{"id":682,"date":"2016-04-07T10:26:22","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T10:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/?p=682"},"modified":"2024-10-06T06:15:29","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T06:15:29","slug":"doo-wop-progression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/","title":{"rendered":"Doo Wop Progression"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-683 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg\" alt=\"funny girl student with glasses reading books\" width=\"940\" height=\"528\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg 940w, https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2-624x350.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Today in Songtive.com we\u2019ll be analyzing a popular chord progression. It\u2019s called the \u2018Doo Wop Progression\u2019, and is one of the most popular harmonic cycles ever! It consists of a <strong>I \u2013 VI \u2013 IV \u2013 V<\/strong> progression that defined an era, as you will see. Many songs going from jazz standards to timeless classics of pop ballads and rock and roll hits spawning around 50 years of music history! Wow! Now that\u2019s something, doesn\u2019t it? Let\u2019s check out some examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Righteous Brothers &#8211; &#8220;Unchained Melody&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Billy Joel &#8211; &#8220;Uptown Girl&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Carly Rae Jepsen- &#8220;Call Me Maybe&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Ben E. King &#8211; &#8220;Stand By Me\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Green Day &#8211; &#8220;Jesus of Suburbia&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>The Police &#8211; &#8220;Every Breath You Take&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Destiny\u2019s Child &#8211; &#8220;Say My Name&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Chubby Checker &#8211; &#8220;Let&#8217;s Twist Again&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>David Bowie &#8211; &#8220;Ashes to Ashes&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Lana Del Rey &#8211; &#8220;Prom Song (Gone Wrong)&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s quite a list, don\u2019t you think? And this is just a small part of the long repertoire containing this popular chord progression!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#Where_does_it_come_from\" >Where does it come from?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#Why_does_it_work\" >Why does it work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#A_Musical_Example\" >A Musical Example<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_does_it_come_from\"><\/span>Where does it come from?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This progression is born out of the Doowop style, a genre which was very popular during the 1940s to the early 1960s. It consisted of a 3 to 4 part choir using close harmonies, usually male choirs. It takes some influence from gospel music and introduces the concept of making it just for fun, treating more relaxed subjects from everyday life, without the praising element of gospel music.<\/p>\n<p>They relied on simple-but-effective chord progressions that helped to define the style, like the one we are discussing today!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_it_work\"><\/span>Why does it work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If look closely to the order of the chords, you can see that it resembles an <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/the-pachelbel-progression\/\" title=\"The Pachelbel Progression\">authentic cadence<\/a>, which is a device to give conclusion to a musical idea \u2013 as we already discussed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/the-cadences\/\" title=\"The Cadences\">previous article<\/a>. The first part goes from <strong>I \u2013 VI \u2013 IV<\/strong> and all the chord contained in here are <strong>sharing common notes<\/strong>, which makes it sound good and coherent; the final part closes this musical thought with a cadence <strong>V \u2013 I<\/strong> which happens when you repeat the progression, making it a wonderful resource for a verse or a chorus because of its length.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Musical_Example\"><\/span>A Musical Example<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s take Ben E. King\u2019s \u2018Stand By Me\u2019 to analyze the effect this progression has. The overall impact \u2018Stand By Me\u2019 had in the music history is undeniable, and the mix of lyrics and 50s feel this progression gives to it is one of the elements that made it unforgettable:<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BTCfQ6Bb8QE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>From the start you can hear the bass setting up the Doo Wop Progression:<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.songtive.com\/songs\/18E\/doo-wop-progression?mini=1\" width=\"420\" height=\"115\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s take it upon the analysis we talked before:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\nBreak the first part into chord tones:<br \/>\nA major: A \u2013 C# &#8211; E<br \/>\nF# minor: F# &#8211; A \u2013 C#<br \/>\nD major: D \u2013 F# &#8211; A<br \/>\nAs you can see every chord shares two common notes with the next one, making it sound great due to consonance principles we discussed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/making-a-good-chord-progression\/\" title=\"Making a Good Chord Progression\">previous article<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li>Check the cadence:<br \/>\nWhen you repeat the chord progression you create <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/the-cadences\/\" title=\"The Cadences\">a cadence<\/a> going from <strong>V to I<\/strong>. Going from E major (E- G# &#8211; B) to A major (A \u2013 C# &#8211; E) makes the G# (a leading tone) go to A (the tonic of the song), thus making it a sure hit to close a musical phrase\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>That\u2019s it! Now you can go and share your musical thoughts exploring a new chord progression that will quickly structure your music using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/products\/piano-companion\/?utm_source=blog\">Piano Companion<\/a>! See you next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today in Songtive.com we\u2019ll be analyzing a popular chord progression. It\u2019s called the \u2018Doo Wop Progression\u2019, and is one of the most popular harmonic cycles ever! It consists of a I \u2013 VI \u2013 IV \u2013 V progression that defined an era, as you will see. Many songs going from jazz standards to timeless classics [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4,20,25],"class_list":["post-682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chords","tag-music-theory","tag-progression"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Doo Wop Progression - Songtive Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doo Wop Progression - Songtive Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today in Songtive.com we\u2019ll be analyzing a popular chord progression. It\u2019s called the \u2018Doo Wop Progression\u2019, and is one of the most popular harmonic cycles ever! It consists of a I \u2013 VI \u2013 IV \u2013 V progression that defined an era, as you will see. Many songs going from jazz standards to timeless classics [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Songtive Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Songtive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-04-07T10:26:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-06T06:15:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"songtive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@songtiveapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@songtiveapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"songtive\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/\",\"name\":\"Doo Wop Progression - Songtive Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-07T10:26:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-06T06:15:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a2b05426410cdedbec963d3443fec272\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Doo Wop Progression\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Songtive Blog\",\"description\":\"Songwriting tool. Band. Social Network.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a2b05426410cdedbec963d3443fec272\",\"name\":\"songtive\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bfc2507b8f4a420fb92c54c422ca9174?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bfc2507b8f4a420fb92c54c422ca9174?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"songtive\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/author\/songtive\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Doo Wop Progression - Songtive Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Doo Wop Progression - Songtive Blog","og_description":"Today in Songtive.com we\u2019ll be analyzing a popular chord progression. It\u2019s called the \u2018Doo Wop Progression\u2019, and is one of the most popular harmonic cycles ever! It consists of a I \u2013 VI \u2013 IV \u2013 V progression that defined an era, as you will see. Many songs going from jazz standards to timeless classics [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/","og_site_name":"Songtive Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Songtive","article_published_time":"2016-04-07T10:26:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-06T06:15:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"songtive","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@songtiveapp","twitter_site":"@songtiveapp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"songtive","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/","url":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/","name":"Doo Wop Progression - Songtive Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg","datePublished":"2016-04-07T10:26:22+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-06T06:15:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a2b05426410cdedbec963d3443fec272"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.songtive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tutorial2.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/doo-wop-progression\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Doo Wop Progression"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/","name":"Songtive Blog","description":"Songwriting tool. Band. Social Network.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a2b05426410cdedbec963d3443fec272","name":"songtive","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bfc2507b8f4a420fb92c54c422ca9174?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bfc2507b8f4a420fb92c54c422ca9174?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"songtive"},"url":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/author\/songtive\/"}]}},"yoast_description":"","yoast_keyword":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=682"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1327,"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions\/1327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.songtive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}