Chord progression questions - What am I doing?

[dodgechargerfan]

Some time ago, I wrote this out on my billiards chalk board. I can't remember why, but I have been referring back to it often enough.

So, there's nothing really mind-blowing there.

The question that I have involves a chord progression that I've been playing for years, but never really properly identified.

The progression i have been playing is D C A.
Usually with barre chords and cheating by using the middle strings and basically just pulling off from the D to the C, and then changing to the E-form of A.
(For a strum pattern, I have just been doing one strum of each. Think of the intro to Tough Enough by The Fabulous Thunderbirds for a good reference point.)

ANYWAY, I decided to try and identify what it was I was actually doing.

So, that progression doesn't fit in to any of the I-IV-V iterations shown.
That's okay. The world doesn't run on I-IV-V alone, right?

Using the table above as a reference point, I tried to map out what I WAS doing.

I came up with V-IV-II and that fit. I can even play it for every key shown.

So, my questions are:

Am I playing V-IV-II in the key of A? Can you play a chord progression that doesn't use the I chord and call it THAT particular key? (I can, but I play alone. :P )
Or am I playing in a completely different key and I just don't know what that looks like yet?

This is probably a simple thing, but these are the kinds of "theory" dots that I have been connecting lately.

Hopefully, I didn't muck up the terminology. Hopefully, this is a teaching moment that might help others that stumble into this thread. :P

 

[telecaster911]

Is the II chord you're playing minor?

 

[micwalt]

Just looking at the first line (G Em C D), I can tell it's the "Blue Moon" progression.
The G is the I chord.
So it's I vi IV V.

 

[micwalt]

I just noticed that you actually have that written at the top of the chalkboard.
Now I'm confused.
What was the question?

 

[dodgechargerfan]

Is the II chord you're playing minor?

Actually, I tried that and it does work... But the major was where I started and it sounded great.

 

[dodgechargerfan]

I just noticed that you actually have that written at the top of the chalkboard.
Now I'm confused.
What was the question?

That board is just a guide I had been using as a reference.

What I've been playing turns out to be V IV II or whatever D C A is.

 

[335clone]

If it sounds good to you, forget the rules.

 

[micwalt]

That board is just a guide I had been using as a reference.

What I've been playing turns out to be V IV II or whatever D C A is.

Why would D C A be V IV II? It's only V IV II in the key of G.

 

[telecaster911]

Take a look at this diagram.

 

[335clone]

That board is just a guide I had been using as a reference.

What I've been playing turns out to be V IV II or whatever D C A is.

Like I said, if it sounds good to you then go with it. The problem theory wise is that a ii is a minor chord in a harmonized major scale (MAJ-min-min-MAJ-MAJ-min-dim) or using upper and lower case roman numerals (I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-vii) So the correct chord (in G Maj) would be Am not AMaj. D,C and A don't exist as major chords in any one (major) key. That doesn't make it wrong. If you play it in D (A-G-E then D-C) it's Fortune Teller by the Stones. Try D-D-C-C-A-A-G-F and see what I mean. Both the A and F majors don't "fit", but they work.