A chord progression (or harmonic progression) is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing (or contradicting) a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord and that is based upon a succession of root relationships. Chords and chord theory are generally known as harmony.
A chord progression can be thought of as a harmonic simultaneity succession: it offers an ongoing shift of level that is essential to the music of Europe (at least since 1600), Oceania and South/West Africa. A change of chord, or "chord change", generally occurs on an accented beat, so that chord progressions may contribute significantly to the rhythm, meter and musical form of a piece, delineating bars, phrases and sections. A term for this occurrence is "Harmonic Rhythm".
Read more about Chord Progression: Basics, Simple Progressions, Three-chord Progressions, Blues Changes, 50s Progression, Circle Progressions, Harmonizing The Scale, Minor and Modal Progressions, Chord Progressions in Classical Music
Famous quotes containing the words chord and/or progression:
“Give me the keys. I feel for the common chord again,
Sliding by semi-tones till I sink to a minor,—yes,
And I blunt it into a ninth, and I stand on alien ground,
Surveying a while the heights I rolled from into the deep;
Which, hark, I have dared and done, for my resting-place is found,
The C Major of this life: so, now I will try to sleep.”
—Robert Browning (1812–1889)
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—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)