Common Tone Chords Analyzed

In discussing the chord progression for the tune "When The Golden Leaves Begin to Fall" as I've arranged here below and as noted above on the musical staff a few important items must be covered. Clicking on the picture should enlarge it.

1st, Notice the upper most note in each of the first five measures. See how it begins as an "A", then a "G natural" (this is the flat seven (b7) chord we've discussed), then an F sharp (which is the color tone of the Sub Dominant chord) then an F natural (which is the color tone darkened to a minor chord (minor Sub Dominant) and then the "E" note which is the fifth note in the "A" scale. So the passing tones are A G F# F & E.

Next, notice the bottom note in the first 6 measures. It remains an "A" note. Then in the last half of the 6th measure it becomes the passing tone "G#" and then in the 7th measure an F#. But the "A" note is also the darkened color tone in this F sharp minor chord.

Next, notice the movement in the 3rd measure where the C sharp and E notes resolve to the D note. Notice how the root position Tonic A7 chord resolves nicely to the 2nd inversion Sub Dominant, D, chord, and then the 2nd inversion D minore chord and back to the root position Tonic.

I inadvertently omitted the "A" notes in the B7 and B minore 7 chords, but imagine these notes are there and will resolve to the G sharp note in the measure that has the E7 chord. The G# note is the color tone of the Dominant chord and the leading tone of the A major scale. So from this, you can easily see the importance of the common note "A" in this progression. Recapping, the "A" note is found in the A chord, the A7, the D and D minore, also the F# minore, the B7 and the B minore 7. That's a lot of commonality!

Bluegrass Progression

Here's a neat chord progression I use for a Bill Monroe tune called "When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall":

...............A..........A7............D........Dm......
I left the one that I loved in the mountains

.....A.......F#m..........B7...Bm7....E7......
And all the love we've shared

.............A...................A7................D........Cm6b5......
But at night when she'd kneel by her bedside

.......................A.........E7..........A..........

I know she called my name in her prayers

Modal-like Common Tones

One chord progression that is actually quite common in Bluegrass is the one that drops a whole tone from the Tonic chord and then to the Dominant chord. For example, in the key of "G", take the Tonic triad of G B D and drop to F A C then to the Dominant 7 chord D F# A C. Notice how the A and C notes of the Dominant 7 chord (D7) are also found in the F chord. The ear hears an abrupt change from the G chord to the F chord, but this tension resolves when the F chord resolves to the D7 chord, and when the tension of the D7 chord resolves to the G chord.
Try this in the common Bluegrass keys.

Tougher Common Tones

Notice that two tones of each chord stay the same:
C7 chord modulating to an A7 chord: C E G Bb
A C# E G
Now the A7 chord to the F# 7 chord: A C# E G
F# A# C# E
Now the F#7 chord to the Eb chord: F# A# C# E
Eb G Bb Db
Note: It is easier to think in terms of Eb rather than D#. The Bb and Db notes are enharmonically the same as the A# and C# notes.

Can you take this progression further?

More on Common Tones

So let's continue on the common tones of the F (Sub Dominant) chord in the Key of C. The notes are F A and C. But now, lets drop the F note to an E note which makes it a 2nd inversion A minor (E A C), and instead of that, let's raise the C note 1/2 step to a C# note (E A C#). This 2nd inversion A chord ends up wanting to resolve to a D Minor chord very nicely. The D Minor chord is comprised of the notes D F and A. The E note would resolve nicely 1/2 step to the F note, the A note would remain a common tone and the C# note would have a tension that would resolve nicely 1/2 step up to the D note. So this 2nd inversion A chord (not A Minor, but A) resolves nicely to a 1st inversion D Minor.

Or try this: Take the root position C chord, C E and G and raise the C note 1/2 step to C#. This makes a chord comprised of the notes C# E and G. This is a 1st inversion A7 chord. This resolves very nicely to the D Minor chord. This can also resolve nicely to the D chord (D F# and A) because the 7 note which is a G will resolve nicely to the F#. So C# E G resolves to D F#.

Common Tones

One of the many reasons why music flows so smoothly together is the use of common tones. Take for example the following: Pick the Key of C. The Tonic chord is comprised of the notes C E and G. Two of these notes also belong to the minor third triad in the key of C. They are the notes E and G. The minor third in its root position is E G B. This forms an E Minor chord. Dropping the C note down to a B note while leaving the E and G note still being played creates a 2nd inversion E Minor chord, B E G.
Another chord formed from the Tonic C E G, is the relative minor chord in the Key of C, called the A Minor chord. This is comprised of the notes A C and E. So from a C chord in its Tonic root position C E G, raising the G note to an A note creates a 1st inversion A Minor chord.
Take the Sub Dominant chord in the Key of C, the F chord, comprised of the notes F A and C. What could we do with this chord? How about going to an A minor? To do this, we would simply drop the F note to an E note. This would create a 2nd inversion A Minor chord: E A C.
I'll post more of these beautiful chords later. In the meantime, experiment.

The Five of Five Chord

In Nashville, many pickers call this chord the "2" chord and write it as a large Roman Numeral 2. But really, it's the five of five chord in music theory circles.
Most often times it appears in a tune either after the Tonic chord or after the Dominant chord. For example: in the key of "G", play a G chord (Tonic)and follow that with a C chord (Sub Dominant) then back to the G chord, then up to the A chord (Five of Five)and then to the D chord (Dominant, also called the "Five" chord). You can then resolve this by Playing these chords: G chord, C chord, G chord, D chord and finally, G chord.
Another way the Five of Five is used is: in the key of "G", play a G chord (Tonic)and follow that with a C chord (Sub Dominant) then back to the G chord, then to the D chord (Dominant, also called the "Five" chord)and then to the A chord (Five of Five) and back to the D chord. You can then resolve this by Playing these chords: G chord, C chord, G chord, D chord and finally, G chord.
The Five of Five chord works this way: The color tone of the Five of Five has a tension that resolves nicely to the base note of the Five chord. For example: think in the key of "G" again, the color tone of the Five of Five is a C# note which resolves nicely to the "D" note in the D chord. Or, it could resolve nicely, creating a little tension (which can later be resolved to the color tone of the Tonic), by going to the flatted seventh note of the Dominant chord (D chord in this example) which would be the "C" note. (This "C" note would eventually resolve to the "B" note which is the color tone of the G chord).

Another well used chord progression is from the Tonic to the Sub Dominant to the Five of Five to the Dominant and back to the Tonic.
Yet another neat chord pattern is to go from the Tonic to the Five of Five of Five ( think of this one as a relative minor chord made major by raising the color tone) then to the Five of Five then the Five and return to the Tonic. For Example in the key of "G": G; E (not minor, but major); A; D; G.

Now find and resolve the Five of Five chords for these keys: D; A; F; C