Mr. Dave, i need help.

[~King~SNake~]

i'm trying to write some songs, but i don't know how to string together a chord progression. i don't know what chords go with what chords...and this stupid book is getting on my last nerve...it's so frustrating!

can you help me?

[btangel]

I Iv V

[BCrowell]

Yes, as BTangel mentioned a I IV V I progression is very common and pleasant to the ear. However, those symbols may mean nothing to you. Let me explain:

In any key there are 7 principle chords. Each chord has a relation to the root, and is is denoted with a roman numeral. The root would be I. Let's take the key of C with the matching roman numeral.

C D E F G A B C
I -II-III-IV-V-VI-VII I

C Maj, is the root thus the roman numeral I.
D min, is the second chord in the scale, thus II.
E min, the third, thus III
F Maj, the fourth, thus IV
G Maj, the fifth V
A min, the sixth VI
B dim, the seventh VII.

So, a nice progression as mentioned above was a I IV V I...this means a:

C Maj - F Maj - G Maj - C Maj

There are all kinds of progressions, with no WRONG type, just some are more pleasing & expected to the ear.

You can apply progressions to any key... take the ever popular key of G

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

that same progression above nets us a:

G Maj - C Maj - D Maj - G Maj

Or how bout a I-V-IV-V-1, a G-D-C-D-G progression. Getting the picture? I hope this has helped!

[invisibo86]

My personal fav is the '50s classic. Any oldie the chances are it's a I iv IV V. Last Kiss, Rainbow Connection, Monster Mash, and so many more. It's a classic progression, especially in G. You'll know what I mean when you play it. G-Em-C-D. These four chords are the BEST!!!

[BCrowell]

Originally Posted by invisibo86

My personal fav is the '50s classic. Any oldie the chances are it's a I iv IV V. G-Em-C-D. These four chords are the BEST!!!

Ah yes, the oldies come right back into my head! I agree it's a timeless classic.(Just to avoid confusion that's a I VI IV V, got that first one switched)

Also keep in mind King~Snake that they don't need to start on the root. Take more unique progression VI-II-IV-I = Em-Am-C-G It doesn't reach the root until the end, and II-IV progressions are usually very smooth sounding.

[BCrowell]

Also, here are some more keys you can use to experiment in different keys:

Key of G-
G Am Bm C D Em F#°
Key of D-
D Em F#m G A Bm C#°
Key of A-
A Bm C#m D E F#m G#°

Yet another pattern I like:
Key D - VI - IV - I - V (Bm- G - D - A)

[~King~SNake~]

thanks guys for all the help.

i can play rhythm when i'm playing blues....but i wanna start playing some more "purdy" stuff lol...i wanna learn some latin stuff, and just some chords that sound really nice. ya know? i just don't know how to string them out...dunno what relates to what, or what chord can follow what chord...i'll check out some of the chords you all pointed out

i'm planning on driving the women crazy! lol

[~King~SNake~]

oh, another thing i wanted to know is how do i insert 7th chords, or other different chords like that...can i throw them in anywhere i want? like instead of playing an A major, can i throw in an A7?

am i making sense? lol

[Val]

Learn:

A major/minor/dominent7/minor7

E major/minor/dominent7/minor7

--------

Learn them as barre chords, mix the lot and create a song. Vary each chord by moving a a note a 1/2 frets higher or lower.

Anyone can create a song with those chords. Buena fortuna.

[rgr]

To expand on BCrowell, the formula for chords related to the major scale is:

I ii iii IV V vi vii(dim) - lower case denotes minor, not sure how to post the little circle thingy that shows diminished

So, to expand to 7ths:
I(Maj7) ii(min7) iii(min7) IV(Maj7) V7 vi(min7) vii(min7b5) - the parenthesis are to only for ease of reading, you would write the chords as CMaj7 or Bmin7b5, there are other ways as well but this is pretty standard. The chords that just have a 7 are dominant 7th chords, a major triad with minor 7. Also notice that vii was a diminished chord when we were talking triads (basic 3 voice chords) but became a min7b5 when we added the 7, in other words it is a diminshed triad with a minor 7.

The typical jazz chord progression is: ii V I, add 7s, 6s, 9s etc... as desired. Jazz tunes also modulate between keys alot, so alot of them are ii V I progressions through different keys. Don't worry about that yet, just thought I'd mention it.

Books upon books have been written on this subject and it can be quite overwhelming. I would check out www.ibreathemusic.com, there are tons (virtually) of articles there, many written by Berklee grads and working musicians that cover pretty much any topic.

Oh yeah, forgot to add: many Latin progressions (Santana anyone) use the Mixolydian mode (major scale with a flat 7) and use a IMaj7 to VII7, for example: EMaj7 - D7, repeat... (or switch and play D7 to EMaj7).

Good luck!
Roger

[Daryl]

Originally Posted by BCrowell

Yes, as BTangel mentioned a I IV V I progression is very common and pleasant to the ear. However, those symbols may mean nothing to you. Let me explain:

In any key there are 7 principle chords. Each chord has a relation to the root, and is is denoted with a roman numeral. The root would be I. Let's take the key of C with the matching roman numeral.

C D E F G A B C
I -II-III-IV-V-VI-VII I

C Maj, is the root thus the roman numeral I.
D min, is the second chord in the scale, thus II.
E min, the third, thus III
F Maj, the fourth, thus IV
G Maj, the fifth V
A min, the sixth VI
B dim, the seventh VII.

So, a nice progression as mentioned above was a I IV V I...this means a:

C Maj - F Maj - G Maj - C Maj

There are all kinds of progressions, with no WRONG type, just some are more pleasing & expected to the ear.

You can apply progressions to any key... take the ever popular key of G

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

that same progression above nets us a:

G Maj - C Maj - D Maj - G Maj

Or how bout a I-V-IV-V-1, a G-D-C-D-G progression. Getting the picture? I hope this has helped!

Gr

Great post

[webguy]

After reading all this I have determined that you guys have way to much time on your hands.

[Val]

Maybe we're just talented.

[webguy]

You've scrambled my brain!

[webguy]

Time for me to crack some books!