Hey music makers!
Back in college, an artist once fell asleep on my couch while I was playing beats for them. Mid-session. Fully asleep.
My buddy Hank still brings it up 😫.
My music was repetitive enough to function as a sleep aid. I was memorizing random progressions without understanding the patterns that make R&B sound like R&B. I needed a different approach.
Converting progressions to numbers changed how I learn harmony entirely.
📻 REAL SONGS. REAL PROGRESSIONS
💿 "Another Sad Love Song" by Toni Braxton
Key: A minor
Progression: Am7 – Em7 – Dm7 – F/G
Roman numerals: i - v - iv - VI/bVII
Why it works: First off, the minor 7 chords add richness to the chords but look at the root movement: A moves down a perfect 4th to E, E drops a whole step to D, D falls a 5th to G.
These descending movements—4ths, whole steps, 5ths—create the smooth, emotionally rich flow that defines R&B harmony.
What numbers reveal: When I converted this to i–v–iv–VI/♭VII instead of Am7–Em7–Dm7–F/G, I started spotting the exact pattern in Luther Vandross songs, Lauryn Hill tracks, Maxwell progressions. Different keys, same emotional architecture.
To my surprise, my recall improved immediately.
The progression required less effort to remember because I was connecting it to a pattern rather than memorizing isolated chord names. In Moonwalking with Einstein, Joshua Foer explores how elite memory competitors use associations exactly like this—linking information to patterns makes it stick. Instead of memorizing Am7–Em7–Dm7 as separate chords, I was learning one transferable relationship.
🧠 IDEA OF THE WEEK
Numbers reveal patterns. Letter names hide them.
Am7–Em7–Dm7–F/G tells you nothing about how this works in other keys. But i–v–iv–VI/♭VII is a transferable pattern.
R&B harmony has distinct characteristics: chords moving in 4ths, descending whole steps, strategic use of the major II, major VI, and ♭VI. These patterns come from R&B's blend of blues scales with gospel, jazz, and pop influences.
Converting to numbers lets you quickly spot patterns and learn harmonic relationships instead of memorizing individual chord shapes in every key.
🎯 CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK
Convert the Toni Braxton progression to numbers and practice in three keys:
A minor: Am7 – Em7 – Dm7 – F/G = i – v – iv – VI/♭VII
D minor: Dm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – B♭/C (same numbers)
G minor: Gm7 – Dm7 – Cm7 – E♭/F (same numbers)
Pay attention to:
Root movement stays consistent (down 4th, down whole step, down 5th)
Emotional quality remains similar across keys
Pattern becomes easier to remember than individual chord names
Write down the number pattern. Log which keys you practiced—or use the Harmony OS Dashboard, where you can track your practice sessions and access the Harmony Vault's 270+ progressions with Roman numerals already converted and organized by key and genre.
Numbers reveal patterns. When you learn a progression as i–v–iv–VI/♭VII in A minor, you'll recognize it immediately when it shows up in D major somewhere else. That's one piece of building fluency.
What R&B progression have you been trying to figure out? Hit reply and let me know. I might break it down in a future issue.
