In this example II7 acts as a predominant chord for a gospel style cadence. To make things more exciting you can try a progression with a little more tension like this: There’s nothing more straightforward than a simple progression based on I, IV and V:īut simple progressions like this feel amazing when used well: But in musical terms, predictable progressions with major chords reflect contentment and happiness. Happy means something different to all of us. The Arcade Fire use this progression for their song The Suburbs: This progression uses an unexpected major chord to add some nice tension. These days you’ll often here it in the jazz-influenced chord changes in lo-fi hip-hop.ĭepending on how you use it, ii-V-I can sound sophisticated and cosmopolitan or cosy and comfortable due to its naturally strong dominant-tonic relationship.Īnd here’s a track that shows how it great it can sound in a modern tune:Įvery once in a while, it helps to build a song on a weird chord progression.īorrowing chords from other keys is a great way to play on your listener’s expectations and put them in a weird place. But the ii-V-I shows up in many different genres for it’s smooth and nostalgic feel. The ii-V-I progression is the backbone of almost all of the standard tunes in jazz.
Some chord progressions are closely associated with specific genres. This next one has been a staple chord progression in pop music over the past two decades.īy turning the V chord into a minor, it subtly surprises listeners to create an interesting mood:Ĭoldplay uses this progression in multiple songs, including Clocks: The major IV chord is borrowed from the parallel major, providing an unexpected yet stable resting place for the moody harmonic sequence: This chord progression appears in Chris Isaak’s windswept country torch song Wicked Game. Luckily, there are some chord progressions that can bring a sense of coolness to your tracks.įrom slowed down jams to meditative tracks, many “cool” chord progressions are inspired by complex jazz harmonies. If you could it wouldn’t be cool anymore! Minor chords and downward motion combine with a slow tempo to create an atmosphere of loss and despair:Ī variation of this descending minor progression can be heard on Led Zeppelin’s rendition of Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You Cool chord progressionsĬoolness is impossible to define. Here’s another one that’s sure to give you the blues:ĭon’t let the inverted chords or slash chords in this progression fool you-it’s based on a simple descending bass line. Try the 50s progression if you want to evoke some classy sadness and nostalgia. It’s especially common in doo-wop music and classic love songs from the era of pop crooners:
This one is sometimes called the “50s progression:” Some chord progressions have strong associations with a specific era. What sounds sad changes from person to person, but there’s a few common chord progressions that signal sadness right away. But it’s also the basis for lots of great music. Pop artists from Vitamin C to Oasis and Belle & Sebastien have brought this stately yet epic emotional chord progression into modern music: One progression that never fails to tug at the heartstrings is the unique cycle of chords found in Pachelbel’s canon: This progression can be heard across many musical genres, from John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads to The Cure’s A Letter To Elise:īut epicness can occur wherever there’s heightened emotion. Each chord adds a new layer to its satisfying emotional arc: Our first progression is the active ingredient in a huge number of hit tracks-for a good reason. Epic chord progressionsįrom the hero’s journey to music that reflects the power of nature, epic chord progressions turn your songs’ emotional intensity up to eleven. Take a second to brush up if you need a refresher.
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To get the most out of this article, you’ll need to have some basic music theory knowledge like how to build chords and Roman Numeral Analysis. Today we’re sharing five distinct moods you can create in your songs using emotional chord progressions. But some chord progressions can evoke powerful feelings right away. The best way to connect with your listeners on a human level is through honest, emotionally rich work.Ĭonveying the right emotions when you write songs isn’t easy. Music plays a lot of different roles in our lives.īut at the end of the day music is about emotion.