The ragtime progression[1] is a chord progression characterized by a chain of secondary dominants following the circle of fifths, named for its popularity in the ragtime genre, despite being much older.[2] Also typical of parlour music, its use originated in classical music and later spread to American folk music.[3] Growing, "by a process of gradual accretion. First the dominant chord acquired its own dominant...This then acquired its dominant, which in turn acquired yet another dominant, giving":[4]
It can be represented in Roman numeral analysis as[5] [6]
| width=20% | (V7/V/V/V) | width=20% | V7/V/V | width=20% | V7/V | width=20% | V7 | width=20% | I |
| width=20% | (III7) | width=20% | VI7 | width=20% | II7 | width=20% | V7 | width=20% | I |
In C major this is
| width=20% | (E7) | width=20% | A7 | width=20% | D7 | width=20% | G7 | width=20% | C |
Most commonly found in its four-chord version (including the chord in parentheses). This may be perceived as a, "harder, bouncier sounding progression," than the diatonic vi–ii–V7–I (in C: Am–Dm–G7–C).[9] [10] The three-chord version (II–V–I) is "related to the cadential progression IV–V–I...in which the V is tonicized and stabilized by means of II with a raised third."
The progression is an example of centripetal harmony, harmony which leads to the tonic and an example of the circle progression, a progression along the circle of fourths. Though creating or featuring chromaticism, the bass (if the roots of the chords), and often the melody, are pentatonic.[4] (major pentatonic on C:) Contrastingly, Averill argues that the progression was used because of the potential it offered for chromatic pitch areas.[11]
Variations include the addition of minor seventh chords before the dominant seventh chords, creating overlapping temporary ii–V–I relationships[12] through ii–V–I substitution:
| width=20% | Bm7E7 | width=20% | Em7A7 | width=20% | Am7D7 | width=20% | Dm7G7 | width=20% | C |
since Bm7–E7–A is a ii–V–I progression, as is Em7–A7–D and so on.
Examples of the use of the ragtime progression include the chorus of Howard & Emerson's "Hello! Ma Baby" (1899), the traditional "Keep On Truckin' Mama," Robert Johnson's "They're Red Hot" (1936), Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" (1967),[13] Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby" (1962), Gus Cannon' "Walk Right In" (1929), James P. Johnson's "Charleston" (1923), Ray Henderson's "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue" (1925),[10] Rev. Gary Davis's "Salty Dog,"[14] Bernie and Pinkard's "Sweet Georgia Brown" (1925), the "Cujus animam" (mm.9-18) in Rossini's Stabat Mater, the beginning of Liszt's Liebesträume (1850),[4] Bob Carleton's "Ja-Da" (1918),[15] and Sonny Rollins's "Doxy" (1954).[16]