Chord Progressions

1. CHORD PROGRESSIONS - STRONG VS FRAGILE I often get emails from people asking me about chord progressions, and specifically asking me to define the so-called "fragile" progression. I came up with the term fragile because it seemed to better describe the effect and purpose of these progressions. A strong progression is best described this way (from p. 81, "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting"): two chords that have a note in common will form a strong progression; and if that first chord moves up by four notes or down by five notes to reach the next chord, the progression becomes even stronger. A fragile progression usually involves chords that don't necessarily have notes in common, and whose root moves by some interval other than a 4th or 5th. A fragile progression is not a problem, and in fact you usually want fragile progressions throughout your song. It's the kind of progression that keeps the listener listening, waiting for more, waiting for something more concrete. Here's an example of a strong progression: A D E7 A: Each chord has a note in common with the chord that came before it, making it strong. It also features the root movement of a 4th (from the A chord to the D, and again from the E7 to the A.) Here's an example of a fragile progression: A C#m7 A C#m7 D F#m: It's a great progression that evokes mystery and perhaps a bit of melancholy. It doesn't strongly emphasize A major, which is an important feature of fragile progressions. It would work well as a verse progression. Here are some quick-tips for deciding how and when to use various types of progressions: i. A fragile progression works well in a verse; a strong progression works well in a chorus. ii. The bridge of a song often works best starting on a chord other than the tonic (key) chord. For example, in A major, try either F#m or D. iii. Don't fill your song with too many chords. Most progressions use three or four chords, with the addition of one or two more in crucial structural points. iv. A good progression is not enough to guarantee a good song. It is merely one point in the songwriting triangle: chord progression - melody - lyric. 2. CHORD PROGRESSIONS TO TRY Here are some chord progressions you can try in your song. Remember, chord progressions are not protected by copyright, so feel free to use these, or modify them in any way you'd like: MAJOR KEY PROGRESSIONS: i. D D/F# G Bm Em A D ii. D A/C# Bm G A Bm G A iii. D Bm D Bm G F# Bm iv. D Bm Em Dsus4 D G A B v. D G/D A/D D Bm G D MINOR KEY PROGRESSIONS: i. Dm G Dm Am F G C E ii. Dm C/D Dm F iii. Dm Asus4 A Dm Gm Dm/A A Dm