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6.9.3 The I - IV - V Chord Progression: Tonic Chords, Major and Minor
The I - IV - V chord progression is particularly strong because of fifth progressions, both down and up, with respect to the tonic chord. Fifths up to the tonic from the IV chord, and fifths up from the tonic to the V7 chord, have considerable power, owing to their special relationships with the tonic chord (as discussed in snoring detail earlier in this chapter). Figure 67 below maps the patterns of fifths up, to and from the tonic. There are two tonic chords. The tonic of the major key is the I chord (Roman number I). In the example below, the tonic chord is C Major. The tonic chord of its relative minor is the VIm chord. In this example, that chord is A minor.
FIGURE 67: Chord Maps of Fifths Up, To and From the Tonic
Note that in Figure 67, the arrows in the “minor key” diagram point downwards on the page. But those are still fifth-up progressions—the arrows go counterclockwise, which is the fifth-up direction.