The only limits you see are the ones you impose on yourself. Dr. Wayne Dyer
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MUSIC THEORY ACADEMY
Chord Progressions
The term chord progression simply refers to the order in which chords are played in a song/piece of music.
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Play a few different songs/pieces and you will see that there are various different ways in which composers order
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chords. However, the good news is that there are a few simple guidelines which will help you massively when writing your own chord progressions.
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The 5 basic rules of Chord Progressions
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There are 5 basic rules to follow when writing a chord progression. Follow these and your chord progression will definitely “work”: Email * 1. Choose a key to write in (if you are just starting out the C major, G major, A minor and E minor are good keys to start with)
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2. Work out the primary chords (I, IV, V). Start to build your progressions with these. Then move on to using secondary chords (II, III, VI) to develop your chord progressions further. 3. Always start and end your chord progression on chord I 4. Try using some common progressions (see below) 5. Try adding some circle progressions (see below)
The Common Chord Progressions
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There are some chord progressions which are used in lots and lots of different songs/pieces – they have been tried Submit Question
and tested in many different styles and will “work”. Learn these and you will be able to play lots of different songs and easily use them in your composing. They will work in both major and minor keys.
Start with the following 4 progressions. (I have done an audio example in both a major key and then a minor key for you to listen to)
MUSI C THEORY LESSONS Medieval Music Renaissance Music Fugues
Progression 1
Playing Leaps Improve Your Left Hand Playing How To Play Faster Piano Notes Play Piano With Your Left Hand
Click Here To Listen To Chord Progression 1
Play Your First Piano Piece
Progression 2
The Circle Of Fifths Modulation Arpeggios pitch Sharps and Flats
Click Here To Listen To Chord Progression 2
Bass Clef Key Signatures
Progression 3
Tempo Chord Inversions Chord Progressions Seventh Chords Click Here To Listen To Chord Progression 3
Secondary Chords Primary Chords
Progression 4
Introduction to Chords Triads Canon Music Rondo Form Ternary Form
Click Here To Listen To Chord Progression 4
Binary Form Cadences
The Circle Progressions
Theme and Variations
Circle Chord Progressions are progressions where the chords seem to naturally follow on from one another. You will find the following 2 circle progressions really useful. Have a listen to the audio examples for each (again, each recording contains an example in a major key followed by
Pedal Point Relative Major and Relative Minor Scales Rubato
an example in a minor key).
Pulse Musical Structures
Circle Progression 1
Musical Intervals The Blues Scales The Degrees of the Scale The Minor Scales
Click Here To Listen To Circle Progression 1
Circle Progression 2
Click Here To Listen To Circle Progression 2
Quick Reference Chord Progression Sheet I have put together this cheat sheet to give you the basic chord progressions in every key! Feel free to screenshot it/print it out for quick reference. You will see that some of the keys are really complex with lots of sharps and flats. If you are just starting out I suggest you choose one of the following keys to write in:
Major – C, G, D
Minor – Am, Em, Bm
M A J O R K E Y C H O R D P R O G R E S S IO N S
M IN O R K E Y C H O R D P R O G R E S S IO N S
In the next lesson we are going to look at Chord Inversions.