Ruggi.SiteMusic styles guide
Tempo, time signature, rhythm feel, scales, instruments and typical chord progressions for blues, jazz, rock, pop, funk, soul, country, classical eras, reggae, hip-hop, electronic and Latin styles, metal, gospel and several world traditions, with playing tips for guitar, keys and drums.
Related: Guitar & piano chords · Music notation guide · Modes & composition · Ear training · Music theory tools · BPM delay calculator
A quick reference to the musical building blocks of many styles: typical tempo, time signature, feel, scales, instruments, common chord progressions (in Roman numerals, with a button to show them as chord names in any key) and practical tips for guitar, keys and drums. Ranges are typical, not rules: any style has exceptions, and players cross between them all the time. Dates and history are deliberately left out.
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The styles
How to read the progressions
- Roman numerals count scale degrees from the key's tonic. Capital = major chord (I, IV, V), lower case = minor (ii, vi), ° = diminished, a trailing 7 on a capital numeral = dominant seventh (V7), on lower case = minor seventh (ii7), maj7 = major seventh, ø = half-diminished, 5 = power chord.
- Major-key progressions count from the major scale, so ♭VII is a whole step below the tonic (B♭ in C). Minor-key progressions count from the natural minor scale, so VII is the major chord a whole step below the tonic (G in A minor), VI is F, III is C; a major V or V7 is the usual raised-leading-tone dominant.
- V7/V means "the dominant seventh of V" (D7 in the key of C).
- Choose the tonic of a minor-mode progression as the minor key: picking "A" shows A minor.