Of course, this isn’t magic at all … and nothing about it is random. Like everything else in music, there’s a simple logic to things. And with Color Music, we can see exactly what we’re doing. As it turns out, the colored notes reveal the natural flow between chords. Seriously … it’s sweet.

For example, can yousee how each measure of “Pachelbel’s Canon” passes between two, closely-related chords? Well, this kind of movement is really common in songs. In fact, if we go a little further, we can even rearrange all the chords … so that each one follows the color wheel sequence from the circle of fifths. Like a pleasant stroll through the color spectrum, this progression is pure bliss.

In the key of C, for example, notice how the root notes of each chord are rearranged in a circle-of-fifths pattern. because it has such a smooth flow, this kind of “circle progression” shows up in music all the time.

By cycling through these chords again and again, we can create some very cool progressions. And, of course, musicians have many other options to choose from. But a general “formula” for chord movement tends to look like this:

Jumping around between these different chords, we can move in a variety of ways. But this general “roadmap” shows us how songs typically lead toward the tonic chord (I)—from left to right. Eventually, we always return to the tonic (I) … our home sweet home.

To get a feel for the movement of chords in each key, try playing through the following progressions. Starting at each separate tonic (I), we can easily bounce from one chord to the next … gradually making our way back to the same tonic chord (I). As you play, try hitting each chord with both your left and right hands. After a little practice, you’ll be well on your way to building bigger and better songs.

People call this “the blues” because it goes really well with the “blues scale.” And by adding a seventh chord here and there, we can create a tense, “bluesy” sound that feels like warm gravy poured directly onto the brain. In the key of C, for example, a blues progression and melody sound something like this:

Just like usual, we start at the tonic (I) chord. Then we make a short visit to our friend, the subdominant (IV) chord. After a couple of measures, we return to the tonic (I) … before passing through the dominant (V), again to the subdominant (IV), and finally home to the tonic (I) chord. Like a pleasant walk through the neighborhood, we eventually end up at home where we began.

The blues progression is so popular because it just sounds good. And it can be repeated as many times as you want. Once you make it through the first 12 measures, feel free to keep going … looping back through the same cycle over and over again.

By mixing it up a little—occasionally playing a seventh chord or tweaking the melody a bit—this progression makes for hours of fun. Using only those basic primary chords, we can play some very cool music. But of course, we have many more options, too. All we have to do is add a few chords to a song….

The best place to get these “other” chords is from—you guessed it—the major-scale chord pattern. Cool? Yes. Surprising? No. Like a painter’s palette full of colors, this simple progression gives us tons of options for adding just the right chords to a song.

In the same way we chopped up the notes of a scale to create melodies, we simply rearrange the chords of this pattern to form chord progressions. (Snap!) And to see this in action, try playing our next song … called “Pachelbel’s Canon.”

Like a calm ride down a smooth river, we can float through each measure of this song. From beginning to end, the chords naturally flow forward in a constant motion toward the final tonic chord (I). In fact, this progression is so nice, I could play it all night long and never get tired. Which is why it’s such a classic.

By simply rearranging the major-scale progression, we can create magic. Like a path of dominoes, each chord naturally falls into the next … generating a chain reaction that’s totally cool. The “gravitational pull” between chords keeps pushing this basic chord progression along.

Of course, there are many other ways to rearrange these same simple chords. But each one is almost guaranteed to sound good. Why? Because there’s a powerful connection between the chords of a major-scale progression that gives our music life and energy. And as it turns out, musicians often rely on some fairly common “rules” for rearranging these chords. It’s all pretty simple, actually. So here, let me show you.

In music, the next most popular choice is definitely the subdominant chord (IV)—because it’s closely related to both the tonic (I) and dominant (V) in the circle of fifths. Together, these three chords sound great. And since they’re the only major triads in a major scale progression, we can easily hear a special connection between them.

To see what I mean, try moving back and forth between the tonic (I), dominant (V), and subdominant (IV) triads. When they’re played one after another, it’s like music to our ears….

In fact, the flow from one chord to the next is so smooth that musicians sometimes call these triads the “primary chords” of any key. And they show up all the time in music. For example, turn on the radio and listen. Nearly every song in rock, folk, country, jazz, rap, and classical music is based on these three simple chords. It’s amazing!

To see how they work, let’s again look at that classic tune, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” by Mozart. We already know this song has a great melody. But when we add those three simple chords of C major (I), F major (IV), and G major (V), it totally shines.

Before playing, try moving your left hand between these three chords a few times. That way, your muscles will remember where to move as you make your way through the song. And remember that the less you move your hand, the less likely you’ll be to hit a wrong note. So some of the chords are played as simple inversions.

Don’t worry about taking it one measure at a time. If you make a mistake, just go back and play those notes again—it’s all good. By adding another chord to the mix, we need a little more focus. But the result is worth it. Because the variety is good for our ears and our music stays fresh.

After you’ve rocked out a bit, try playing these same three chords in each key. Like a group of superstars, the tonic (I), subdominant (IV), and dominant (V) chords sound great together. What can I say? The “primary chords” are just cool.

Just like a bunch of friends and neighbors, the other chords are waiting for us to visit. We could drop in and say “hello” to any of them. But our closest friends are the subdominant chord (IV) and the dominant chord (V). That’s because, back in the day, they used to live right next to the tonic (I) in the circle of fifths. In fact, chords IV and V get along so well with the tonic chord (I), that they’re almost like family.

In every key, the tonic chord (I) and the dominant chord (V) are especially good friends. And so you’ll often see progressions that move back and forth between just these two chords. The motion between them is so smooth and natural that it feels like we’re floating along a nicely paved path.

To get a feel for this simple “I–V–I” progression, try moving back and forth between these two chords. Almost immediately, we can create a very smooth forward motion that sounds hypnotic. Like a pair of magnets, the dominant (V) naturally pulls away from, and easily leads back to, the tonic (I).

Starting at the tonic (I), it’s easy to move toward the dominant (V). But of course, we don’t want to wear out our welcome, so we stay only for a short time. Soon enough, we turn back and walk home to the tonic (I). The gradual flow between these chords sound great. And it keeps things fresh and interesting.

The effect is so pleasing that some songs use only these two chords. For example, check out the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in the key of C. Using only the C major chord (I) and the G major chord (V), we can form a complete progression. Like a Sunday stroll to our friend’s house, we start out at home and eventually return after a couple of short visits.

To help us keep track of which chords to play, chord symbols are also included above the staff lines. You might think of these labels as a kind of musical shorthand for each chord. Sometimes, musicians just follow these symbols as they play through a song. But honestly, you can do what you want. So if you prefer, you can simply keep an eye on the notes that are written on the grand staff. And remember it’s okay glance down at the keyboard every once in a while … just to make sure your hands are moving to the correct position. Like always, the more we practice, the better we’ll get.

In fact, we can even chop up and rearrange the chords in a progression to create new and interesting patterns … just like we did with the notes in a melody. As long as we favor the tonic chord (I), everything will sound nice. And that’s because the tonic chord (I) in a progression is like the tonic note (1) of a scale. It plays a central function in any particular key. The other chords simply play supporting roles in between.

You might even think of the tonic chord (I) as a strong and constant center of gravity. Like the center of its own little solar system, it creates a pull between the other chords … giving any progression a real sense of movement and direction. As we move away from and then back toward the tonic, we create a feeling of tension and release. And this back-and-forth motion between activity and relaxation brings our music to life.

In almost any song we play, the goal is to get back to our home—the tonic chord (I). All of the other chords in the progression exist as part of a roadmap to deliver us to our destination. The route can be simple (through just a chord or two) … or it can be complex (involving lots and lots of chords). But in the end, we always want to return to the tonic (I). Our “home sweet home.”

To see what I mean, let’s play a few simple chord progressions, shall we? Starting with the basic “I–V” pattern….

Just like before, we still label each note with its own letter name. And we show the relationship between notes using numbers. But now, to show the relationship between the different chords in a progression, we simply turn those number labels into Roman numerals … like this:

There’s nothing tricky about these Roman numerals. They still count out the same numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. But they also help us keep track of whether we’re talking about individual notes or entire chords. You see, we use the “regular” numbers to describe the notes in a scale or chord … while we use the Roman numerals to show the relationship between the chords in a progression. Get it?

Roman numerals even give us a quick way of showing whether a chord is major or minor. For example, can you see how the numerals for chords I, IV, and V are upper-case? That’s because those triads are major … while the lower-case numerals show us which chords are minor. (The vii chord—with its “o” symbol—is simply diminished.)

Sometimes, you’ll also hear people calling chords by their general names … like the tonic (I), subdominant (IV), dominant (V), etc. But these are just the same convenient labels we’ve already seen before. Sure, it might seem a little like déjà vu, but that’s what makes music so easy.

To get a feel for how these different labels work, try playing the same major scale progression in each key. Starting on the tonic chord (I), work your way through each triad. At this point, let’s focus on using only the left hand for each chord, shall we? And remember, it’s okay to glance down at the keyboard every once in a while … just to make sure our hands are moving into the correct position. After you’ve had a little practice, try showing off to your friends. Because they’re going to be jealous of your new skills.

For example, in the song “London Bridge,” why do we play those particular chords—C major, D minor, and G major? As all the cool kids say, what is up with that? Well, the answer is simple. Because just like the melody of this song, its chord progression is also based on the C major scale.

To see what I mean, check it out: Our song “London Bridge” was written in the key of C. So each note in this melody comes from the C major scale. The pattern of notes has simply been chopped up and rearranged into something that sounds nice. And if you look closely, each chord is also built from that same basic pattern of notes.

That’s right, the root notes of the C major chord, D minor chord, and G major chord all come from the same C major scale. In that order, these triads are built from the tonic (1) note, major second (2) note, and dominant fifth (5) note.

We can also see that the notes in each of these chords come from the C major scale. For example, C major includes notes C–E–G … while D minor includes D–F–A. And of course, our friend G major has notes G–B–D. By combining these three triads in the key of C, we come up with a pleasant chord progression that makes the song “London Bridge” sound really nice.

In fact, if we go one step further, we can build a chord on every note of the C major scale … and come up with a cool pattern of both major and minor triads:

As we move through each of these chords—one after another—the result sounds a lot like the old, familiar C major scale … but on steroids. Just like the separate notes that make up the major scale pattern of 1  2  34  5  6  78, this pattern of chords sounds awesome. Each chord naturally leads to the next, like a path of stepping-stones that gives life and movement to this progression.

So in some strange twist of fate, we find that chord patterns are actually the same as note patterns. Like a one-trick pony, Mother Nature simply recycles the same, old scales we’ve already learned into the chord progressions musicians use to create songs. It’s amazing!

In a way, this might seem a bit disappointing … since it’s all the same stuff that we’ve seen before. But it’s also very exciting—because it means that we don’t have to learn a whole new bag of tricks. All we need to do is build on what we already know. And with Color Music, it’s a total cakewalk.

You see, it works like this: We started off with just 12 notes spaced at basic intervals. (You remember those good, old days.) Then using simple patterns, we built a few basic scales (like the major scale). Then from those scales, it was easy to make nice little melodies … and then a few chords after that. Then, by putting all these patterns together, we’ve been able to play entire songs.

And, of course, all of this has been easy to see using Color Music. It’s kind of like that famous picture showing the evolution of man. We start out with the basics … and end up with total excellence.

But, of course, making music is a little more than just throwing a few note patterns together. I mean, notes, scales, melodies, and chords aren’t exactly like the ingredients of a recipe … that we simply toss into a dish and stir. It turns out, there’s more of a method to the madness. And a lot of it has to do with chord progressions….

For some reason, notes “1-3-5-b7” just sound good together. Like peanut butter and jelly, the major chord and the minor-seventh note combine to create something great. That one extra note adds enough tension to make things sound more interesting and fun.

To get a feel for how the dominant-seventh chord is used in a song, try playing the next piece. Again, it’s that classic melody “London Bridge”—where most of the chords are basic major and minor triads. But notice how the G chord is (an inverted) dominant G7, which adds extra flavor. In fact, I’d even say it sounds positively delicious.