Circle progression

Submediant in chain of fifths^[1]  Play (help·info).

vi-ii-V-I in C^[1]  Play (help·info).

In music, the circle progression is a chord progression named for the circle of fifths, along which it travels. It is "undoubtedly the most common and the strongest of all harmonic progressions" and consists of "adjacent roots in ascending fourth or descending fifth relationship", with movement by ascending perfect fourth being equivalent to movement by descending perfect fifth due to inversion.^[2]

The circle progression is commonly a circle through the diatonic chords, chords of the diatonic scale, by fifths, including one progression by diminished fifth (in C: between F and B♮) and one diminished chord (in C: B^o):

Full circle progression in C major^[3]  Play (help·info).

I-IV-viio-iii-vi-ii-V-I              Circle progression in major: full (help·info)

Shorter common progressions may be derived by selecting certain specific chords from the series completing a circle from the tonic through all seven diatonic chords,^[2] such as the primary triads book-ending the progression:

I-                  V-I = I-V-I      Circle progression excerpt: I-V-I (help·info)
I-IV-               V-I = I-IV-V-I   Circle progression excerpt: I-IV-V-I (help·info)

vi-ii-V-I in Mozart's Sonata, K. 545^[1]  Play (help·info).

The ii-V-I turnaround lies at the end of the circle progression, as does the vi-ii-V-I progression of root movement by descending fifths, which establishes tonality and also strengthens the key through the contrast of minor and major^[1].

See also

• Approach chord
• Predominant chord
• Dominant (music)
• Extended dominant

Sources

1. ^ ^{a b c d} William G Andrews and Molly Sclater (2000). Materials of Western Music Part 1, p.227. ISBN 1551220342.
2. ^ ^{a b} Bruce Benward and Marilyn Nadine Saker, Music In Theory and Practice, seventh edition, 2 vols. + 2 sound discs (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003) 1:178. ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0.
3. ^ Caplin, William E. (2000). Classical Form, p.28. ISBN 019514399X.