Another chord progression question

[chord]

Hi guys,i have a problem with this chord progression :F-Em-Am-D.
Can someone tell me what's the tonal center,and what's the theory behind it. Thanks!

[Malcolm]

Originally Posted by chord

Hi guys,i have a problem with this chord progression :F-Em-Am-D.
Can someone tell me what's the tonal center,and what's the theory behind it. Thanks!

Well only thing I can get it to resolve to is C. That makes the D out of scale, however, I like the major D sound, especially resolving to C. And that brings in the ole tried and true rule; If it sounds good it's good."

iii -- vi -- ii -- V -- I
Em,.Am,.Dm...G.....C ---- is a classic turnaround.

The way you have it I hear the tonal center as C.

[dmsstudios]

Originally Posted by chord

Hi guys,i have a problem with this chord progression :F-Em-Am-D.
Can someone tell me what's the tonal center,and what's the theory behind it. Thanks!

As Malcolm said, C ionian/major scale (for F,Em, Am) and a brief C lydian over the D...

or...

C lydian (for Em, Am, D) and a brief C ionian/major scale over the F chord.

Both ideas are viable. The only difference between the major scale & lydian (in the same key) is the 4th note, which makes for interesting songplay!

[Username1]

F-Em-Am-D.

All the chords are in the key of C major with the exception of D major since it has an F sharp. However, the D major chord can act as a secondary dominant to the G major chord because F sharp is a leading tone to G.

Since Em-Am-D follow a circle progression which is one of most common progressions in Western music, it would be an ideal move to go from D major to G major with the F sharp note leading up a half step to G natural. The G major chord can be followed by a C major chord, thus ending the progression with a V-I authentic cadence making C major the tonic chord.

I love circle of fifths progressions, so I changed your progression a little to fit the key of E minor:

1. F#dim
2. Em
3. Am
4. D
5. G
6. C
7. F (Neapolitan chord)
8. Em (Preferably second inversion)
9. B
10. Em

The circle progression sounds excellent and was a favorite with classical composers as shown by this piece by JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0kidZRGKJw

Here are some links to expand your music theory knowledge:

A video explaining secondary dominants: http://www.musictheoryminute.com/SecondaryDominants.htm

A website explaining circle progressions:
http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/html/id56_en.html

[chord]

thanks guys,understanding the things more clearly now...one more question tho,why does D to F sounds so good?especially when i play D/Gb. what's the relationship between those two chords?

[dmsstudios]

Originally Posted by chord

thanks guys,understanding the things more clearly now...one more question tho,why does D to F sounds so good?especially when i play D/Gb. what's the relationship between those two chords?

Think of it as F# (not Gb.) The G note/chord is stable for the entire sequence, it's the 4th (F or F#) that's in question, which is the answer to why it sounds good. Its a downward chromatic walk using various chord inversions, which always sound cool.

How about:
D-F-C-Eb-D-A-C-G etc., walking down the high note chromatically-one fret at a time (starting with the high F# note.) Use pick control as to how many strings are plucked; in my example, the high note goes to the 'B' string on the Eb chord and stays there all the way to the G, and the high note will always be a 1,3,or 5 of the chord. This progression can go on for days. Does this make sense?

[JonR]

Couple of other observations:

There's an overlap of implied possible keys:
F-Em-Am = key of C
Em-Am-D = key of G

This means that, despite beginning with F, the D major is not too much of a surprise. The Em-Am kind of sets us up for it anyway (as a cycle of 5ths as Username1 points out). Em-Am-Dm would be possible in key of C, but less common than Em-Am-D in key of G.

Also, there is a relative/parallel relationship between D and F, via Dm (parallel to D major, relative to F major). So D-F is not that unusual a change - dramatic (maybe) but still logical. (If it was D7-F6, the relationship would be closer.)

Lastly, in key of G major, F is a common bVII addition in rock songs.
Of course, there is no G chord, but I'm tempted to see this (overall) as more like a G major seqyence than a C major one. Alternatively, you could see it as E minor, with F as a phrygian bII chord! (If the Em felt like a final chord you could finish on.)

Am would also make an arguable key chord. (D being IV of A dorian or melodic minor.)

In fact, it would be good to decide which of these 4 chords would be the final chord of the song - or whether (if none of them sound final) it sounds like you need to introduce another one to perform that function. That will determine what key it needs to be called (if any).