June 23, 2006
Intro To The II-V-I Chord Progression
The II-V-I is a common chord progression that creates tension and relief, which in turn creates a sense of forward harmonic motion. In the key of C major, it goes something like this: Dm7-G7-CMaj7. These are simply the diatonic chords based on the second, fifth, and first degrees of the C major scale.
The Dm7 has medium tension. Moving to the G7, tension is increased due to the unstable sound of the tritone interval formed betweeen the 3rd and 7th of this chord. Lastly, the CMaj7 chord sounds completely resolved.
Posted by brad under Music Theory |
