Chords that resolve to the Tonic:
	Dominant Fifth, V The second most important chord (to the tonic) in a chord sequence is the dominant V. This is because it contains the leading tone in the major scale of the tonic. The leading tone is a halfstep below the tonic. In the major sclae of C, for example, the dominant V is G, as is the V chord of the major sequence. The G major triad contains G at the root position, B a major third above that, and D a minor third above that. B is the leading tone to C. It should also be noted that the dominant V note even alone in the major scale helps establish its tonic. Essentially the V and the tonic of a scale sound good together. All power chords (written as X5) are made up solely of the tonic and its V, which helps establish the chord without distinguishing it as major or minor. This is another reason that the first chord of the chord sequence and the fifth are often placed next to each other. V - I G - C Play in C - Stop Note: When played as full guitar chords the notes of the triad are repeated at different octaves. This is why you hear more than three notes for each chord. The lowest note, or bass note, is always the root of the chord. 'Dominant Seventh', V7 Theoretically this chord, G-B-D-F, resolves to the tonic even better than the dominant V because not only is the third of this chord the leading tone to the tonic, but also the flat seventh (F) resolves down one half step to the note a third above the tonic (E). V7 - I G7 - C Play in C - Stop Diminished Seventh, viiº The diminished seventh, B-D-F, is rarely used but it does resolve well to the tonic. This is for three reasons; first, the root of this chord (B) is the leading tone to the tonic (C); second, the third of this chord (D) resolves down one halfstep to the tonic (C); and third, the fifth of this chord (F) resolves down one halfstep to the third above the tonic (E). viiº - I Bº - C Play in C - Stop
Chords that resolve to the Dominant V:
	Minor Second, ii The reasoning behind the minor second resolving to the dominant is more abstract than the reasoning behind the other chord resolutions. Basically the second (D) is the dominant of the dominant (G), and therefore it leads into V which in turn leads into the I. ii, V, I is a very powerful resolution. ii - V - I Dm - G - C Play in C - Stop Fourth, IV The fourth is used very frequently next to the V when the V is leading to the tonic. One reason for this is that the root of the IV (F) is like a leading tone to the V (G), and the V follows it naturally. Also the IV is similar to the ii, as they share two out of three notes, which we already know leads well to the dominant because it is the dominant's dominant. The root and third of the fourth (F-A-C) are the same as the third and fifth of the minor second (D-F-A). IV, V, I is a common progression of chords. IV - V - I F - G - C Play in C - Stop
Chords that resolve to the Second (ii):
	Minor Sixth, vi The minor sixth is the last chord with reasonable leading tendencies. It leads to the minor second for the same reason the minor second leads to the fifth. The sixth (A) is the dominant of the second (D). The ii is therefore used often as a followup to vi. vi - ii Am - Dm - G - C Play in C - Stop
Remaining chords:
	The only remaining chord is the third (iii). It has very limited resolving qualities, but can move to any other chord. It is not often used.
A diagram to illustrate the connections through resolutions:
	Click on the connecting lines to hear how the second adjacent chord resolves the first and then progresses to the tonic (C). Stop Audio Once the tonic is reached in a progression the song can move to any other degree of the scale. This is because all the other degrees are less stable than the first - the key of the sequence. A good way to think about it: most every progression is a path from the tonic, back to the tonic; when you're at the tonic you can go anywhere in the scale, however you can't resolve any chord in the scale to the tonic (chord leading theory). It's important to keep this in mind when looking at chord leading in popular music - chord leading doesn't apply to the forward movement of a path, but rather it's return to the tonic.

Despite the usefulness of these rules they are definitely not set in stone, many great songs have been written that defy chord leading altogether (see last example below, Radiohead - Creep). However in many songs it can be seen used, sometimes in more obvious ways than others. Below are examples of popular songs where we can see chord leading at work in some way or another; the last, however, is an example of a song that was written without any chord leading theory in mind. In each table there is a first and second row for each part of the song (verse, pre-chorus/bridge, chorus). The first lists the actual chord played in the song and the second lists the scale degree of each of those chords in the key of the song. Below each table is a description of where chord leading, and chord transition theory in general, can or cannot be seen in the song and how it may have been altered or utilized by the artist.

The Beatles - Hey Jude In the key of D. Verse D A D G D A D I V I IV I V I Bridge D7 G Em A7 D D7 I7 IV ii V7 I I7 Chorus D C G D I bVII IV I Hey Jude is a good example because it makes substantial use of the most popular chords in the sequence, I, IV, and V. The first chord of this song is the tonic, a very common approach the start of a chord progression. After this the transition from the V to the I (or v.v.) is common. A little more than expected IV also precedes directly to I without going through V. In the bridge both I and V are played as dominant sevenths instead of major triads. This adds tension to the section because the seventh notes added to each chord are very clearly dissonant to the tonic. The ii also comes in during the bridge after IV. This is a fitting place because ii is the relative minor of IV and shares two notes so the descending tone (in this case G to E) in the bass line is very clear. The chorus also uses a descending tone, I to the bVII, the leading tone. In this case every note of the chord is descending by one half step. The chorus continues to descend but next jumps to the IV than the I, a popular ending place as it is a popular starting place. The IV - I transition is used throughout the song, like a theme. It is reused again in the chorus to hold the piece together.

Howie Day - Ghost In the key of E. The note names in blue boxes are notes played individually, not chords. The Roman numerals below them represent their place in the scale. Verse/Chorus C#m G# A B E vi III IV V I Bridge C#m A B C#m A E vi IV V vi IV I Howie Day's Ghost starts on the relative minor (C#m, vi) of the key the song is in (E, I). Next the song moves through the III degree of the scale to the IV. Playing the III right before the IV chord leads into it well because it is a sort of leading tone to the IV, one whole step below it. Next the song moves through the V note to the tonic chord, which clearly follows the chord leading tendencies addressed on this page. It is also important to notice the qualities of the intervals between the transitions seperately. For example the VI degree of the scale to the III is a perfect fourth (five halfsteps), and the V to the I is a perfect fifth (seven halfsteps). These two intervals are known to be more pleasing to the ear. They also balance each other out, while the fourth sounds nice it is surpassed by the perfect fifth in the coming transistion. To two intervals in the chord progression echo each other through the song. The use of the dominant V in the bridge has a very powerful effect because it is replacing the tonic in the progression. However, being the V of the scale, it still sounds good and affirms the key of the song.

U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name In the key of D. Main Prog. D G Bm A C I IV vi V bVII In U2's Where the Streets Have No Name, the chords that are used frequently in chord leading can be seen, but the specific transitions are really not there. However if a couple transition chords were taken out, the vi and the bVII, the I IV V I pattern is the clear structure of the progression. The two exceptions fit in nicely because they resolve well to the very stable chords (V and I) they precede. The vi, a whole step above the V it resolves to, sounds nice as it is reminiscent of a descending pattern, an example of which we'll see in the next song. The bVII resolves well to the tonic for a similar reason, it is the leading tone to the tonic. Chords of close proximity in scale degrees generally resolve nicely to each other, especially if they're being resolved to stable chords that reaffirm the key (like V and I).

Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You In the key of Am. The note in (gray) is the bass note of the chord, played instead of the actual root of the chord. Verse/Chorus Am C(G) D7(F#) F E i III(VII) IV7(VI#) VI V Pre-Chorus/Bridge Am Dm7 i iv7 The Minor Chord Sequence Reminder i iiº III iv v VI VII Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is a good demonstration of a descending chord progression pattern as well as a common tendency to change the quality of certain chords in the chord sequence, in this case these two songwriting techniques are connected. It can be seen in the minor chord sequence above that the iv and v are 'supposed' to be minor. In Babe both chords are played as majors - the D (with an added bVII making it a D7) and the E. Songwriters frequently change the qualities of the IV and V degree chords in both the major and minor sequence. There are different reasons for each case here it will just be explained why this alteration is made in Babe. Hearing the same chord progression with the iv and v minored it is clear that the progression sounds much better with a major IV and V. The reason for this is that it allows the chords to actually fit into the descending pattern mentioned previously. Along the bassline of this progression can be seen the descending line A-G-F#-F-E, this is why those (gray) bass notes are played, ie. C with a low G, instead of the original roots. For F# to be played with a D chord the D chord must be a major, since the minor D chord is played D-F-A instead of D-F#-A. This is why the IV (D) is majored. The V (E) is majored becuase the major E chord contains a G#, E-G#-B - as opposed to the minor's G, E-G-B - that leads nicely (as it is the leading tone) back to A. Below is a diagram of the progression and the notes in each chord to clarify. Lastly it's important to note that here, too, can be seen the basic structure of I-IV-V. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You Progression I III IV VI V Am C(G) D7(F#) F E A C D F E C E F# A G# E G A C B

Radiohead - Creep In the key of G. Verse G B C Cm I III IV IVm Radiohead's Creep is a great example of where there is pretty much no chord leading at work. There is also no clear pattern (descending or otherwise) that ties the chords together. However, the progression still sounds very nice. The major to minor IV is a touch that is pretty frequent in Radiohead's music but not as frequent in pop/rock music as a whole. The repeated use of G, from the opening G to the G that is the V of both C and Cm, is also something your ear might pick up on. The III preceding IV also has a good effect because III is just a half step below IV.