Examples of songs with the ragtime progression include “Hello! Ma Baby,” “Charleston,” “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Ja-Da,” “Salty Dog,” “Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel and Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant.” The ragtime progression is a chain of secondary dominants that follows the circle of fifths. In C major it is usually E7, A7, D7, G7, C, and it is most often heard in its four-chord form, A7, D7, G7, C.
It is named for its popularity in ragtime, but it is older than the genre and started in classical music before spreading to parlour music and American folk. Each dominant chord pulls toward the next, which gives songs a bouncy, forward-moving sound. Here are 12 examples.
1. “Hello! Ma Baby” (Howard & Emerson)
The chorus of this 1899 song by Howard & Emerson is a standard example. It dates from the ragtime era itself.
2. “Ja-Da” (Bob Carleton)
Bob Carleton’s 1918 song uses the progression in its simple, catchy tune. It shows how easily the chain of chords fits a short repeating melody.
3. “Charleston” (James P. Johnson)
James P. Johnson’s 1923 dance hit is one of the best-known examples. The progression gives the tune its lively, bouncing quality.
4. “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue” (Ray Henderson)
Ray Henderson’s 1925 song is a classic of the period built on these chords. Each seventh chord sets up the next one.
5. “Sweet Georgia Brown” (Bernie and Pinkard)
This 1925 song by Bernie and Pinkard is another standard example. Its harmony moves through the chain of dominants before returning home.
6. “Walk Right In” (Gus Cannon)
Gus Cannon’s 1929 recording shows the progression in early recorded blues.
7. “They’re Red Hot” (Robert Johnson)
Robert Johnson’s 1936 recording uses the ragtime progression, showing that the pattern was part of country blues as well as jazz.
8. “Salty Dog” (Rev. Gary Davis)
Rev. Gary Davis’s “Salty Dog” is a guitar-based example of the same chain of chords, outside jazz.
9. “Doxy” (Sonny Rollins)
Sonny Rollins’s 1954 jazz tune shows the progression in modern jazz. It fits the role the progression often plays in jazz standards.
10. “Hey! Baby” (Bruce Channel)
Bruce Channel’s 1962 pop hit carries the progression into the rock and roll era.
11. “Alice’s Restaurant” (Arlo Guthrie)
Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 song shows the progression surviving into the folk revival.
12. “Liebesträume” (Franz Liszt)
The progression appears at the beginning of Liszt’s Liebesträume (1850). This classical example shows that the progression existed well before ragtime.
What the Ragtime Progression Does
- A chain of dominants. Each chord is the dominant of the next: E7 leads to A7, A7 to D7, D7 to G7, G7 to C.
- Circle of fifths. The roots move down by fifths around the circle.
- Bouncier than vi–ii–V–I. Using major seventh chords (A7, D7) instead of minor chords (Am, Dm) gives a harder, bouncier sound.
Final Thoughts
The ragtime progression is everywhere in early jazz, blues and folk. Play A7, D7, G7, C on a guitar or piano, then listen to “Charleston” or “Sweet Georgia Brown” and you will hear the same chain of chords pulling the music forward.
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