A handy little chord map.

[Igro]

Thanx, i made a hit with this.

[kbaccki]

Hate to be a nudge... but could some kind soul send this to me in "piano roll" format?

[robogone]

gravity was also involved in the resolution to the tonic

So was gin.

[BERFAB]

For those that are honestly flummoxed by this, here's a quick and dirty on the symbols:

Picture the 8 notes of a scale, say on the piano, middle C to high C-

C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

The triads created by using each of the notes of that scale as the root, along with other notes ONLY WITHIN THE SCALE, produce the following chords:

I (C major)
ii (d minor)
iii (e minor)
IV (F major)
V (G major)
vi (a minor)
vii- (b diminished)

The OP's chart nicely depicts some natural transitions from any one of these chords to other related chords. For example-- ii (d minor) and IV (F maj) differ only in the change from the D to the F. And if you retain the D with the F maj triad, you get a nice F6th. These can be quite interesting and fun to fool around with.

This is very simplified. I'm sure there are pros here that can give you a more technical analysis, but I thought it would be nice to let others in on the code as well.

Cheers
-B

[NewSc2]

Thanks. Makes sense to me. I do know music theory, but it's nice to have a reference.

Basically, the chart just shows a chord progression flow. Start at one of those, and follow the arrows through. Each roman numeral corresponds to a chord within a scale. Uppercase = major chords, lowercase = minor chords. The number stands for notes above the tonic. So IV in C major would be C (I) Dm (ii), Em (iii), F (IV) = F major.

[chardin]

Here's something similar: http://www.chordmaps.com/
The simple map (scroll down a bit): http://mugglinw.ipower.com/chordmaps/part3.htm
The complex map http://mugglinw.ipower.com/chordmaps/part5.htm

[BERFAB]

http://mugglinw.ipower.com/chordmaps/part3.htm

This is a good chart, but unfortunately leaves out the diminished 7th. (which is also a rootless V7 chord.)

Cheers
-B

[DrawMusic]

Pretty little chart, but you want to know that often pop music walks those arrows backwards.

Also beyond this chart are modal interchange chords (bVII, bIII, etc.) and secondary dominants (II7, VI7 etc.).

[wrench45us]

that simple chart was the one I was thinking of

I had forgotten there was a complex version
very nice

it's just for something to try when you get stuck
sort of like Cognitone

I still think, in general, it's more productive to steal from great songs and start from there and add chnages
if you use these charts it really does sound like everything you've heard before

Here's something similar: http://www.chordmaps.com/
The simple map (scroll down a bit): http://mugglinw.ipower.com/chordmaps/part3.htm
The complex map http://mugglinw.ipower.com/chordmaps/part5.htm

[A.M. Gold]

Plus a chart like this says nothing about how to overlay a melody on top of chords.

[Aroused by JarJar]

Plus a chart like this says nothing about how to overlay a melody on top of chords.

But it actually originally derived from melodies, as it originates in analysis of common-practice music, which grew out of organum, canon, fugue, counterpoint and invertible counterpoint, that is, melodies-against-melodies, before chord progressions took on a life of their own. Whatever anyone may claim, it is not really known for certain when this happened, though it is dead certain that it wasn't one moment, and different regions were different, and different composers.

The roman numeral classical analysis, as a tool rather than just an analysis, does the opposite of showing how melodies were laid on chords: it shows how melodies were/can be harmonized. Not chord progression first, then melody, but the other way around.

[camsr]

Why only in major?

[TankEyes]

Why only in major?

If you want a minor version you can either -

transpose it to a minor key.

or treat the vi as tonic. (modal shift)

[Doug1978-OLD]

Probably the most concise, simple and straightforward thing I've ever seen on the subject.

Good effort secret bass - I like it!

(It's also a good beginner-level snakes and ladders game)

[aquar]

I think for the sake of clarity I much prefer the chordmap link that chardin mentions.



Where the I chord can initially go anwhere you want and then thereafter its just a simple matter of choosing a suitable path.
Having said that maybe the other diagram has advantages that I can't see.