Pop Chords: A Music Theory Study

Have you ever listened to two pop songs and realized that they sound similar? Or heard any homemade mashups of pop songs on YouTube? This is because most pop songs follow almost the exact same chord progression, and they can easily be modulated and transposed to be blended together. For those well versed in music theory, this concept is easy to grasp and can be employed into their own musical creations. However for those with limited experience, this article should help clarify the basic theory lessons one should know before writing a pop song.

“I–V–vi–IV, C–G–Am–F (optimistic)
V–vi–IV–I, G–Am–F–C
vi–IV–I–V, Am–F–C–G (pessimistic)
IV–I–V–vi, F–C–G–Am”

— WIKIPEDIA.COM

The main chord progression that is used in almost any pop song on the radio is I, IV, V and normally a minor chord such as the vi or ii. These numbers correlate with the chords based on the scale degrees within the major scale. If you haven’t seen this notation in music before, these numbers are written in roman numerals rather than Arabic numerals. For example, a song in the key of C follows the C major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C) and will normally contain the C chord (I), the F chord (IV), and G chord (V), along with either a D minor (ii) or an A minor chord (vi). These chords can be played in any order to compose a pop song, however artists usually write melodies that can be played over these four chords in general. The most common progression throughout a pop song is I-V-vi-IV, which then switches up between verses, choruses and the bridge. Throughout the song, artists may also use special chords such as dominant 7ths and suspensions to “jazz” up the song a bit more and add more complexity, however these four chords still act as the basis for any pop melody.

For finding chords in their appropriate scales, it may help to use a chart like this (called the circle of fifths) to also find how many sharps and/or flats are in a specific scale.

So now the question is, why these chords? Each note in the scale has a name and a purpose. The “I” scale degree (which in the key of C would be the note C) is known as the tonic. This sets the tonality of the song and acts as a reference point to come back to for resolution. It is also a major chord, so the sound is stable and does not require any resolution. The IV and V scale degrees are the subdominant and dominant. These are the second strongest chords in the scale after the tonic and are the second reference points for tonality of a song. Because these chords are also major chords, they do not require resolution. Lastly, the minor chord is used to add tension which will then call for resolution. When playing the minor chord, the song sounds unfinished because our natural tendency is to resolve back to the tonic. This adds contrast to the melody and allows listeners to feel a release when the chord changes back to a major chord. Whenever a pop artist creates a melody, the melody can easily fit on top of these four specific chords. They act as the basic framework to establish tonality within the song and acts as a guide to refer back to.

Pro Tip: Play these chords on your keyboard and hear the difference when playing them in different orders.

Obviously, not all popular songs are written in the key of C. For many songs, the tonic could be the note D, F, G, or even Bb. However, this basic chord progression still remains as the basic framework for the song. If an artist were to write a song in a different key, they would transpose this chord progression to fit within the major scale of the new key. Transposing is the act of pitching a set of notes up or down while still preserving the intervals between the notes. Thus, in the key of D, the pop chord progression would be D-A-Bm-G. This will sound exactly the same as if the song was in the key of C, but it will be pitched up.

When you hear your favorite songs on the radio, take a listen to the melody and hear how each note fits into the framework established by these four pop chords. Since multiple popular songs follow this chord progression, it is easy to transition from one song to another, which is why many producers can make mashups between two popular songs. These chords are very important to know about when one is producing music and writing new songs, however producers shouldn’t limit themselves to them! Music can be bent and experimented with in many ways, including playing around with the basic chord structure.