chord progressions

[nrthmissallstar]

tryin to write some music, and i was wonderin what some of your favorite chord progressions were, not the easy boring ones like D,C,G,D, but the hard ones.

[goirishnd23@aol]

harder doesn't always make better simplicity can be bliss

to answer your question i enjoy Em F G Am

[goirishnd23@aol]

i also use dmaj7 c#maj7 cmaj7 c#maj7 a good old 5-4 progression

[gregerly]

I like falling 5ths , or circle progressions if you will, and I also like the I -> IV -> ii -> V -> I.

-g-

[Mathers420]

when I start writing some that arent simple I'll let you know

I've been loving Am-C-Em-G lately plus a bunch of similiar simple ones

[scoot_14]

Originally posted by gregerly
I like falling 5ths , or circle progressions if you will, and I also like the I -> IV -> ii -> V -> I.

-g-

I'm glad to see someone else takes, or has taken, music theory here.:)

[gmmmotors]

I have a question. I have been playing guitar for about 4 years now. I perform here and there with a few other guys who are pretty exceptional players. When I play with them I play more rhythm and a little improv when we jam together. I have been teaching myself guitar theory and am planning on at least taking one class while I still am in college. But I was wondering if anyone could explain chord progressions to me in a brief simple way. I look at chord progressions and I do not understand the whole I ii III IV V vi chords. Like what would a basic progression like: F, C, D, G be called? Sorry may be a dumb question but I am still trying to learn this stuff.

[TGaucho]

I have a question. I have been playing guitar for about 4 years now. I perform here and there with a few other guys who are pretty exceptional players. When I play with them I play more rhythm and a little improv when we jam together. I have been teaching myself guitar theory and am planning on at least taking one class while I still am in college. But I was wondering if anyone could explain chord progressions to me in a brief simple way. I look at chord progressions and I do not understand the whole I ii III IV V vi chords. Like what would a basic progression like: F, C, D, G be called? Sorry may be a dumb question but I am still trying to learn this stuff.

first of all, when it comes to music theory, there are no dumb questions, so don't worry about it. here . . i'll see if i can explain it properly (it's been a few years since i've taken a theory class, but i should be able to help you out a little):

the roman numerals are ways to refer to where the chords fit within the key in which you are playing. Think of it like where the root notes of those chords fit within the scale that is representative of the key that you're in. I'll give you an example:

in the key of C major the scale is as follows:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B

these notes have other names based on where they fit into the C major scale:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B
I---ii---iii--IV--V--vi--vii

the Root (or the "one") is C, the "two" is D, etc. These are called intervals.

These notes in the scale are not just notes, but also represent chords within the key. So if you're playing in the key of C major, you can use the C major scale to see what chords will work in the key.

The "one" "four" and "five" are traditionally capitalized because they denote the major chords that fit perfectly into the key. This is why, in the key of C major, the fourth (F) and the fifth (G) sound so right when played with the Root (C). The fourth and fifth are also referred to as being "perfect", as in the "perfect fourth" or the "perfect fifth". This is the basis for 90% of popular music.

examples:

if you're playing in the key of "F major" you look at the F major scale to see what chords fit naturally with F as the Root:

F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E

so "F" "Bb" and "C" fit naturally together (with F as the root) in the key of F major.

in the case of the progression you mentioned in your question: F, C, D, G, it could be seen a few different ways. F, C, and G are all major intervals in the key of C major (F is the four, C is the Root, and G is the five), while C, D, and G also fit together, but in a different key (the key of G major . . G is the root, D is the five, and C is the four). So the progression of F - C - D - G is playing on the commonalities between the two different keys (C major, and G major)

got it so far?

ok

so, i could go on and on about the various interconnectivity of keys, how to construct the different scales in the various modes, and the circle of fifths/fourths, etc, but let's just take it one step at a time.

the other intervals in a scale/key also denote chords, just not major chords (typically). Let's go back to the C major scale.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B
I---ii---iii--IV--V--vi--vii

the lowercase numerals indicate that the most natural fit of those chords within the key are not as major chords. The prime example of this is the sixth:

the sixth (vi) in this case is A. You, being a guitar player, have probably already figured out that Am is natural fit in the key of C major. How many progressions have you seen involving C - F - G - and Am? A buttload, that's how many. That's because the sixth of a major key is naturally minor. Why? Because the chord of A minor (which consists of the root "A" the third "C" and the fifth "E" in the scale of A minor), are also in the C major scale. That's why it sounds right when you play Am in the key of C major. It's called the minor six/sixth, and it is as natural a fit in any key as the Root, the Four, and the Fifth.

as an aside, you may have heard the song "Hallelujah" (probably the Jeff Buckley version) and you should now be able to understand this verse:

i heard there was a secret chord
that david played and it pleased the lord
but you don't really care for music, do you
well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth
the minor fall and the major lift
the baffled king composing hallelujah

the lyrics mirror the intervals being used in the song. but anyways . . .

The strongest intervals in any key are the I, IV, V, and minor vi, because the notes that those chords are built on are all to be found within the major scale of that key. I'm repeating myself, but it bears repeating. Onward!

the other intervals are generally used for color. Sick of hearing the same basic four chords together over and over? One solution to that involves using some of the other intervals.

for example, even though Bob Dylan isn't the most daring writer in the world when it comes to progressions, he has made, like, 50 thousand albums, so he doesn't want to just play the one, four, five, and minor six over and over again on every song, nor does he want to modulate into different keys all the time in the middle of every song. So he frequently uses minor seconds/twos, and minor thirds/threes. A good example is the ridiculously famous song "Like A Rolling Stone". Bob uses the Root (I), the fourth (IV), the fifth (V), the minor sixth (m6), AND the minor second (m2). That one color chord gives the song depth. It doesn't hurt, too, that the minor second happens to be the minor sixth of the fourth . . it makes it sound colorful but not outlandish. So, if you played "Like A Rolling Stone" in G, the chords you would use would come from the G major scale:

G - A - B - C - D - E - F#
I---ii---iii--IV--V--vi--vii

so you would be using G, C, D, Em, and Am . . which makes sense to your ear because Am (the minor second) is the minor sixth of C (the fourth of G), and C figures prominently in the key of G major.

This is why i mentioned the minor third earlier as well. The minor third (in this case Bm) is the minor sixth of the fifth (in this case D).

Again, this relationship shouldn't be new to you in terms of the progressions that you've played over the years. Once you've played a certain number of songs you realize that Bm is a natural fit in the key of D major, just like Am corresponds with C, Em with G, F#m with A, etc, etc. These are all minor sixths

See?

while i'm thinking of it, since you play guitar you have a small advantage over some musicians in terms of intervals. Many musicians have to think of this stuff all in their head. You have the luxury of looking down at a guitar neck and seeing the intervals right there on the fretboard. The strings (other than the G string to the B string) are set up in fourths going downward. A is the fourth of E. D is the fourth of A. G is the fourth of D. E is the fourth of B. It's all right there in front of you. For example:

We're in the key of A, ok? Play the A at the fifth fret on the sixth string (the low E string). That's the "A" bass note on guitar. The fourth is one string down, same fret (fifth fret, fifth string). This is a D note. The fifth is on the same string as the fourth, but two frets up (seventh fret, fifth string) and it is an E note. The sixth (from which you can derive the minor sixth chord) is three frets down from the root (2nd fret, 6th string) and it is an F# note.

If you know the pentatonic scales (which i'll mention again in a sec) then this pattern will be familiar to you. If not, then you should play around with this pattern. Look at it. Get comfy with it. It can be your cheater's key to the I, IV, V, m6 intervals on a guitar.

Let's say your in the key of Eb. Weird key for the guitar, right? But it's easy to find the I, IV, V, m6 if you know the pattern and the layout of the notes on the fretboard of a guitar. The Root of Eb can be found a number of places, but let's keep it simple and find it on the 6th string. So the Root is 6th string, 11th fret. That means that the fourth is on the 5th string at the 11th fret, the fifth is on the 5th string at the 13th fret, and the sixth (from which you can derive the minor sixth) is on the 6th string at the 8th fret (thus, the m6 of Eb is Cm).

easy right? :lol

Going back to the chords that "fit" into the key that's you're playing in. I mentioned minor thirds and minor seconds, but hell, you can use major seconds or thirds too if you want to. I mean, shit, you can use whatever chords you want. Odd or dissonant chords add texture to a song. Not every song needs to be I - IV - V like "That's Alright Mama". It may be the basis for the blues and for rock and roll (everything from rockabilly to punk), but when you hear a tune that sounds more "interesting" they're probably using chords outside of the I, IV, V, m6 paradigm. How you use those "color" chords is up to you (and a lesson for a different time).

One hint that i can give you in terms of color chord usage is to look at the tabs for the songs that you like. I mentioned "Like A Rolling Stone". When i first learned that song i was, in effect, learning a lesson from Mr Dylan himself. He was telling me that it's OK to use minor seconds. This is a good way to go about finding alternate chords to use in your songs. You just steal the chord ideas from other songs that you already like. :lol I know it sounds bad, but it's a totally acceptable way to learn. I mean, obviously, outside of a standard 12 or 16 bar blues progression, you probably don't want to consciously use the exact progressions from your favorite songs and just add your own lyrics and melody. That's a bit weak. But, when you hear an interval or a chord that you like, it will behoove you to check that song out and find out how that chord change went for future reference. That's a totally acceptable practice. Like John Fogerty said once about how he was in a cover band for a few years before he stated writing songs for CCR (paraphrased), "If you don't play other people's stuff, how are you gonna know what's good and what's not?"

one more note, before i sign off (pun noticed but not intended). You mentioned that you do a bit of soloing when you play with your friends. That probably means that you have happened upon the pentatonic scale. Well, what i've been talking about with the I, IV, V fitting together naturally is why it's so easy to start simple solos using no more than one scale. A song can go from the Root chord to the four or the five or the minor six, and you can be soloing the whole time in just one scale: the root pentatonic. Example:

you're playing an old blues song. It's in the key of A (thus, A, D, E, and F#m are going to be featured). You can solo over the whole song in the A pentatonic scale, and it will work (even when the chords shift off the root). If you don't know what i'm talking about, then you need to learn the pentatonic scales and they will be your doorway to Beginner Soloing 101.


here are a few links that may help you:

http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/fr_main.html

http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitarlessonarchive.htm

http://www.zentao.com/guitar/

hope that helped!:D

:monkey

[tdowe99]

I have a song that goes Bm-C#7-C7-Bm.