Japanese pop, anime songs and Vocaloid tracks lean on two progressions so heavily that both have names. Learning them makes analysing those songs much faster.
Chapter 13's standards are used worldwide, but regions have their own favourites too. These two dominate Japanese pop.
The royal road (IV-V-iii-vi)
F, G, Em, Am. It goes from opening-out (IV) to tension (V) and then, instead of resolving home to I, slides into iii and vi. The resolution never arrives, so the ache keeps going.
- Royal road (F, G, Em, Am)
F | G | Em | Am
- Third chord as I (F, G, C, Am)
F | G | C | Am
The second one touches down at the third chord: cleaner, but less aching. The royal road suits tearjerker melodies precisely because it postpones the landing.
IV-V-iii-vi (F, G, Em, Am in C). Extremely common in J-pop and anime songs; it builds while staying wistful.
The Komuro progression (vi-IV-V-I)
Am, F, G, C. Named after its heavy use in 1990s Japanese dance pop. It starts in the dark (vi) and lands on the bright home chord (I), which creates upward momentum. It works well at faster tempos.
- Komuro progression (Am, F, G, C)
Am | F | G | C
The royal road and the Komuro progression use nearly the same chords; the order and the ending differ. Choose by whether you want to finish aching or finish bright.
Generate over the royal road. It suits choruses, so the section is set accordingly.
Generate over the royal roadThe royal road aches while it builds; the Komuro progression starts dark and ends bright. Both are J-pop staples.