Chord progressions
 

I was looking for that one music theory thread but I couldn't find it, and I can't find another thread that this seems to fit so I decided to make one. Sorry if there is another thread that I missed.

I've recently came up with this chord progression that I really like. The progression consists of about 7 chords. I want to keep adding more to it, but I'm stuck. Usually when I write a progression I get stuck on four chords, or a little more depending on if there are verses and a chorus, etc. This progression is a little more elaborate than they usually are, it's a finger style piece. I really don't want it to have that same boring pattern of alternating between verse and chorus and maybe a bridge. After watching guitarists like Chet Atkins, I can only ask: how do you fit so many different chords and techniques into a piece and make it all work? There are only so many chords in each key.

Of course I'm not expecting for someone to be able to tell me how, but maybe someone can give me some advice or maybe some examples to study.

Sounds pretty cool what do you have so far I'd like to hear it? Can you post it?

I could post a little preview.

Well one answer that comes to my mind is chord substitution. Also known as borrowing - you take a chord from a related key and use it in place of a chord that would normally be there. If that makes sense. Let me show an example.

I know borrowing more in the classical sense rather than jazz/blues sense (well I am more familiar with it), but the principles are the same. The most common and simplest form of chord substitution is using the dominant of the dominant (V/V, or V7/V). The dominant is the 5th chord of the scale/key you're using. So if you're in C, the dominant chord is G Major (or G7).

Now let's say you're bored of G Major. You want to add some "spice" to your progression. Find the dominant chord of the G major scale - D Major (or D7). You can insert the D(7) chord into your C Major progression.

Using the dominant of the dominant in your progression is a good way to modulate to a new key (in the example above, that new key would be G Major). However, if you wish to remain in C Major, the substituted chord should always be followed by by the chord it came from. So in this case, the D Major will be followed by G Major, and you can carry on your progression in the original key of C.

So, instead of your progression looking like this:

C - F - G(7) - C (I - IV - V - I)

It will look like THIS (if you are staying in C major):

C - F - D(7) - G - C (I - IV - V(7)/V - V - I)

Please, please, please let me know if that makes sense. This is how I would explain this to my students and this is how it was explained to me in school.

Edit: Should add that I've put 7 in brackets because you don't always have to use a 7th chord.

Yes that does make sense.

So if my progression is C, F, Am, G, I could insert the D before the G because the D is the dominant of the G (and the G is the dominant of C).

But let's say I went C, F, Am, D and went back to the tonic of C, that would make a key modulation?

Or instead of going back to the C, I could modulate into the key of D and play D, G, B, A (I, iv, vi, v). That's probably not right but the idea of modulation into a different key and playing the same I,IV,VI,V makes sense.

What happened, BD? I need more advice.

You could also play with different voicings of the same chord. That's always helped me.

Here's a rough recording of only the progression.


1/9/2013 - YouTube

That sounds really good. I like how its picked.

Sounds really good Blast.

Maybe use the original for the main, and a variation of what you mentioned for the bridge/chorus. That would work.