BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
1418 / 18210 · Module 26 — Pop Piano: Simple Harmony, Strong Arrangement← prev⊞ allnext →

26.3Pop often avoids strong classical closure

Jazz/classical:

ii → V7 → I

ii → V7 → I

strongly resolves.

Pop loops often use:

I → V → vi → IV → I

I → V → vi → IV → I

The IV returns to I without a dominant cadence.

The progression feels circular rather than:

tension → final answer.

That's useful because a pop song often needs to repeat indefinitely.