…or, why not to blow your fourth too early.
I’m sure a lot has been written about the I, IV and V chords but I have to start at the beginning. They’re the bases of most blues, country and pop songs and in the key of C would be the C, F and G chords. However, thinking in numbers removes the key from the discussion allowing the chords to then be reapplied to any key as necessary. For example, the I, IV and V chords in the key of Bb are Bb, Eb and F. Consult your fingers for assistance, that’s what I did.
The I chord is the home chord and you’ll need a pretty good reason not to start and end with this one. The V chord pairs nicely with the I chord and can be safely vamped without changing the direction of a song. More commonly though it’s thought of as the chord with the most tension and drives to resolve to the I chord so a vamp between the I and V is pleasing as it’s continuous tension and resolve; like breathing in and out. In the key of C the V chord would contain at least a G, B and D. The B resolves up to a C (the closest half step), the D could go either way to an E or C and the G chords is fine where as it’s a shared note between the I and V chord. We now have a chord of C, E and G which makes up the C major chord, or the I chord, which is where the G chord naturally wants to go. Try singing Happy Birthday in a crowded room and stop dead on the last “to”, omitting the final “you”. While they might not understand why, there will be an uncontrollable urge to say the final “you” as without it there was no resolution of the V chord. Here’s a quick chart that may help put context to the letters above.
_______________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |_| |_| | |_| |_| |_| | |_| |_| | | | | | | | | ->| |<->| | | | | | | G | | B | C | D | E | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
