Descending Sevenths
Four seventh chords walking down by step. Every seventh should resolve downward, and not one of them does: each becomes the root of the next chord instead. The tension is handed on rather than released, four times in a row.
- 4 chords
- bass steps down
- no dominant anywhere
same family
The progression
IVmaj7 - iii7 - ii7 - Imaj7
Why it works
A seventh is a dissonance, and centuries of voice leading say it should step down into a consonant note of the next chord. Follow what actually happens here. The seventh of Fmaj7 is E, and E becomes the root of Em7. The seventh of Em7 is D, and D becomes the root of Dm7. The seventh of Dm7 is C, the root of Cmaj7. The dissonant note is not resolved, it is promoted, and the new chord immediately stacks a fresh seventh on top of it.
Hear it in context
There is no dominant in this progression. No G7, so no tritone demanding resolution, so no cadence and no ending. All four voices move in the same direction by the same interval at the same time, which is lazy voice leading and excellent music: after two chords your ear has the pattern and predicts the rest, and hearing the prediction come true is the appeal.
Make it yours
- Keep all four chords in root position
The bass is the progression here, unlike a descending bassline, where inversions do the work.
- Extend it downward
The pattern continues as far as the key allows, and it never stops sounding inevitable.
- Put the sevenths on top
They form a descending line of their own, which is the melody hiding inside the chords.
When to reach for it
For jazz, bossa and soul. For an intro that has to sound complete without going anywhere.
When to leave it alone
For a section that needs to end. Without a dominant this progression has no full stop in it.