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Chord progressions


revolead

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After searching the archives, I found this old thread . It's a great start, but I still need help.

 

This is probably more of a question for you advanced folks, and yes, I'm musically literate, so you don't need to aorry about basics.

 

For the less advanced folks, I highly recommend the above link.

 

Anyway, my question is, why do we use chord progressions the way we do?

 

I know that I - IV - V - IV is a common progression as are a million other things. But take a common one I use for instance: iv - V - IV - V7 - iv.

 

What makes this sound good? Is it because of leading tones? Is it because that's the way it always was?

 

Also, could someone share with me some other common progressions in minor keys? Everything on the other links seems to be major keys, and as a metal/hard rock player I do not play in major keys very often.

 

Thanks in advance, Rev

Shut up and play.
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I don't know why that particular progression sounds good...

..but I find myself avoiding conscious thought about progressions when I'm writing a new song.

 

If I think about the obvious progressions...it may automatically just take me down an expected path.

Now I know that there are certain chords that just are unavoidable once you pick your root...your starting point...

.....but sometimes if I just poke around instead of thinking about the obvious progressions...it leads to something new...something unexpected.

miroslav - miroslavmusic.com

 

"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."

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you can generate some neat progressions by using the chord tones of chords.

in A minor you have Am Cmaj Em (a, c and e are the notes of the Aminor chord)

i don't worry about progressions too much, but i do like looking for hidden gems in familiar chord progressions.

stuff like chromatic movement in chord tones, common chord tones, and simple repeated motifs or melodies that lay over all the chords in a progression.

and how you accent those chords are probably where you will discover the golden nuggets. sliding, letting them ring, picking them or droning an open string through all the chords.

or breaking the chords down into a two guitar part .

in my soundclick the main section to "Brett's song" is just A,E,D,E. but i use inversions and a ringing high e string to make it different.

pretty well all i play in that is based on chord tones.

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