Ragtime progression

The ragtime progression (Fahey 1970) is a chord progression typical of ragtime music and parlour music genres though its use originated in classical music and spread to American folk music:

• (III^7/♯)-VI^7/♯-II^7/♯-V7-(I)*

and its close variants. (van der Merwe 1989, p.321)

In C major this is:

• E^7/♯-A^7/♯-D^7/♯-G7-C

Examples include "Sweet Georgia Brown" and Liszt's "Liebestraum", no. III. The progression is an example of centripetal harmony, harmony which leads to the tonic.

• *The 7/# badly depicts a (superscript) seven over a (subscript) sharp

Source

• van der Merwe, Peter (1989). Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0193161214.
  • Fahey, John (1970). Charley Patton, p.45. London: Studio Vista.