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VII. Popular Music
Introduction to Harmonic Schemas in Pop Music

### Core Idea

Pop harmony can be understood through harmonic schemas—particularly common chord progressions. These schemas can be altered while still maintaining their resemblance to the prototype.

### Explanation

Pop harmony can be understood through harmonic schemas—particularly common chord progressions.

These schemas can be altered while still maintaining their resemblance to the prototype.

There are a number of common stock chord progressions that recur in many pop/rock songs. These stock progressions, or schemas, will often occur in cyclical patterns in a song; that is, the same progression will repeat multiple times in a row. This is particularly common in choruses of verse-chorus songs, but it also happens in verses, strophes, and bridges. Knowledge of pop schemas is helpful for identifying harmonies by ear, since in addition to listening for bass scale degrees and considering whether the harmonies are in root position or first inversion, you can listen for common patterns that you have heard in other songs. Example 1 succinctly summarizes the most common forms of each schema.

Example 1. Summary of common pop harmonic schemas.

A crucial feature of schemas is that they can be altered while still remaining recognizable as a manifestation of that schema. Think of the term "bird." If someone asks you to imagine a bird without any extra context, you may not imagine a specific species of bird, but you would probably imagine a bird that looks something like a sparrow or robin. Your imaginary bird is your mental prototype for the schema "bird." You can recognize all kinds of birds as being birds even if they do not look exactly like your imaginary bird—ostriches, penguins, flamingos, and swans are all clearly birds, despite their significant differences in appearance, behavior, and habitat. In the same way, you can and should recognize harmonic schemas as manifestations of the schemas listed here, even when they undergo some form of variation. Common variations include chromatic inflection or chord inversion, and are summarized in the final column of Example 1.

The following chapters group together certain schemas that share several qualities, and go into detail about each individual schema and its most common variations.

Blues-based schemas

12-bar blues

16-bar blues

double plagal

extended plagal

Four-chord schemas

doo-wop

singer/songwriter

hopscotch

Classical schemas

lament

circle-of-fifths

Puff schemas

Modal schemas

### Key Quote

There are a number of common stock chord progressions that recur in many pop/rock songs.

### Application Scenarios

There are a number of common stock chord progressions that recur in many pop/rock songs. These stock progressions, or schemas, will often occur in cyclical patterns in a song; that is, the same progression will repeat multiple times in a row. This is particularly common in choruses of verse-chorus songs, but it also happens in verses, strophes, and bridges. Knowledge of pop schemas is helpful for identifying harmonies by ear, since in addition to listening for bass scale degrees and considering whether the harmonies are in root position or first inversion, you can listen for common patterns that you have heard in other songs. Example 1 succinctly summarizes the most common forms of each schema.

Example 1. Summary of common pop harmonic schemas.

A crucial feature of schemas is that they can be altered while still remaining recognizable as a manifestation of that schema. Think of the term "bird." If someone asks you to imagine a bird without any extra context, you may not imagine a specific species of bird, but you would probably imagine a bird that looks something like a [sparrow](https://viva.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/12/2019/05/sparrow-2760021_640.jpg) or [robin](https://viva.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/12/2019/05/turdus-migratorius-875977_640.jpg). Your imaginary bird is your mental prototype for the schema "bird." You can recognize all kinds of birds as being birds even if they do not look exactly like your imaginary bird—ostriches, penguins, flamingos, and swans are all clearly birds, despite their significant differences in appearance, behavior, and habitat. In the same way, you can and should recognize harmonic schemas as manifestations of the schemas listed here, even when they undergo some form of variation. Common variations include chromatic inflection or chord inversion, and are summarized in the final column of Example 1.

### Key Terminology

first inversion root position chromatic harmony schema plagal chorus scale final verse chord form

### Related Links

sparrow robin Blues-based schemas 12-bar blues 16-bar blues double plagal extended plagal Four-chord schemas doo-wop singer/songwriter
Source: https://viva.pressbooks.pub/openmusictheory/chapter/intro-to-pop-schemas/
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