Pop Progressions Essay

1446 Words6 Pages
Ryan Conway 2nd Period AP Lang Getting Hooked: The Appeal of Popular Music Popular music has evolved throughout the years and has become very formulated in the modern age. What makes pop music so popular? Pop music does not become popular because of the quality or ingenuity of the music, but because of the familiar musical patterns, hooks, and entertaining lyrics. The combination of these three characteristics can easily send a song to the top of the charts. People are drawn to popular music because they find it musically comfortable and familiar. Most Western pop songs follow the same I-vi-IV-V chord progression, or a slight variation of it. (Scott) This chord progression is also known as the “50’s Progression”. The progression obtained this name because it was made popular in the 1950s by many different music groups. It began as the backing for doo-wop and was then picked up by early rock-and-roll groups which brought the progression to center-stage. (AllMusic) Rock music featuring the 50’s Progression was the popular music up through the 1990’s, and while rock has faded in the past 10 years, the chord progression has maintained its utility. Many frustrated musicians wonder how one chord progression can remain dominant through six decades. According to music psychology experts, the progression is simple and easy for the brain to process. (Reif) For example, the C major 50’s Progression consists of C major, A minor, F major, and G major. All of these chords only require three notes to be complete. C major consists of C, E, and G. A minor consists of A, E, and C. F major consists of F, A, and C. Finally, G major consists of G, B, and A. (Hubscher) To the non-musically trained, that probably does not make much sense. One does not have to know much about music to notice some patterns throughout the different chords. Starting from C major to the resolution of

More about Pop Progressions Essay

Open Document