All that remains is learning the
"B" section, and you've got it
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This
week I want to share with you the most-used chord progression
in the world, bar none. It's been called the "We Want Cantor"
progression, the "Blue Moon" progression, the "Heart and
Soul" progression, and other names. I'm going to call it
the "2 kids at a piano" progression. The reason I call it
that is because when I was a kid I used to play this progression
(long before I knew what a progression was!) as a duet along
with my brother, or my cousin, or a friend. I'm not a kid
anymore, and yet I still hear that progression over and
over and over again anytime there is a piano sitting around
and a couple kids in the room. One kid takes the top part
(the melody), and
the other kid plays the bottom part (the chord progression).
You've heard it too. At least a zillion
times.
The
formula is easy: I - VI - II - V
In other words, one measure of the I chord, one measure
of the VI chord, one measure of the II chord, and one measure
of the V chord. And then repeat as many times as you want,
or until some adult says, "Would you kids please stop banging
on that piano?"
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Blue
Moon Progression:
I vi7
ii7 V7
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So
in the key of C, that would translate to:
I=C
VI=A
II=D
V=G
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In
the key of F:
I=F
VI=D
II=G
V=C
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In
the key of G:
I=G
VI=E
II=A
V=D
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In
the key of D:
I=D
VI=B
II=E
V=A
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In
the key of A:
I=
A
VI=F#
II=B
V=E
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In
the key of E:
I=
E
VI=C#
II=F#
V=B
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In
the key of Bb:
I=Bb
VI=G
II=C
V=F
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In
the key of Eb:
I=Eb
VI=C
II=F
V=Bb
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In
the key of Ab:
I=Ab
VI=F
II=Bb
V=Eb
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In
the key of Db:
I=Db
VI=Bb
II=Eb
V=Ab
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In
the key of Gb:
I=Gb
VI=Eb
II=Ab
V=Db
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In
the key of B:
I=B
VI=G#
II=C#
V=F#
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(And of course, the same would be
true in enharmonic keys such as C#, F#, and so on.)
There are many variations to this progression. Usually
the two "middle chords" -- the VI and the II -- are played
as minor chords, and are then known as vi and ii (use small
Roman numerals for minor chords). Usually, too, all the
chords except the I chord have a 7th in them --in other
words, in the key of C:
C
- Am7 - Dm7 - G7
Next week we'll look at some variations
by using "embedded chord subs" in the Blue Moon progression.
See you then.
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