What Are Chord Progressions and How Do They Work?

As a new musician, there is so much to learn about an instrument. This means learning how to care for it, how to play notes, basic music theory and reading sheet music, and so much more. Yet, despite the long list of to-dos on the checklist, it is so common for new musicians to jump into learning all about their new instrument – and immediately want to learn how to play all the popular songs they know.

For some older, disciplined musicians, this can be aggravating because you always have to start at the beginning, right? For other, more progressive instructors of music, learning today’s popular music is a great way to teach chord progressions. Not to mention that you are enticing new students to want to play more – which is always a bonus.

So let’s talk about those chord progressions and how they work.

What is a Chord? Why Are They So Important?

In its most simplistic definition, a chord is 3 (or more) notes that are played together at the same time to achieve a blended sound. Triads are the most common chords and, as their name suggests, they consist of three notes. Major and minor triads are the most common chords you will encounter.

• Major triads: A major third with a minor third on top. Sounds joyful and harmonious.
• Minor triads: A minor third with a major third on top. Sounds like sorrowful and menacing.

How Chords are Connected to Scales

It is one thing to know what chords are, but it is even better when you know how to form them. Chords are built from scales. You know, those notes strung together that you loathe practicing. Without them, though, we wouldn’t have chords.

You can build a chord on each note of a scale. And the chords will adhere to the same key signature as the scale. But just because they all come from the same scale and have the same key signature doesn’t mean they sound great together. You have to play around with the chords until you find just the right combination of chords you are looking for. 

What’s in a Name?

Let’s say you have discovered the perfect sequence of chords and you’d like to write them down. What is the easiest way to do this? Name them, of course. Depending on where you learn music you may either learn the Nashville Number System or the Roman Numeral Notation. Studio musicians tend to favor the Nashville method while everyone else leans toward the Roman Numerals.

Either way, this is how the chords are labeled:

• Nashville Number System: 1 – 2m – 3m – 4 – 5 – 6m – 7° – 1
• Roman Numeral Notation:  I – ii – iii – IV – V – vi – vii° – I

It should be noted that those written in lowercase symbolize minor chords and those in uppercase are major chords.

Stringing Together Chords = Chord Progressions

As you begin to get more comfortable with chords you may begin trying to string them together. This is called a chord progression. Let’s say you decided to plan a chord progression in G Major. So, based on the G Major scale, you form your chords. Then, you begin to play them to get comfortable and slowly in trying to form a progression.

You may even write it down so you don’t forget it:  iii – ii – IV – vii° – I – V

While it may sound good to your ears, it is a little too jumpy for a vocalist to keep up with. If you are truly trying to create a song, you will want to combine chord progressions in a way that they just work together. On a side note, most chord progressions usually only consist of 3 or 4 chords.

Here are a few of the most well-known chord progressions:

 

I – IV – V

I – IV – V – I

ii – V – I

I – V – vi – IV

 

And, just in case you were wondering, the last chord progression has actually been used in thousands of songs, including Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory and Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved.

Tips for Writing Your Own Chord Progressions

When you are feeling comfortable with chord progressions, try writing a few of your own. Here are some tips to help you:

Try using chords that are from a different key signature. You won’t want to do this very often, but varying your chord progressions every now and then can add a little spice to your progressions. Just be sure to quickly take it back to the familiar chords. 

Understand the emotions of your chords. When playing music, the chords that you choose will have an impact on the emotions you stir up in your listeners. If you wish to stir up sad feelings or angry feelings, use minor chords. For anything happy, stick to the major chords.

Make use of technology. While it may not be the best way to learn how to put together chord progressions, it can help you practice learning what sounds right and what doesn’t. Websites such as ChordChord put together the chords that sound well together so you don’t have to go through trial and error to figure it out.

Resort back to the Circle of Fifths. Every musician should have a thorough understanding of the circle of fifths and how it is used. This is, after all, the foundation of musical theory. How do you use it in chord progressions? First, find the major or minor key for your chord on the circle. Then, look to either side of the key as well as the corresponding major/minor key. All of these will sound well together.

Bringing it Together

Chord progressions are a major part of playing music. The more comfortable you get with them, the easier it is to start playing some of your favorite tunes. So practice your scales, learn your chords, develop an understanding of which chords work with one another, and create your own music. And if you ever find yourself stuck, use fewer chords. You may just be surprised what you can do once you get the hang of it.