Chord Progressions - Part One

A chord progression is just what the name implies: the way a series of chords progresses through a song. Here is a chord progression:

G C G D7 G C etc.

Here is another:

Fm7 Bbm7 Eb7 Ab Db G7 etc.

If you have a piano handy, play these chords and see if you can recognize what songs they belong to.

Pretty hard to tell, isn't it? That's because there are two elements missing -- the melody (tune of the song) and the time. You have no way of knowing how long to hold each chord, do you?

Does that tell you something?

It tells me that I can take the chord progressions from any song in the world, change the time pattern and eliminate the melody, and presto! I have a proven chord progression to work with if I want to improvise or if I want to write a new song. In fact, some of the world'b greatest song writers do just that: instead of re-inventing the wheel and creating a new chord progression, they "borrow" the chord progression of a proven song -- a classic -- and put new rhythm, melody, and words to it.

Is that stealing?

Not at all. No one owns chord progressions. They are like water and air -- they are just there for the using. (But don't be TOO obvious about it -- come up with your own variations).

For example, the first chord progression above are the chords from "Amazing Grace", minus the time factor and the melody. Since "Amazing Grace" is written in 3/4 time, you could create a new song with the same progressions, but put it in 4/4 time. Or 2/2 time. Or 5/4 time. Or whatever.

Not only that, you could use the entire progression printed above in just the first couple measures, instead of slowly changing chords as "Amazing Grace" does.

Or, you could change the chords from major to minor -- all of them, or some of them.

For example:

Gm Cm Gm D7 Gm Cm etc.

Then too, you could use "connective chords", such as 1/2 slides that we discussed in a previous issue. Let's say that every time the chords move from Gm to Cm, you decide to use a 1/2 step slide into Cm from above:

Gm Db7 Cm Gm D7 Gm Db7 Cm

We've already changed the character of the piece with only ONE change. What if we used 1/2 step slides EVERY time we change chords? Our new song would then look like this:

Gm Db7 Cm Ab7 Gm Eb7 D7 Ab7 Gm Db7 Cm

Get the idea?

If you are a song writer, this is a concept that can help you enormously! If you are an improviser, this one concept can keep you creating new progressions 'till the cows come home.

And we haven't scratched the surface yet!

Next several issues we will be looking at particular chord progressions -- the most used chord progressions of all time -- and seeing how we can use them and then alter them to create some really exciting NEW progressions!

Meanwhile, be sure to check out our great course titled "Chord Progressions & The Riffs & Runs That Flow Out Of Them!" If you are on our mailing list, you will be receiving information on it shortly. If you aren't on our mailing list, go to:

http://www.playpiano.com/catalog/catalog01.htm