I was wondering if anyone wouldn't mind explaining some approaches to writing tasty, interesting chord progressions. I've studied my intervals (thanks in large part to Goranm ), so I know how to build a chord from the ground up. I also know that a major progression follows I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-dim and that certain scale values by nature sound better following others.

Goramn explains in his thread that each chord in a progression fits nicely as long as they share at least one common note to the previous chord played. This is valuable information, but I still need some kind of kicker to get me to be able to apply it.

I've been working a fair bit on building melodic licks out of scales (particularly the major scale) - trying to get what I'm playing to sound like anything but a scale.

My goal is to be able to build nice progressions with which I can practice playing my scales over and really apply the theory which I've been learning.

If you feel you can lend a bit of advice, feel free to explain things in muscial context. Lately I've been really digging jazz, if that helps.

In the words of Mr. Mercury: "I want to break free!"

Thanks in advance my Fender friends!

I think I may have remedied my confusion. I have a question which I know will sound stupid, but if anyone wouldn't mind answering it would really turn on a light bulb for me:

Supposing I wanted to play for example IV-I-V, all major chords, in the key of A. Do I HAVE to play precisely Dmaj, Amaj, Emaj? Or is the I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi-dim thing simply a template which tells me the I-IV-V chords are major, but as long as they're major I can do as I wish with them?

Would it be then acceptable to play something like Dadd9, Asus4, E7sus4? (just tried it. It's pretty mellow but it you can tell it fits ).

THANK YOU TO ANYONE KIND ENOUGH CLARIFY THIS FOR ME!

Sounds like you're talking about chord substitution. The short answer is no, you don't just have to play the major chords.

Try googling chord substitution - apart from the link above, there are heaps of sites with tips and explanations.

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Steve

Thank you sir! I never new such a thing existed! I've found some very informative jazz substitutions. Now I have something new to study and practice

And just to be clear on something, the VII chord in a Major key is not diminished, it's minor 7 flat 5. Diminished is b3, b5, bb7.

Another answer to your question is that when playing the chords diatonic to a key (i.e., the IMAJ, IImin, IIImin, IVMaj, VDom, VImin, VIImin7b5), you can add the following color tones to each of these chords, depending on how the chord fits in the chord changes and what the overall tonality is:

I and IV: 9, 11 (sus4) or #11, 13 - if you add the 11, don't play the 3rd anywhere
II, II and VI: 9, 11, #11, 13, Maj 7 (for min MAJ7th chord)
V: b9, #9, b5, b13, 13
VII: Generally just a voiced substitution for the V chord (or a iii chord as in Bmin7(b5) E7/Amin7 D7/GMajor.

Of course, rules are meant to be broken...

Toranado it is great that you are studying hard on your chords as 85% of the time a guitarist is playing them. I really did not get heavy into lead guitar till after about 10 years of playing. Beatles songs were a great help to me back then and I used to learn just about each album.

Okay you know the major scale and how to make a chord off each note, now do you know it in 7ths. So in G that would be Gmaj7th-Amin7th-Bmin7th-Cmaj7th-D7-Emin7th-F#min7b5- so you can use any of those chords in a progression as options or mix and match.

Here is one that will be a big help right off the bat-The Cycle of Fifths, that has been used in thousands of songs from Gary Moores Still got the Blues to the second solo in Ozzies Mr Crowley. I will run it straight but you can start on any chord or play it as arpeggios or whatever you want . Also dont forget to try differeny keys,

Am-Dm-G7-Cmaj7-Fmaj7-Bm7b5-E7-Am-This one you will like and be helpful!

If you want to come up with some interesting chord progressions start with your mind. I don't think sitting around and blindly going from one chord to the next will result in very much. Hear progressions in your head and then play them on your guitar.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Try changing modes, instead of major/ionian, or minor/aeolian, try lydian, mixolydian, dorian etc. Might get jazzy.

Oh, the degrees which I wrote were for triads (1st, 3rd and 5ths). So the 1st, 3rd and 5th in the VII'th degree technically are 1, b3, b5 - the precise base for any diminished chord. I agree that in a diatonic 7th progression the VII chord is 1-b3-b5-b7 (min7b5 or half-diminished).

As for the 2nd part you mentioned, is there some kind of rule for what you mentioned? How is it, for instance, that I can add 11 to I,V,II, II and VI chords but not to the V chord?



That isn't always easy. When you hear something in your head, the human mind becomes easily distracted the moment it hears an actual sound. It's pretty easy to lose what you were thinking of before you can actually figure it out on a guitar. I'm sure many people share this problem.

With more experience though it'll become easier, but unfortunately I'm not there yet. Some days on the bus things come to me that would give Hendrix a run for his money. But I guess I'm not experienced

Stray, thanks for that. Could you explain a little more how I can put the circle of fifths to use?

Thanks for your comments, everyone!

Selfless bump Keep it up folks, I'm intrigued by this

You can put whatever sounds good to you anywhere you want to. There are no hard and fast rules, only guidelines. It's your song. Write it the way you want to. I like to use a repeating contrapuntal bass line, say in the verse or perhaps in the chorus but preferably not both. As the chord progression works its way up (or down) the bass line walks in the opposite direction by picking out notes within each individual chord to enable the progression. The bass note does not have to be the root. It can be any note within the chord. Also, many songs incorporate a brief chord completely outside of the key signature for effect. This is found quite frequently in jazz and many forms of blues. Sometimes it's as simple as using a minor where there would normally be a major, or vise-cersa. Sometimes it's a simple half or whole step (up or down) jumping-off chord as a way to sort of introduce the next chord, frequently used as a slide or gliss but not limited to those forms. Sometimes it's a completely "out-there" chord.

Experiment until you find something that works.

Also, don't forget that the different positions on the neck have different voicings for the same chord and can be useful for providing a slight change-up in feel or tone without actually changing the chord.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I have just stumbled accross this thread, and at first I had no intention of getting into the discussion since it wasn't on "Music theory" thread (so not aimed at me), but as I am not writing "Music theory" in order to make confusion, I feel I have an obligation to straighten things up a bit. Since it is already 22:25h (10:25 pm) where I live, and I am a bit tired, I am not going to try to write about anything this evening. I don't want to make any mistakes. But, tomorrow I shall give my best to answer your questions and try to help lighten up things as much as possible. If you have any special chord progression you would like analized post it here, if not, I'll post and analyze my own chord progression.

Until tomorrow...

Goran

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