Sointukiertoihin

Sointukierto (translated as chord progression) is a term in music theory that refers to a sequence or cycle of chords that creates and sustains a sense of harmony within a key. The plural illative form sointukiertoihin appears in Finnish when discussing multiple chord progressions or methods for moving through harmony, for example in educational or analytical texts.

In practice, sointukiertoihin include a variety of patterns. They can be diatonic progressions that use scale-degree functions such as tonic, subdominant and dominant, for example I–IV–V–I or I–vi–IV–V. They also cover progressions built around the circle of fifths, which are common in jazz and pop contexts. A well-known example in many genres is the I–V–vi–IV sequence, frequently used as a flexible backbone for verse-chorus structures.

The concept is central in music education and analysis because it helps musicians understand voice leading, harmonic function, and cadence. Sointukiertoihin are often employed in exercises for beginners learning to harmonize melodies, as well as in more advanced work on improvisation, arrangement and composition. The exact emphasis of sointukiertoihin can vary between teaching traditions, but the underlying idea is to study how chords relate and how tonal movement is achieved.

Historically, chord progressions emerged from tonal harmony practices in classical music and were later adapted across popular and jazz traditions, where repetition, variation, and modulation to related keys broaden the use of sointukiertoihin.