Chord progressions

[yoyo1299]

ok guys, so i know power chords, and power chords simplified in drop D. but i really want some new stuff. I want a new sound, but i don't know any more chord progressions. Even just basic chords that sound awesome. Remember, these are for rock. I really neeed help here!

[EL-CeeDee]

Hmm,. So I guess we're talking basics...

1 4 5 suits most rock and/or pop music..

A bit of theory:
First you make a scale of the root.
let's say we're in C major
C D E F G A B C
You can number these notes :
1C 2D 3E 4F 5G 6A 7B 8C

So 1 4 5 = C F G
Then build the chords from the C, F and G
(a basic chord is made from a 1, 3 and 5 )
first the C: 1C 3E 5G
then the F: 1F 3A 5C ( which are notes 4 6 8 from C, but we're making an F )
then the G: 1G 3B 5D
Back to chords : C - F - G ( all major chords )

So whack some C F and G chords together and off you go

For some different flavours:
try building chords with formulas like:
1-3-5-7
1-3-5-9 ( 9 = 2 but octave higher )
1-2-5
1-4-5
1-5-9

or whatever you feel like

Or try a different angle:
First, play a bass line, very clean and simple.
Now, from each bass note, construct a chord by ear. Just let your mind wonder and make some nice sounding chord. Make it so that all those happy little chords fit nicely together.

Or try making chords from modes:
Lydian, locrian, phrygian, mixolydian, whatever you like
( see countless resources on the web to check out how modes work, just google the above names )

or even different:
Drop chords all together, just make a nice melody, record it, record another melody on top, etc.

Or far out:
Make other sounds with your instrument, bang it, slap it, bend it, thwack it, mute it, kiss it, whatever.

In short :
JUST LET THE JUICES FLOW AND USE YOUR MIND AND EARS.

[Ferrous Lepidoptera]

You might try messing around with this little webtoy:
http://www.chordstudio.com/ChordStudio/index.htm

[yoyo1299]

Originally Posted by EL-CeeDee

Hmm,. So I guess we're talking basics...

1 4 5 suits most rock and/or pop music..

A bit of theory:
First you make a scale of the root.
let's say we're in C major
C D E F G A B C
You can number these notes :
1C 2D 3E 4F 5G 6A 7B 8C

So 1 4 5 = C F G
Then build the chords from the C, F and G
(a basic chord is made from a 1, 3 and 5 )
first the C: 1C 3E 5G
then the F: 1F 3A 5C ( which are notes 4 6 8 from C, but we're making an F )
then the G: 1G 3B 5D
Back to chords : C - F - G ( all major chords )

So whack some C F and G chords together and off you go

For some different flavours:
try building chords with formulas like:
1-3-5-7
1-3-5-9 ( 9 = 2 but octave higher )
1-2-5
1-4-5
1-5-9

or whatever you feel like

Or try a different angle:
First, play a bass line, very clean and simple.
Now, from each bass note, construct a chord by ear. Just let your mind wonder and make some nice sounding chord. Make it so that all those happy little chords fit nicely together.

Or try making chords from modes:
Lydian, locrian, phrygian, mixolydian, whatever you like
( see countless resources on the web to check out how modes work, just google the above names )

or even different:
Drop chords all together, just make a nice melody, record it, record another melody on top, etc.

Or far out:
Make other sounds with your instrument, bang it, slap it, bend it, thwack it, mute it, kiss it, whatever.

In short :
JUST LET THE JUICES FLOW AND USE YOUR MIND AND EARS.

i'm such a noob at guitar theory, cna u help me? i'm kinda lost

[EL-CeeDee]

Sure, with all kinds of pleasure !
Ask your questions here, or PM me, whatever feels better to you !

[Axayacatl]

how do you build a chord out of a mode?
thanks

[EL-CeeDee]

Ok, here we go :

The same as from any scale !

For example, again, C major:
C D E F G A B C
building basic chords from every note in the scale:
C ( C E G )
Dm ( D F A )
Em ( E G B )
F ( F A C )
G ( G B D )
Am ( A C E )
Bdim ( B D F )
( If this process is NOT clear, please ask )

Now, instead of C major, let's take C lydian. It's identical to the major scale, but has a raised 4th:
1C 2D 3E 4F# 5G 6A 7B 8C
making the chords:
C ( C E G )
D ( D F# A )
Em ( E G B )
F#dim ( F# A C )
G ( G B D )
Am ( A C E )
Bm ( B D F# )

Concluding:
C major : C - Dm - Em - F - G - Am - Bdim
C lydian : C - D - Em - F#dim - G - Am - Bm

There are other ways to arrive at the chords and notes in a mode, but to me, this one gives the best impression of what I'm going to hear.
Complicated facts:
In fact, the C lydian mode has the same notes as a G major scale. So if you were to play G - C - D chords, it might as well be a G major 1-4-5 chord progression. So, you have to choose your progression wisely to actually give it the lydian sound. Even funnier: If you were to play C - Em - G - Am chords. There would be no way of telling whether you're in C lydian or C major ( or G major ). This is because you never use an F or F#, the note is left undefined. So you COULD play both C lydian and C major over it. Our ear however will expect and F ( try it ! ).

For conclusion a little diagram I used a lot, it describes all modes from the major scale, in other words, what changes to make to the notes of a major scale for the desired mode. Note: Ionian scale = major scale.

Scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Ionian - - - - - - -
Dorian - - b - - - b
Phrygian - b b - - b b
Lydian - - - # - - -
Mixolydian - - - - - - b
Aeolian - - b - - b b
Locrian - b b - b b b
( doesn't translate well, due to spaces, you should get the picture though )

( b = flatten note, # = sharpen note )
Example C locrian :
C major : C D E F G A B C
C locrian:C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C

[yoyo1299]

I'm basically lost in the - C major story. Are u meaning in the key of C major? and if so, are the C D E F G A B C the notes in the key?

[guitar_chick]

Originally Posted by EL-CeeDee

Hmm,. So I guess we're talking basics...

There is nothing wrong with talking fundamentals. It saddens me at times that this site doesn't do this openly more often. Not everyone is too ashamed to admit when they could use a little technique help.

If I took this wrong I apologize, but let's not be snobs about it.

[guitar_chick]

Originally Posted by EL-CeeDee

Or far out:
Make other sounds with your instrument, bang it, slap it, bend it, thwack it, mute it, kiss it, whatever.

In short :
JUST LET THE JUICES FLOW AND USE YOUR MIND AND EARS.

That is too funny!

[courtney2018]

There's also alot of Googling you can do to learn for free. There are used books off of Amazon for under $15 that are great. Then if you want to go all out you can spend $45 to get Doug Doppler's Diatonic Theory DVD and have enough material to learn for a year.

By the way, talking in C major is the easiest as it doesn't have any flats or sharps in it's modes. Everything else does.

Google "guitar chord progressions" and start playing around with what you find. Use jazz phrasings as well.

[yoyo1299]

well thanks for nothing /\ .

[EL-CeeDee]

You took it the wrong way,. I enjoy explaining basics !

I'll write a new section soon,.. first,.. sleepytime !

[Axayacatl]

EL-CeeDee,
That made a lot of sense to me; I know my modes well, but have trouble thinking of chords, so this has helped me a lot. Thank you!

(I don't understand what is wrong with yoyo and gc; I hope they don't discourage you from a second section when you get a chance)

[EL-CeeDee]

Originally Posted by yoyo1299

I'm basically lost in the - C major story. Are u meaning in the key of C major? and if so, are the C D E F G A B C the notes in the key?

Yep, that's right !

you probably already know all the musical notes :
C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B
( a # raises the pitch by a half step, a b drops the pitch by a half step. )
The notes with /'s are the same pitch, so C# = Db

Let's call a step from a note to the next a semi tone. so D to D#/Eb is a semi tone (sometimes called a half step, equals one fret up ).
A step in which we skip a note is called a tone. G to A is a tone, because we skipped G#/Ab ( sometimes called a whole step, equals two frets up )

To derive a major scale from any root take the following steps:
Find a root, let's say C ( I looove C,.. so simple to type )
take the following steps :
Tone - tone - semi tone - tone - tone - tone - semi tone
let's type t for tone and s for semitone :
C -t- D -t- E -s- F -t- G -t- A -t- B -s- C
And thus we arrive at the C major scale used earlier : C D E F G A B C
Try making some major scales for yourself, start in any place and make the tone and semi tone steps. Try playing a major scale on a string, with the open string as the root, making the same steps as above.

For a minor key or scale, we take a different combination of steps:
Tone - semi tone - tone - tone - semi tone - tone - tone
In A ( once again, easy to type )
A -t- B -s- C -t- D -t- E -s- F -t- G -t- A
And with this formula, you can make any minor scale.

So major:
T - T - S - T - T - T - S
and minor:
T - S - T - T - S - T - T

If you observed the tone, semi tone sequence carefully, you will have noticed they are the same, but start in different places !
to clarify:
T - T - S - T - T - T - S - T - T - S - T - T - T - S ( 2x major sequence )
------------------T - S - T - T - S - T - T ( the minor sequence )


This is why Cmajor and Aminor are made up of the same notes ! Which I used cleverly to avoid typing any #'s and b's

There are different ways of determining the notes in a key, but I find this one an easy one to start with, since it is very visual and easily applicable to a guitar.