It’s time to apply our knowledge of chord patterns to real life songs. In our previous blog, we learned that chords appear in the same sequence, regardless of which key we are in.  That sequence is:

I    IImi    IIImi    IV    V    VImi    VIImib5

Applied to the key of C we get:

I    IImi    IIImi    IV    V    VImi    VIImi-5
C    Dmi     Emi      F     G    Ami     Bmi-5



Let’s look at some common chord patterns found in popular songs.  The slash marks ( / ) below the chords represent beats:


C       G       F       C


////    ////    ////    ////



This song is in the key of C.  The pattern is one / five / four / one – the C being the “one” chord, the G being the “five” chord, and the F being the “four” chord.  It is common and accepted for musicians to use roman numerals when referring to chord patterns – this song looks like this:


I    V    IV    I


No worries if you don’t know the entire roman numeral alphabet – in music you just need to know the first seven:  I  II  III  IV  V  VI  VII.


Notice there is no need to even refer to major / minor designations, since it is understood that the I, IV, and V chords are always major, while the II, III, and VI chords are always minor, and the VII chord is minor-5.


Looking at songs as numeral patterns gives us the huge advantage of quick transposition.  In the case of this song, let’s say the band leader suddenly decides we’re playing it in the key of D instead of C.  No problem, we apply the song’s chord pattern to the key of D:


I    V    IV    I


D    A    G     D



Eventually you will quickly do this in your head, but for now you could write out the two keys next to each other:


I    IImi    IIImi    IV    V    VImi    VIImib5
C    Dmi     Emi      F     G    Ami     Bmi-5
D    Emi     F#mi     G     A    Bmi     C#mi-5



Writing out both keys is especially useful for songs with more complex chord patters, such as this one:


C           Emi         F           Dmi  G     C


/ / / /     / / / /     / / / /     / / / /    / / / /



Let’s say the band leader says we’re doing it in the key of Bb.   No problem – first write out the chord pattern for both keys:


I    IImi    IIImi    IV    V    VImi    VIImib5
C    Dmi     Emi      F     G    Ami     Bmi-5
Bb   Cmi     Dmi      Eb    F    Gmi     Ami-5



Now we just re-write the song’s chord pattern (I  III   IV  II   V   I) in Bb:


Bb          Dmi         Eb          Cmi  F     Bb
/ / / /     / / / /     / / / /     / / / /    / / / /



I cannot stress enough the importance of seeing music in patterns, sequences, and numbers instead of alpha names.  I liken it to the movie The Matrix – seeing music in alpha names masks what is really going on behind the scenes.  Seeing it in patterns removes the “mask”, allowing us to move in greater freedom and ease – leaping from roof top to roof top.


Imagine trying to learn a new language with nothing but a dictionary.  It would take years, and even then you would never really understand the language concepts and context.  I liken this to learning individual chords of a song.  Once we understand the song’s chord pattern, we can more freely enjoy playing the song, instead of thinking about which chord comes next.


This idea of seeing the structures and patterns of music has been the focus of Music Theory Forum from the beginning – and will absolutely become your biggest strengh as a musician as we move forward into more advanced music concepts.  It may be a bit hard at first, but hang in there – it will be well worth it.


A great exercise: I would highly recommend applying what we just learned to your favorite songs, using these simple steps:


1) write out the chord pattern for the song’s key and another key next to each other:


I    IImi    IIImi    IV    V    VImi    VIImib5
C    Dmi     Emi      F     G    Ami     Bmi-5
D    Emi     F#mi     G     A    Bmi     C#mi-5


2) Now write out the song’s chord pattern, with the new key next to each other:


I    IV    V    II    I


C    F     G    Dmi   C


D    G     A    Emi   D



Do this for at least a dozen songs or so.  By the end of this exercise, the Matrix mask will begin to lift.


In our next blog we will resume learning chords, as we depart triads and venture into seventh chords.  Until then I remain,


Musically Yours,


Al