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Piano Board => Student's Corner => Topic started by: nickt on July 31, 2011, 04:24:56 PM

Title: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: nickt on July 31, 2011, 04:24:56 PM

Hi, i am writing some chord progressions and was wondering, do you allways have to start the chord progression on the tonic chord of the key of the song that i am writing in? Or can i start the progression with a secondary chord and still work my way to a perfect cadence. Any thoughts on this would be great. Thanks.

Title: Re: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: bachbrahmsschubert on July 31, 2011, 07:03:13 PM

No, though if this is an assignment for school don't get too fancy.

As a reference, look at 60% (a percentage I made up) of Beethoven's music. Often times he started on the dominant/a secondary dominant (most famous example being his first symphony) or in a completely different key than the exposition is written (op. 101).

Have fun!

Title: Re: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: nickt on July 31, 2011, 07:28:16 PM

First of all thanks for your quick reply, i am a music producer and my music is mostly jazz related, so i use a lot of 7th chords, i'v read so much that pop songs tend to start progressions on the Tonic chord but yet i find my progressions start on a secondary chord to match maybe a bass line that i have wrote and then still finish with a cadence, to my ear it sounds fine, but i'm allways thinking "oh i should of started the progression with the tonic chord" but when i do then the bass doesn't sit right . Thanks again.

Title: Re: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: bachbrahmsschubert on July 31, 2011, 07:34:49 PM

My mentality is, do what works and do what you love. Anyone who disagrees can listen to other music; there is plenty out there!

Title: Re: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: nickt on July 31, 2011, 07:38:02 PM

Thanks, that what i think if it works it works.

Title: Re: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: nystul on August 01, 2011, 03:13:57 AM

The Beatles wrote a lot of music that doesn't start on the tonic and it seemed to work out OK for them.  But certainly it is by far the most common way for a pop song to start.

Title: Re: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: ionian_tinnear on August 01, 2011, 03:23:14 PM

Who cares how songs 'usually' start.  If you're writing your own, start them however you like! Unless you want them to be like all the songs that usually start some particular way..

Title: Re: Chord Progessions - Do you allways have to start with the Tonic Chord?
Post by: nickt on August 01, 2011, 05:28:36 PM

Thanks for your thoughts, keep them coming. :)