5.3 · Progressions

More ways home

Every genre ends at I; they differ in the road there. Rock keeps to I, IV, V; jazz comes home through ii–V; doo-wop visits vi on the way.

Three roads

Play each road and watch the colors walk. All three end pointed at, or landed on, home.

C
F
G
C

Only three chords: home, away, tension, home. It runs from Chuck Berry to punk.

Dm
G
C

ii–V–I: a gentle pull, then the hard lean, then home. Jazz's favorite way to land.

C
Am
F
G

I–vi–IV–V: Stand By Me, Every Breath You Take, and a thousand slow dances.

Quiz

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Jazz's favorite way home is…

Score 100% on every quiz and game to complete this lesson. A perfect run sticks: a later miss never undoes it.Follow the song →