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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Music theory → 1 4 5 progression
Can someone help me with this 145 progression or direct me to a site that really explains it in simple terms, I'm struggling with this. I appreciate any help.
Cam
Soem one with way more knowledge will expand on this but as my simple brain understands it:
potential notes in scale are A B C D E F G.
So in the Key of C: chords would be C F G
In the key if A: A D E
I'm quite sure there's a bit more to it than that. With theory, I'm like a little kid with a gun. I know just enough to cause a horrific accident!!!!!!!!
geoaguiar is right. In the key of A, intervals are: A=1,B=2,C#=3,D=4,E=5,F#=6 and G#=7 with A the beginning of the next octave higher.
A million songs are written with the 1,4,5 progression of A,D,E for the A scale, or C,F,G if you are using the scale in C.
It's based on scales. Each note in the scale has chords that are associated with it. The triads for the I, IV and V notes in a scale are all major chords. The triads for the II, III, VI are all minor chords. The triad for the VII is a diminished chord.
So, if you know the scales well, you can always find the IV and the V. Simply play the major chord with that note as the root.
For example, in the key of G.
The G major scale is
G A B C D E F# G
The 1st, 4th and 5th notes of that scale are G, C and D.
So the chords you'd play are G major, C major, and D major.
Scales are at the root of everything.
All mentioned above is correct. I just would like to add that it helps to know what notes are sharp or flat in a given scale to locate the I IV V ( 1 4 5 ) or any given interval (step) in a scale perhaps a chart of the sharp and flat keys would be helpful 
I have just been through all this with Jerome over the last few weeks, its very interesting to get your head around it, but once you understand A.B.C.D.E.F.G.A as Do, Ra,Me,Fa,So,La,Te,Do on each scale, the scale always runs in alphabetical order depending which key you start in for eg:- Key D will go D.E.F.G.A.B.C. so the chord progression in D would go :- Chord D, 1st, Chord G, being the 4th, Chord A, being the 5th. 1-4-5. hope this has helped. Tony.
Cam, There is also a diagram called the circle of fifths, this is a circle designed to help Musicians and composers compose harmonizing melodies, building chords etc.
If you get it on Wikipedia it explains everything, from each key if you go 1 left then 2 right you get the chord progression for that key, for eg:- key C, 1 left is F, and 2 right is G. chord progression C.F.G. its very interesting, and you should enjoy understanding it. Tony.
I can't really add anything to these excellent answers, other than to say that the 145 progression (in whatever key) has been around in music for a couple of hundred years. Part of the significance is that you can harmonise any note in the key with one of those chords. In other words, you could get by (just) without knowing more than those 3 chords!
(So long as you don't want to modulate to another key)
Hi
The main reason guitarists get confused with music theory is because of the layout of the fretboard, add to that too much information squashed together on a page. Magazines only have so much space to explain things so if you look at the page it's just a blur, just like so many explanations on forums like this. No disrespect to the members who are kind enough to share their knowledge. But think about how easy it will be to understand what you have written, for someone who is trying to understand
***link removed spam RH moderator***
I agree with the fretboard not being the best tool to learn theory on. I've always advocated that theory is best learned on a keyboard, where the intervals are easier to see, and the relationship with the key signature is visual.
jerome is right a keyboard is the easiest way to learn. Many cords that are hard or impossible to play on the guitar are easy on a keyboard. Bdim. etc.
................So now you know the chords of a 1 IV V usually you are going to play 4 measures on the 1 then change to the IV then depending on the song you will either go up to the five and play 4 measures or you might return to the I for 4 before going to the five.
Oh one more bit of trivia the cycle of 5ths I was told was invented as a way of signalling what key the next song is on stage the number of sharps signifying the key across the stage so if someone is holding up 2 fingers you know it's the key of D. (I hope that's correct!) instead of having to say huh?
You not only need to learn your scales, you need to learn how to build a scale! Using the formula,
Root, t-t-st-t-t-t-st, you will be able to figure all the scales, and be able to use and learn them.
Root means the note you want to start the scale in and play in. T, means 1 tone. A tone is two frets on the guitar neck. ST, means semitone. A semitone is One Fret on the guitar neck.
Example: E scale is, E, F#, G#,A, B, C#,D#, and back to E. If you use the formula R,T,T,ST,T,T,T,ST
You will be able to figure out any scale with some slight transposition!!
Wish you well in your musical endeavors.
Jim
This chart:
http://www.i-love-guitar.com/guitar-cho … -keys.html
really has helped me with this. I printed it out and put it in my practice book.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Music theory → 1 4 5 progression
