The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

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This type of ending progression is called an imperfect cadence,and you can get to

the V chord any number of ways—I-V, ii-V, IV-V, and vi-V being the most

common. In the key of C, these progressions look like this:

I-V: C / / / G / / /

ii-V: Dm / / / G / / /

IV-V: F / / / G / / /

vi-V: Am / / / G / / /

Interrupted Cadence

Even less final than an imperfect cadence is an ending progression called an

interrupted cadence.In this progression, you use a V chord to trick the listener

into thinking a perfect cadence is on its way, but then move to any type of

chord exceptthe tonic.

V-IV, V-vi, V-ii, and V-V7 progressions all are interrupted cadences—and, in

the key of C, look like this:

V-IV: G / / / F / / /

V-vi: G / / / Am / / /

V-ii: G / / / Dm / / /

V-V7: G / / / G7 / / /

Common Chord Progressions

Given everything you’ve learned about chord leading and cadences, you should

be able to create your own musically sound chord progressions. However, just

in case you get stuck, let’s take a look at some of the most popular chord pro-

gressions used in music today.

I-IV

It doesn’t get much simpler than this, just the tonic (I) and the subdominant

(IV) chords repeating back and forth, over and over. This is a cyclical progres-

sion, good for songs that don’t really have a final resolution point.

In the key of C, the progression looks like this:

C / / / F / / /

I-V

If you can cycle between the tonic and the subdominant (IV), why not the tonic

and the dominant (V)? Like the first progression, the simplicity of this one

makes it quite common in folk and some forms of popular music.

In the key of C, the progression looks like this:

C / / / G / / /

In classical music theory,

an interrupted cadence

is more often called a

deceptive cadence.

Note

Jazz musicians

sometimes refer to chord

progressions as chord

changes—as in, “Dig

those crazy changes, man!”

Definition