That’s right – all hail the three-chord thrash!īut there is enough of a journey here ( I – IV) and a very clear resolution ( V – I). If you’re trying to write a song, these are a great place to start: Three Is a Magic Number: I – IV – V – I Now that you understand how to write chord progressions, let’s look at some time-tested examples. Just like the major keys, you can apply this pattern to whatever minor key you are in. So for C major’s relative minor, A minor, we get this pattern of chords to use in our song: A minor The same number of minor/major/diminished chords are used but in a different mix. Now, there’s a different pattern for all the twelve minor keys too.Īnd here’s what happens with the minor keys. See how as your key ( I) goes up by one note, the rest of the chords go up by a single note too? Iīecause every major key follows the same structure, using Roman numerals instead of chord names means you can write a chord progression and put it in any key you want.Īnd those chords will always sound the same!Īnd here’s what they look like all together: I A superscript circle is added for the diminished chord. Uppercase for major chords and lowercase for minor chords. Instead of writing out chords, they’ll use Roman numerals. Here’s a trick that musicians use to tell which chords to play next, no matter what key you’re in: This pattern of 3 major/3 minor/1 diminished chord is the same no matter which of the twelve major keys you use. I can make any progression I want with these 7 chords. Those are the chords in my available “chord alphabet” that I have in C major. Here are the notes in the C major scale: CĪnd here are the 7 basic chords you can create just using the notes from this scale: C So if I’m writing a song in the key of C major, I’ll use chords made up of the notes from the C major scale. The notes in the key (the scale) are put together to build that key’s chords. Then you can intentionally create amazing emotional landscapes in your own songs!įirst up, chords in a progression work together because they’re in the same key. So don’t panic.īut it does help to understand what’s going on. Many chord progressions will be super familiar to you.Īs citizens of the 21st century, you will have absorbed many of these from contemporary music, without even being aware of it. Guitars, piano, and synths rule supreme here. Because here’s the thing – there aren’t many instruments that actually play chords (i.e., two or more notes at once). So being able to use a chordal instrument, like a guitar or piano, is a powerful songwriting tool. But a song can work with even a single chord. You can have as many chords as you like or work with just two – a progression has to have at least two. It can help create the melody or give context to how the melody makes us feel. More importantly they want chords that feel good…or sad…or angry, tense, moody, sexy, whatever!Īs songwriters, the chords you use and the way they’re put together is important. Songwriters want to put chords together that sound good. A chord progression is just that – the pattern of chords in songs you play or write. Like most of music, chords and their progressions come in patterns. The chords you use, and the order you play them in make up the harmony of a song. Until now, everyone has been teaching production totally backward.īut if you just want to learn about Chord Progressions specifically, keep reading!Ī chord progression is the order chords are played, one after another, in a song or a piece of music. We put together a brief training that covers a totally new approach to music production. I’m guessing you’re here because you want to make your mixes sound professional. Get industry-quality every time (steal this framework) So whether you’re writing your next hit or learning to play enough songs for your next party, it helps to get to grips with these patterns or progressions of chords.īy the end of this article, you’ll not only know what a chord progression is (and why they work), but also many of the most common chord progressions in music. While the tunes and the words change, there’s tons of repeating chord sequences in song after song. If you’re the one on the fretboard, you notice very quickly that a ton of hits use the same chords. And pretty soon, there’s a jam and a sing-along of party favorites, old and new. Invariably someone’s brought an old guitar. In my country (New Zealand), it’s the height of summer, when many of us kick back at the beach, bach, or bush.
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