What is a chord progression, and how is it different from changing keys?
In: 4
The key that you play in is the root position of the piece of music. Chord progressions will create different moods and directions in the piece. When you hear a pop song, the chord progression will usually be I-V-vi-IV. These chords in the context of the order they are played will govern the motion of the music based on the tension (dissonance) of the chords. This 4-chord progression resolves nicely on the tonic (I) position at the start of each phrase so you get a familiar, home feeling.
In jazz you often come across the ii-V-I progession which starts off with some dissonance on the ii chord but resolves nicely again on the I chord.
The key you play in governs which notes can be played in the melody. You can decide which mode you write in (a series of intervals constructing a scale) to determine which sound you want. For example, the double harmonic scale is used a lot in Arabic, indian, egyptian music. The notes in the melody will use the notes of the scale for which ever key the piece/song is in.
The key determines which chord is the tonic, namely the chord that matches the key. E.g. if you are playing in D minor, then D minor is youre tonic. Each other chord is given by the note in its corresponding postition on the d minor scale. For example, the v chord will be A minor because A is the 5th note in the scale.
The direction and different moods in the piece are governed by the chord progressions.
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