Segue 6 – the "IV to V" and "ii to V" progressions
For this next segue, we’re going to continue using the “V” chord that we looked at last time. But now we’ll be adding some common transition chords with the “V”.
The IV to V progression is as common in worship music as tube tops are at a county fair in August. In the key of C, the IV and V chords are F and G, respectively. Instead of going right for the V7 transition, you can move the listener’s ear along by entering the new key with the IV chord.
In the last segue, we looked at moving from the key of D to the key of E by way of the B or B7 chord—which is the V chord of the key of E. Let’s now add the IV chord to the transition:
The A chord is part of the key D. So moving to it in this transition didn’t sound like a change until the B was played. The A chord (IV of the new key) helped soften that transition.
Let’s look at a transition in which the first key and the second key do not share common chords:
In this case, the A was a much brighter departure from the key of C. And don’t settle for just the simple A to B (IV to V), but look at coloring the V chord with the dominant 7, sus4, 7sus4, etc. in order to create even more movement and pull from one key to the next.
Another variation of "IV V" progression is the "ii V." This is a ubiquitous progression in jazz music, but it’s also used commonly in worship music. Instead of utilizing the IV chord to the move to the V chord, go to the “two minor” (ii or 2m) chord first. Play through this transition from the key of C to the key of A utilizing the 2m chord:
The ii chord is closely related to IV, which is why this transition sounds similar to the IV to V movement. But the “two minor” chord creates a different color and mood than the IV.
In this progression above, you’ll notice that by using the ii (Bm7), we found a chord that was only a half step away from the I (or 1 chord) of the original key. This example sets us up for the next segue from song to song with different keys – finding a natural sounding “chord trail” from one key to the next. Stop back for that installment soon.
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