PRO TIPS

CIRCLE PROGRESSIONS

In my final example, the progression I’ve used is described as a circle progression. The name comes from the fact that the roots of the chords that make up the progression follow the order of the circle of fifths. In other words, the root notes of the chords proceed in intervals of a fifth. Famous examples of this include Pachelbel’s Canon and AltogetherNow by The Farm.

DOMINANT FUNCTION

Moving a progression forward, each chord in a diatonic set can take on a purpose, known as ‘harmonic function’. So, if a chord has a dominant function, we expect an immediate resolution to the tonic chord. This is handy when composing progressions, as by delaying that resolution by following a dominant chord with something other than the tonic, you create an air of instability. In minor keys, the V and VII chords both have dominant function.