kennethreitz
ce93f429a2
Publish the Obsidian vault's Knowledge folder as /knowledge (881 notes, 67 folders), with a Knowledge item in the nav and footer. - scripts/import_knowledge.py regenerates data/knowledge from the vault: slugged paths, folder notes as index pages, wikilinks resolved to site links (or plain text), callouts, highlights, and Dataview tables rendered statically. Personal notes are withheld via an exclusion list plus a privacy guard. - tuftecms/core/knowledge.py builds a concept index from note titles and aliases. First mentions on ordinary pages link to their Knowledge note (capped, never in headings, code, links, or sidenotes); Knowledge pages list related notes and where they're mentioned across the site; other pages get a Related Knowledge block. - Knowledge URLs join sitemap.xml (so the sweep test covers them), never displace existing legacy slugs, list alphabetically, and mermaid diagrams render client-side only on pages that have them.
2.3 KiB
description, source
| description | source |
|---|---|
| The eight chords that outlived their century, and ours. | obsidian-knowledge |
Pachelbel's Canon
The eight chords that outlived their century, and ours.
The Progression
Pachelbel's Canon in D is built over a ground bass — an eight-chord progression that repeats unchanged from the first bar to the last while the melodic voices weave their canon above it. In its diatonic form the loop steps I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V, a graceful descending arc that touches nearly every chord in the key and then rises through the subdominant and dominant back to the top. The bass line itself, falling by steps, is as recognizable as any melody.
The progression endures because it balances motion and stability. The descent through vi and iii lends a gentle, processional melancholy, while the closing IV–V restores forward drive and hands the loop cleanly back to the tonic. It is symmetrical enough to repeat indefinitely and rich enough that endless countermelodies can be draped over it — which is precisely what the canon does.
Structure
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Roman numerals | I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V |
| Example in C | C – G – Am – Em – F – C – F – G |
| Chords used | Major Triad (I, V, IV), Minor Triad (vi, iii) |
| Character | Stately, poignant, endlessly repeatable |
| Function | Descending ground bass looping to tonic |
In Practice
Beyond the Baroque original, the progression became a pop and rock staple — "Basketcase," "Graduation (Friends Forever)," "Don't Look Back in Anger," and a comedian's famous "Canon rock" medley all borrow its bones. Weddings adopted it wholesale. Its first four chords overlap the I-V-vi-IV family, and its stepwise elegance rewards study in pytheory.