One of the fun exercises to practise on a keyboard, pop (chord) progressions are interesting pieces of music. We will look at pop progressions using triads in the scale of C, since you are familiar with those chords, having gone through the previous posts in this series.

We had also explained the roman numeral system earlier, for identifying the major and minor chords in a scale.

Pop Chord Progression 1

The first pop progression you need to know is the 1-5-6-4 (C-G-A-F). Apply the roman numeral system to arrive at which of these four chords are major and which are minor chords: I (Major), V (Major), VI (Minor), IV (Major). So, the progression is basically C Major, G Major, A Minor, F Major.

To make the sound a bit more melodic, we use chord inversions, a concept that was introduced earlier. For this progression, play the C Major 2nd inversion, G Major in root position, A Minor in root position, and F Major 1st inversion.

Practise the progression using crotchets, with 2 beats for each chord. You can use your left hand as a lead, to play just the root note for each chord as you switch between the chords in the progression. Arrange your left hand starting from the middle C position, and move the entire hand down an octave. Play the root notes for two beats with your left hand, as the right hand plays the chords.

Pop Chord Progression 2

The second pop progression you need to get familiar with is the 6-4-1-5 (A Minor in root position, F Major 1st inversion, C Major 2nd inversion, G Major in root position). Stick to the same 2 beats for a chord for this pop progression as well.

As a beginner, you could also simplify the progression by playing each chord for the entire 4 beats before switching to the next chord. Ensure you play the chords as proper block chords – all notes in a chord played at once, without any spill over.

It is definitely a good idea to make use of a metronome because your timing should be spot on while playing pop progressions. Only practice can improve your fluency and timing. In the upcoming post we take a closer look at scales, along with a new concept – arpeggios. Keep reading, practising and learning.