Chord Progressions -- Part Four

The week before last we discussed the "2 kids at a piano" progression, otherwise known as the "Blue Moon" progression, among other names. It consisted of 4 chords: the I chord moving to the VI chord moving to the II chord moving to the V chord and then back to I to make the full circle.

We also showed how you could make variations out of that progression by using 1/2 step slides either up or down. For example, before playing the II chord, you could "slide into it" by playing the chord just 1/2 step south of the II chord, or just 1/2 step north of the II chord, then sliding in to the II chord. And you could do that on any or all of the chord if you wanted to.

Then last week I showed you a neat trick I call "pseudo-modulations". It makes people think that you have changed keys, but in reality, it doesn't go anywhere. The secret to it is simply to find the chord 1/2 step above the VI chord or above the II chord, and follow the Circle of 4ths around until you're 1/2 step away from the next chord in the sequence. For example, instead of:

C Am7 Dm7 G7

....we could insert Bbm7 and follow it around the Circle of 4ths to Eb7, so we would have...

C BbM7 Eb7 Dm7 G7

Or, we could insert Ebm7 ahead of Dm7 and come up with...

C Am7 Ebm7 Ab7 G7

Or, we could do both...

C Bbm7 Eb7 Dm7 Abm7 G7

Or, of course, we could continue around the Circle of 4ths until we got within a half-step of C:

If I were just learning chord progressions, I would try this technique shown above in all 12 major keys, and all 12 minor keys, and I would apply it to chord progressions I find in sheet music or wherever, not just this progression. It will take you a LONG way toward creating some great, unique sounds all your own.