favorite chord progressions

[antsdmb]

hey all. i've lately just been messing around with some things. i've never tried to do any of my own stuff but lately i've been trying. i don't know any music theory at all but i'm having fun nonetheless. anyways, what are some of your favorite chord progressions and what mood do you think that progression closely resembles. i'm just really curious. thanks yall!

mark

[shane]

For basic chords, i really like Bm G D A. a friend of mine uses it in a song he does in his praise band.... and then i found out some crap band used it in one of their songs while watching mtv. some other stuff - just put C (x32033), G, Em7, and D in different orders.. you can make some great progressions out of those. i dont really know what youre asking for in moods lol.

[jbermes]

C - G - Am - F

[mjs1214]

I am currently using jazz progressions, normally II V I, or just II and V. For those of you not versed in theory, using the key of C, the I = Cmaj7 the II = Dm7 or Dm9 and the V =G7. As you start to play your own progressions, you'll find it useful to study a little theory as you'll begin to understand which cords you can use and it will enable you to expand what you play.

I also find it good practice to play the same progression in different positions on the fret board. This often changes the voicing of the chords (sorry another theory term which means it changes the position of the notes that make up the cord). This can help you find different sounds for the same cords that will make your progression sound more interesting.

Hope this give you some ideas.

Mark

[GordonHLau]

My current favorite is a turnaround jazz progression:

I-VI-ii-V, ususally G13 - E7#9 - Am7 - D7#9.

Throw in a walking bass line and I can play this all day.

GL

[mapletrees]

variation on Gordon's...

descending 13ths...

start by replacing the E7#9..

take the E7#9 which could be played as...

x7678x ....

and put it's 5th in the bass to get..

7x678....

and then flat it's 5th to get

6x678 which is a Bb13 chord(same thing as an E7#9 with it's flatted 5th in the bass)

or is it an A#13????!!???!?!!

well, what's in a name....

do the same procedure on the D7#9 in Gordon's progression to change it into an Ab13 chord played as

4x456x ....same exact thing, it just all happened two frets lower...

take the Am7 in the progression....

which could be played as...

5x555.....

change it into an A dominant seventh by raising it's third as...

5x565....

then just extend it into an A13th chord played as...

5x567x...

so, try G7-Bb13 - A13 - Ab13 for a turnaround (get your chords in the correct order...they didn't come in that order in the above gobbldygook) with the G7 as 3x343x

fools people into thinking you're a jazz player....

[semolinapilcher]

"Hey Joe" is a total classic:

C...G...D...A... then really arrive on E and mess around down there as long as you want.

Repeat as necessary

[freestyle]

Am, Em, Dm with a pentatonic scale ....or....
E, A7,B7 for bluesy strumming.
also, C-Am-F-G

[min7b5]

I always enjoy a good romp in a standard jazz/blues:

/G7 / C7 / G7 / Dm7 G7b9 /
/C7 / C#dim / G7 / E7 /
/Am7 / D7 / G7 / D7#9 /

I use this a lot for teaching jazz because it’s got just about everything you need to work on jazz. Obviously there is the blues hallmark of I7 to IV7 change, there is both a short, and a long, ii V I change, chances to use altered doms ( bars 4, 10, and 12, ), and of course you can explore using substitutions galore. You can use any dominant were it calls for a 7th, and any minor where it calls minor 7th, you use any inversion of the diminished, and in bars 4, 10, and 12 you can use any altered dominant, or not. Any or all of the subs can be worked up for the comping as well as the lead part in terms of arpeggios and so on. And the beauty is that is that it’s perfectly fine just to mindlessly blow a G pentatonic over the whole thing too.

[mapletrees]

taylorfreak...this is the thread...

Gmaj7-Em7-Am7-D7-Gmaj7

or

G7-E7-A7-D7-G7

or

G7-Bb13-A13-Ab13 back to G7

they're all sort of the same.....

13ths as passing chords...

at least that's my understanding of 13ths as passing chords....

[Ninjato]

I like this minor 12 bar blues progression a lot.

Gm7 / / / - Gm7 / / / - Cm7 / / / - Cm7 / / /
Gm7 / / / - Gm7 / / / - Cm7 / / / - Cm7 / / /
EbMaj7 / / / - Dm7 / / / - Gm7 / / / - D7 / / /

This is has real soulful feel to it. I like to play this at around 80-90 bpm. It gives the lead player a lot of time to play solos and do those Carlos Santana bends.

"Straight No Chaser" by Thelonius Monk is real cool too:

F7/// - Bb7/// - F7/// - F7///
Bb7/// - Bb7/// - F7/// - Am7/ - D7/
G7/// - C7/// - F7/// - C7///

[bradley dr20]

I'm currently digging A2,D,F#m,E

Also, A2, A2/G#, A2/F#, E, D2, D2/C#, D2/B, E

[supplanter]

wow... any recordings to put up?

[taylorfreak]

Originally posted by mapletrees
taylorfreak...this is the thread...

Gmaj7-Em7-Am7-D7-Gmaj7

or

G7-E7-A7-D7-G7

or

G7-Bb13-A13-Ab13 back to G7

they're all sort of the same.....

13ths as passing chords...

at least that's my understanding of 13ths as passing chords....

did u use the 13ths here as passing chords or totally sub them for the dominant sevenths?

[mapletrees]

u'd

(?)

You would be correct to call those straight substitutions instead of 'passing' chords in that instance

let's say we had

Dmin7 for 2 beats

G7 for 2 beats

then Cmaj7 for 2 beats...

if you then changed that to

Dmin7 or Dmin9 or Dimn9/A for 1 beat

then

introduced Ab13 for 1 beat

then

finished as before G7 and Cma7 for 2 beats each

then the introduction of the new 'inbetween' chord (the Ab13) would warrant the term 'passing'


so maybe 5x355 for Dmin9/A for 1 beat

maybe 4x456x for Ab13 for 1 beat

then finish with the G7 and Cmaj7...alter the G7 if you wish...

as a test though....

yell out "passing chord!" as you play the Ab to G

then yell out "Fred Flintstone chord!" as you play the Ab to G....

bet they sound the same...

but I do stand corrected....