LESSON PLAN: 1, 4, 5 (I IV V) Progression with A, D, & E
ObjectIVe
Students will be able to use the A, D, and E chords to play a 1, 4, 5 ( I IV V) chord progression enabling them to play and recognize this in dozens of songs.
Resources
Handouts for the A, D, and E chords, handout for chords in the key of A, song charts and lyrics for “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful” by One Direction, “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles, “Hang On Sloopy” by The McCoys, and “Wild Thing” by The Troggs
Procedures
- Practice being able to play and switch between the A, D, and E chords. Students who are new to doing this may want to
play only on the first beat of each chord and spend the other counts getting the hand into the next position, while more experienced students can maintain the comping pattern while switching chords.
- Play the 1st A, D, and E progression to the songs
“You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful” and “Twist and Shout”. Since the chord progressions are the same, what makes them different is the melody and use of rhythm. The chords are represented in “root position”, each one having it’s “root” as the bottom note.
- Play the 2nd A, D, and E progression to the songs “Hang On Sloopy” and “Wild Thing”. This time the progression is a little bit different adding an extra D chord. Here again, the chords are the same making the only difference being the
melody and rhythm.
Extension
- The chords are represented in “root position” which makes playing a 2 handed comping pattern a lot easier. It also helps train the ear to hear the movement of the chord. After a student is familiar with using root position chords to play this progression, try using Jam Card 7b which puts some of the chords in shapes that are easy to reach without having to move the hand.
- Discuss chord progressions as numbers related to the key you are in. This chord progression is typically called a “1 4 5”
National Core Arts Standards (Music)
Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation. Example: General Music MU:Pr4.2.5 a. Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance. (applies 1-5) Example: General Music MU:Pr4.2.2 b. When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic and melodic patterns using iconic or standard notation. Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work. Music Traditional and Emerging Ensembles MU:Re7.2.E.5a (Novice) Identify how knowledge of context and the use of repetition, similarities, and contrasts inform the response to music. Common Core Correlations: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2.C Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).