Twenty Thousand Hertz

Progression Obsession: Pop music’s most used chord changes

May 12, 2021
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INSIGHT

Universal Chord Progressions in Pop

  • Many popular songs use the same chord progressions regardless of genre or musical education.
  • These progressions act like foolproof recipes for catchy hits played repeatedly over time.
ANECDOTE

Pachelbel's Canon's Endurance

  • Johann Pachelbel's Canon, written over 300 years ago, remains one of the most popular chord progressions.
  • Its resurgence happened after a 1968 recording made it a musical staple in weddings and everyday life.
INSIGHT

Four Chords Tell a Story

  • The four chord progression (I–V–vi–IV) tells a musical story of stability, tension, and resolution.
  • This chord journey is a foundational narrative structure in many hit songs.
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