Applied Music Theory: Chord Progressions

Instructional videos, experimenting with added notes (as found in 7th, 6th, Sus 2, and Sus 4 chords), collaboration, and individual creative alterations.

Age Range: 14 (Grade 9) and up.

Learning Activity Number: 4.

Learning Objectives: Students will be become familiar with 7th, 6th, Sus 2, and Sus 4 chords, and gain a theoretical and a felt understanding of how they “work” in songs. Students will be able to incorporate these chords into chord progressions, collaborate in composition, and make and justify individual improvements to existing progressions.

Universal Design for Learning Principles: Instructional materials are audio-visual, with captions, different playback speeds, and infinite repetition available to all learners. Specialized terms are explained.

Resources/Materials: Students will need the following:

• internet access to view the study materials on YouTube, make their online submissions, and communicate with peers,
• access to their chordal instrument and some privacy for figuring out and playing songs,
• basic video recording and processing capabilities to share the results of their work,
• to have formed a small group with classmates, and
• to have accessed the section of the course discussion forum accessible only to groupmates and the instructor.

Learning Activity Outline

Introduction:

Instructional Content:

Activity: View and, as needed for understanding, review (at your own preferred speed, and with subtitles if desired) the above 4 instructional videos. Experiment with 7th, 6th, Sus 2, and Sus 4 chords yourself, then work in your groups to collectively compose an interesting chord progression that all members like, and submit it as a group. Then, individually make a video showing what you like about the progression and how you might improve upon it in at least two ways, providing explanations and justifications for each change made.

Assessment: Students will receive both a shared mark for their group’s submission (given full marks if it meets basic criteria above) and an individual mark for the compositional understanding and ability they demonstrate in their individual submissions.

Instructional videos, incorporating other chords where the I, IV, and V are expected, and peer feedback.

Age Range: 14 (Grade 9) and up.

Learning Activity Number: 3.

Learning Objectives: Students will be become familiar with the ii, iii, and vi chords and gain a theoretical and a felt understanding of how they “work” in songs. Students will be able to smoothly substitute these chords for others in existing chord progressions.

Universal Design for Learning Principles: Preparatory instruction is audio-visual, with captions, different playback speeds, and infinite repetition available to all learners. It explains specialized terms.

Resources/Materials: Students will need the following:

• internet access to view the study materials on YouTube, make their online submissions, and review and comment on peer submissions,
• access to their chordal instrument and some privacy for figuring out and playing songs,
• basic video recording and processing capabilities to share the results of their work,
• to have formed a small group with classmates, and
• to have accessed the section of the course discussion forum accessible only to groupmates and the instructor.

Learning Activity Outline

Introduction:

Instructional Content:

Activity: View and, as needed for understanding, review (at your own preferred speed, and with subtitles if desired) the above 4 instructional videos. Then take the melody to ABCD / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep and come up with a more interesting chord progression to play under it. Use the concept of shared notes introduced in the instructional videos to find chords that will still work with the melody. The ii, iii, and vi chords must be used (along with the I, IV, and V), but the vii and V7 are optional. Make a video of you playing your version of the song and share it with the members of your small group and me (in the designated area of the class discussion forum). Then view and comment (in the same forum) on each of your groupmates’ versions.

Assessment: Students will be assessed on both how well the notes of the song’s melody match up with the notes of their chosen chords, and the quality of their participation in their group’s discussion.

A deep dive into simple but foundational chord progressions—those relying on what are sometimes called the “primary chords”: the I, the IV, and the V.

Age Range: 14 (Grade 9) and up.

Learning Activity Number: 2.

Learning Objectives: Students will be become familiar with I-IV-V chord progressions and gain a theoretical and a felt understanding of how they “work” in songs. Students will be better able to:

• recognize I-IV-V chord progressions in songs,
• learn I-IV-V songs by ear, and
• produce their own chord progressions using the I, IV, and V chords.

Universal Design for Learning Principles: Preparatory instruction is audio-visual, with captions, different playback speeds, and infinite repetition available to all learners. It explains specialized terms.

Resources/Materials: Students will need the following:

• internet access to view the study materials on YouTube and make their online submissions,
• access to their chordal instrument and some privacy for figuring out and playing songs, and
• basic video recording and processing capabilities to share the results of their work.

Learning Activity Outline

Introduction:

Instructional Content:

Activity: View and, as needed for understanding, review (at your own preferred speed, and with subtitles if desired) the above 2 instructional videos. Then find and learn to play three different existing I-IV-V songs—songs (in any genre[s]) with chord progressions relying exclusively on the I, IV, and V chords. Then write your own two I-IV-V progressions. Each song pattern must be at least slightly different from the others. Make a video of you playing a verse from each of them, and reflect—orally in the video, or in an accompanying written document—on the differences between these five chord progressions and the feelings they elicit in you.

Assessment: Students’ video and reflection submissions will provide ample evidence of understandings and misunderstandings about chord progressions and the basic uses of the I, IV, and V chords (as outlined in the instructional content). Students’ work will also show their ability to apply their understanding in the creation of original chord progressions.

Instructional videos and a quiz about notes, intervals, harmony, keys, scales, triads, and chord qualities (major and minor).

Age Range: 14 (Grade 9) and up.

Timing: About 25 minutes of video material + 15-45 minutes of quiz taking.

Learning Activity Number: 1.

Learning Objectives: Students will be able to correctly identify meanings and uses of notes, intervals, harmony, keys, scales, triads, and chord qualities (major and minor). This reinforcement of a shared vocabulary will prepare students to communicate about music—to understand others’ musical ideas and to make their own understood.

Universal Design for Learning Principles: Instructional materials are audio-visual, with captions, different playback speeds, and infinite repetition available to all learners. Specialized terms are explained. The quiz can be taken at different paces and multiple times, and the language it contains is straightforward and consistent with that used in instructional materials.

Resources/Materials: Students will need internet access to view the study materials on YouTube and to take the online quiz.

Learning Activity Outline

Introduction:

Instructional Content:

Activity: View and, as needed for understanding, review (at your own preferred speed, and with subtitles if desired) the above 4 instructional videos. Then take an online quiz to reinforce (and assess) your learning.

A sample of multiple choice questions included:

• An interval is the relationship between: two notes (the distance from one to the other), and not two keys, any number of notes, a chord and its component notes, or any number of instruments

• Two or more notes occurring at once is an instance of: harmony, and not necessarily beauty, a major chord, melody, or good guitar playing

• A key is for giving: a sense of location in sound, and not the first and/or last note of a piece, melodic ideas, chords to play and chords not to play, or a chord its quality

Conclusion: After taking the quiz, note any uncertainties and questions and seek to resolve them by consulting any combination of the internet, class peers, and your instructor. Quiz results will be available to students as soon as possible.

Assessment: The quiz, while being a learning reinforcement tool, will also itself serve as an assessment.