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.

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.

Sure, IKEA has tons of cheap crap. And some of the designs are downright wrong … like this chair:

But I guess that’s the price they pay for greatness. Because when they get it right, IKEA hits it big. A perfect example is their “FADO” lamp design. It’s such a vision of elegant simplicity that my wife and I bought three (3). I mean, look at the assembly manual that comes in the box. The instructions are so basic, they make me want to weep for joy.

On the left is a diagram of the lamp … a perfect circle with a wire coming out of it. Sweet and simple. And on the right are the instructions, which are just as nice. In two short steps, these images show you how to put everything together. No painfully complex blueprints here—just a clear, intuitive product made by angels.

Which has me thinking … how can we apply this approach to making music? Is there a simpler way to learn what we’re doing? (If you answered “yes,” then you are correct.) With Color Music, life is now worth living. Because we finally have a clear view of what we’re doing. So feel free to throw away the Tylenol … because it’s about to get really good.

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.

And if you ask me, the whole thing is very “fractal.” You know about fractals, right? You know, those little mathematical patterns that are slowly changing the way scientists see the world. If you’ve never heard of fractals, then you have to check out this link. After you watch each of these short videos, your brain will be buzzing….

In a nutshell, fractals explain how the world works—and maybe even the Universe. By simply repeating the same, simple patterns, Mother Nature is able to build some pretty cool stuff. Like plants, animals, mountains, and entire forests. Even our hearts beat in fractal rhythms (… dude, now that’s heavy…).

So honestly, it’s not surprising that color and music work in a similar way. Together, they follow the same, simple patterns. And the nice thing is that we never have to “reinvent the wheel.” Because, by using the same 12 notes, we can create a whole, huge world of sound. As it turns out, Mother Nature recycles, too.

That’s right, we’re looking at a giraffe sculpted from this woman’s hair. It’s crazy. I was hanging out with my friend, Google, the other day when we found these images. The late Nagi Noda was an artist/director from Japan who specialized, among other things, in making “hair hats” for women. Talk about some serious skill—the walrus is especially cool, with it’s super-long tusks….

All of these pictures are amazing! Seriously … who thinks of this stuff? (Well, Ms. Noda, of course.) Every single piece must have taken hours to make. Ahhh, but it’s all in the name of art, you know? Anyway, I’m feeling inspired. So now, all I have to do is figure out how to write a song that sounds like this:

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.

Lately, though, I’ve been sticking to my fruits and vegetables … although I still get my colored sweets through music. Like a fresh box of candy-coated chocolates, Color Music makes my eyes pop. Each note is like its own flavorful piece of sugar desert.

Ahhh … it’s the best of both worlds. I get to satisfy my sweet tooth—without getting any cavities. My ears and my teeth are happy.

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….