Cinematic chord progressions are a special kind of harmonic vocabulary designed to express the full range of human emotions. This musical language evolved over the past century to serve the dynamic needs of Hollywood. In many cases, it breaks away from the diatonic chord progressions heard in pop music songwriting, favoring borrowed chords and chromaticism instead.
A great deal of the “movie magic” we enjoy can be traced back to the use of these unusual chord changes. Film composers expand on common building blocks through sophisticated arrangements, blending traditional orchestration with modern sound design to give each film score its unique personality. Each composer has their own signature style, as we’ll explore later in this article.
Adaptability is one of the core features of cinematic music. Transitions from scene to scene may include dramatic shifts in mood, so it’s important that a composer remain flexible. They often achieve this through a technique called modulation, which allows for smooth changes between unrelated tonal centers.
Film score theorist Frank Lehman points out that legacy notation used to describe chord changes has made it difficult to describe move music and its harmonic conventions succinctly. He proposed that composers think of chord changes in terms of a chain of simple triad relationships. This belief comes out of a lesser-known school of thought called Neo Riemannian theory (NRT).
For a well-rounded understanding of the spicier cinematic chords, it’s also helpful to study the basics of modal interchange and chromatic mediants. We’ll combine those with NRT in this article to provide a holistic look at the topic.
Analyzing cinematic chord progressions with NRT
Neo-Riemannian theory (NRT) has become one of the most popular music theory frameworks for film scoring. It bypasses some of the problems of ambiguity found in Roman numeral notation.
This will be a new concept for many readers, and while it does call for some prior knowledge of music theory fundamentals, intermediate musicians will find that it’s not as difficult as it might seem. We’ve provided a quick tutorial below to guide you through the core idea.
How does Neo-Riemannian theory work?
There are two basic ways to think about cinematic chord progressions. One attempts to deal with the chord names using Roman numeral notation, while the other looks at the relationship between those chords. NRT is in the second camp, using simple triad-transformation sequences to reveal the underlying logic of seemingly unrelated chords.
Below are the three most important transformations in the system. Each of them follows an important rule: two notes are shared, and one note changes by a half or whole step.
- P (Parallel): This transformation changes a major chord to its parallel minor, or vice versa, by altering the third of the chord. For example, C major (C-E-G) becomes C minor (C-E♭-G) through the P transformation.
- R (Relative): The R transformation changes a major chord to its relative minor (vi) by moving the fifth of the chord up a whole step. For example, C major (C-E-G) becomes A minor (A-C-E). Conversely, a minor chord shifts to its relative major (III) by moving its root note down a whole step, so that A minor becomes C major through the R transformation.
- L (Leading-Tone): The L transformation, also known as the Leittonwechsel, changes a major chord to the minor iii chord by swapping its root for the leading-tone. This means C major (C-E-G) becomes E minor (E-G-B) through the L transformation. To perform an L transformation on a minor chord, the fifth scale degree is raised up a half step, so E-G-B to C-E-G.
You may have noticed that one of the triads in these transformations is always in an inversion. This is the consequence of changing only one note in the initial chord.
The diagram above is called a Tonnetz. It’s the easiest way to visualize the parallel, relative, and leading tone triads. Continue reading for a concrete example of how these parallel (P), relative (R), and leading-tone (L) transformations are used to within film score progressions.
Classic John Williams chord progressions
Anyone studying music theory fundamentals will begin with diatonic chord progressions first. These draw from a pallet of three major chords, three minor chords, and one diminished chord. Our goal with the following section is to open up some new harmonic possibilities for you, highlighting different chords that don’t exist in the more rigid diatonic ruleset.
We’ll begin with one of the most important film composers in history. John Williams helped define the sound of cinematic chord progressions as we know them today. He drew inspiration from 19th-century composers like Gustav Holst, Richard Strauss, and Igor Stravinsky.
The art of character and location themes heard in classic films like Star Wars was inspired by the leitmotif technique of Richard Wagner. Ultimately, Williams created a sound that was uniquely his own, and many others have since followed in his footsteps.
Princess Leia and Tifa: The “I → iv” or “RLP” progression
Let’s begin with some simple two-chord progressions. One of the most popular in history is the movement from the tonic’s major chord to a minor iv chord. John Williams famously used it in Princess Leia’s theme.
The standard diatonic IV chord should have a major sonority, so this shift to the parallel minor chord (with an added major 6th) creates a colorful, bittersweet feeling of longing. A pedal tone (D note) is held in the bass, providing a strong foundation as he makes the tense departure up to the iv⁶ chord before returning again to the tonic.
In “Princess Leia’s Theme,” the iv⁶ chord is labeled as a half-diminished ii chord (em♭5/D). This is an alternative spelling for the iv⁶ chord, which would have been called a Gm6.
Since this chord does not belong to the diatonic key, there is some ambiguity as to what to call it. Both of them use inversions, so it’s not clear what the root note should be.
Neo Riemannian theory solves this ambiguity by describing the relationship between the chords, rather than focusing on the name and function of the chord itself. In the Princess Leia theme, we begin with a D major chord. You can see it represented by the initial D → F# → A triangle below:
The change from this major I chord to the minor iv chord has been represented in the diagram by an “RLP” transformation. This stands for relative, leading tone, and parallel. Notice how each triangle shares an edge with two common notes, just as we explained earlier in our NRT tutorial.
- First chord: D Major (D F# A)
- Relative triad: B minor (B D F#)
- Leading tone triad: G major (G B D)
- Parallel triad: G minor (G Bb D)
- Second chord: G minor (G Bb D)
We no longer have to waste time arguing over whether the second chord is a half diminished ii chord or a iv⁶ chord. Instead, we can speak of this cinematic chord progression simply as an “RLP” transformation.
This second TheoryTab example comes from the video game music for Final Fantasy 7. The leitmotif belongs to a prominent female character named Tifa, who, in many ways, parallels the spirit of Princess Leia.
In this tab, we see the iv chord label with a G note in the melody functioning as the same minor 6 we heard in Princess Leia’s chord progression. It’s likely that the game’s composer, Nobuo Uematsu, used this same progression intentionally to draw from collective cultural associations with John Williams’ famous chord vocabulary.
For more examples like this, check out TheoryTab’s chord trends for I → iv progressions. The emotional impact of the minor iv chord has made it a popular choice for many songwriters, including superstars like the Beatles.
Learn more: Hooktheory offers numerous free resources. Explore them all in our comprehensive guide.
Here is an example from the Beatles tune “In My Life,” where a parallel transformation from IV → iv can be heard as they sing the lyrics “in my life” during the turnaround.
Williams played with this tonic-fourth chord relationship in many different ways. His Star Wars theme “Binary Sun” is in a minor key, moving from the minor tonic to a major IV chord. This is precisely the opposite of Leia’s theme (major tonic to minor iv).
This cinematic chord change creates an expansive feeling of hope and opportunity rather than the melancholic pain of the previous I → iv progression.
This tune was written in C# minor and the progression would commonly be notated as a i → IV → V → i progression. Here’s the breakdown of the two-chord relationship using NRT:
- First chord: C# minor (C# E G#)
- Parallel triad: C# major (C# E# G#)
- Relative triad: A# minor (A# C# E#)
- Leading tone triad: F# major (F# A# C#)
- Second chord: F# major (F# A# C#)
Williams lingers on the initial C# minor chord for a while to make sure the minor tonal center is established, building a stepwise melody around the minor scale. These interlocking chord and melody patterns serve to accent the emotional lift that takes place during the IV → V portion of the progression.
Want more examples of how this works? Explore over one thousand songs in the TheoryTab database that used a i → IV progression. You might gain creative inspiration and get some ideas for how you can use it in your own songwriting practice!
ET and Indiana Jones: The “I → II” or “LRLR“ progression
The LRLR transformation is another cinematic chord relationship heard in countless John Williams film scores. Roman numeral notation would call this a I → II chord progression, but the II chord is usually minor in a diatonic scale. It’s not functioning as a secondary dominant (V/V), so the Neo-Riemannian framework ends up being more accurate.
Let’s begin with the theme song for ET and then look at how it compares to an Indiana Jones theme. Notice how similar the melodic contour is between both melodies. They begin with a leap up to the 5th scale degree and then descend in a similar kind of stepwise motion.
This ET theme features a C major to D major chord progression. Here’s the breakdown using NRT:
- Initial chord: C major (C E G)
- Leading tone triad: E minor (E G B)
- Relative triad: G major (G B D)
- Leading tone triad: B minor (B D F#)
- Relative triad: D major (D F# A)
- Second chord: D major (D F# A)
Now compare this to the theme from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Here, Williams begins with a conventional I → V → IV → I progression, but on the second pass, he replaces the V chord with a major II chord.
Explore our TheoryTab trend database to find over forty examples of the I → II progression in popular music from around the world. You can play back the examples with full videos on YouTube or as MIDI files with melody and piano chord views.
Learn more: Explore new ways to spark creativity with our Trends tool.
There are hundreds of common chord progressions to be discovered in Williams’s harmonic vocabulary, but it would be a mistake to spend the entire article focused on him. Many other composers have thrown their hats in the ring and contributed their own unique perspectives.
Danny Elfman’s cinematic chord progressions
If you don’t already know Danny Elfman by name, you probably know him by the movies where his work has been featured. He’s been Tim Burton’s go to composer for decades, penning film scores to classic animations like Night Before Christmas and Beetlejuice. His themes are almost always dark, playful, and mischievous.
Beetlejuice: The “i →VM⁷” or “RLR” progression
Beetlejuice exists in a topsy-turvy world that’s horrifying and amusing at the same time. Elfman was tasked with capturing that feeling through his music.
The chord change in Beetlejuice’s theme is built around B♭ minor. It’s fairly common to hear dominant V⁷ chords in minor keys, even though they don’t belong diatonically. That’s because the V⁷ chord generates a kind of perfect tension that resolves neatly back to the tonic.
In a bizarre but highly effective move, the Beetlejuice theme replaces that common dominant V⁷ chord with a major 7th chord. To appreciate the wacky half-logic of this progression, we need to take the melody into consideration.
The melody begins on the B♭ minor i chord. We hear the melody move up from the fifth scale degree (F) to the minor sixth (G♭) and then back down again. This fits into the diatonic scale without any problem. It’s the chromatic descent further, past the fifth scale degree to what sounds like a diminished fifth on the E natural note, that makes this progression unique.
Usually, a diminished fifth over a minor chord would feel sinister, but Elfman switches to the V chord just in time for this note to function as a major 7th in the new chord. This should give an almost sweet and sentimental mood, but our ears don’t hear it that way. It’s still a diminished fifth melodically. That clash between sweet and sinister makes the chord funny and almost satirical.
Try playing the i → VM⁷ progression on your own and listen to the peculiar feeling of this progression. It’s one that he’s used in several other films. Explore several other interactive chord and melody charts on our Danny Elfman page in TheoryTab.
Hans Zimmer’s film scoring techniques
The film scoring aesthetic of Hans Zimmer could be described as tastefully minimalistic. Where the complex orchestral sounds and leitmotifs of John Williams have become less common today, Zimmer’s meditative approach retains its relevance through simplicity. It’s closer to the pop sensibilities of indie rock and even trap music, where melodies repeat over changing chords to create a sense of momentum.
Interstellar theme: A “VIM⁷ → v → i → v⁷” progression
Zimmer’s compositional style is right at home with Interstellar’s mind-bending outer space themes. In the Interstellar main theme song, he stays within a minor diatonic key but plays chord inversions to create some unique tone colors. There’s an underlying philosophy here that reminds me of zen meditation. It seems to say, “That which appears to be ordinary is, in fact, extraordinary.”
This theme is in the key of A minor but begins with a VI chord (FM⁷), leading the ear to believe that we could be in the key of F major. It’s followed by the minor v chord (E min) with G in the bass. We get upward stepwise movement in the bass, and the v chord takes on a pseudo-major sonority due to the relationship between G and B.
Our third chord is A minor, plain and simple. He walks back down to E minor with G in the bass on the fourth and final chord, but this time there’s a D note in the melody. This creates some ambiguity as to whether we’re hearing an E minor 7 (v⁷) or a G⁶ chord (VII).
To summarize, Zimmer’s theme for Interstellar reframes the predominantly minor chord progression in a way that makes it feel less lonely. The film takes on a similar mood by extension.
Man of Steel: Polytonal “I → ♭VI → IV” progression
Hans Zimmer’s theme for the Superman film Man of Steel makes use of an altered chord, dropping the first and fifth scale degrees of the minor vi chord down a half step, to create the major ♭VI triad.
His exclusive use of major chords in this progression seems to conjure the unflinching heroism of Superman, and yet the altered chord creates some deliberate tension with the melody that hints at a looming threat.
The melody remains in the home key of C major, even as the A♭ major chord is sounded. We hear a sequence of notes, “C → B → C,” which would have been part of the diatonic scale. But relative to his A♭ major chord, they act as a major third and then a minor third. This clash between the minor third in the melody and the major third in the altered chord makes use of a special technique called polytonality.
Playing a minor third over a major chord is highly dissonant and unorthodox. Yet, due to the use of the altered chord and the chromatic stepwise relationship that dips down and comes back up, our ears can tolerate it.
If you enjoyed these last two examples, have a look at our Hans Zimmer collection in TheoryTab.
TheoryTab: Explore more cinematic chord progressions
Feel free to explore our Soundtrack category, where you’ll find a massive collection of interactive examples, including both traditional songs and film music from every genre of movie.
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Thank you for reading – we hope you found this tutorial fun and informative!
About the Author
Ezra Sandzer-Bell is a musician and copywriter with a passion for merging music theory with technology. Learn more about his musical journey and the philosophy behind his work here.
