Chords Are Easy but Take Your Play To the Next Level If you want to take your playing to the next level, learning modulation may be worth your while. For example, when lower one third by one semitone to create the minor scale (1b3-4-5-6-7). This darkens and introspective sound which makes for more emotive music.
1. C Major
C major is the key of many iconic pop-rock songs like Imagine by John Lennon and Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, as well as being Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1.
Sus2-chords sound discordant when played without either a minor or major third, giving rise to their name – hence its use in progressions like The Police song, “Message in a Bottle.”
2. E Major
E major is an essential chord to master for many songs and suspension second or sus2 chord progressions like those used by The Police’s “Message in a Bottle.”
This lesson guides learners through triad chord quality names for every scale degree in E major using note intervals as criteria to decide their name. Furthermore, this progression also shows how inversion can provide alternative soundscapes.
3. G Major
Suspended chords can really add emphasis to lyrics – Gnarls Barkley used them effectively in the chorus to emphasize his word’space’. Make sure that you practice switching smoothly between these chords until they come naturally into your playing style.
Major 7th chords create an introspective or calm tone which makes them ideal for folky acoustic songs. Their composition consists of major scale notes 1-3-5-7-9.
4. A Major
Though context is key, certain chords can often help produce an intimate or melancholic atmosphere. One such chord is the major 7th which takes a major triad (3-5-7-9) and adds a major 9th chord.
Dissonant chords add depth and drama, perfect for lo-fi and neo-soul music, while major 7ths work wonderfully when used with minor chords to form an I-IV-V progression.
5. B Major
This key features five sharps, making it slightly difficult for sight-reading but straightforward to play on guitar. It utilizes consonant notes (1-3-5-7) with added major 7ths to produce an emotional or atmospheric soundscape reminiscent of sadness or even spaceyness.
G# minor scale shares notes with B major key, so these chords can also be used in that key.
6. D Major
D Major is an easy key to play in. In this chord progression, three consonant notes form a triad. By adding a major 7th, this creates a moody neo-soul vibe perfect for sadness or introspection.
Every key has a leading tone or note that is played before each tonic (root) note is played or sung.
7. F Major
F Major is an essential chord in guitar playing, yet can be particularly challenging to master. Barring all six strings simultaneously takes hand strength and coordination that not every guitarist possesses.
As it’s non-diatonic chord, meaning that it doesn’t fit within the scale of its respective key, improper implementation of it could result in sudden chord changes that are sometimes unsettling and dissonant.
8. G Minor
Chords form the building blocks of song harmony. Most musicians generally describe major chords as sounding happier while minor ones often sound sadder.
Suspense is an integral element of music, and suspended chords are an excellent way to add it. Gnarls Barkley uses suspended chords in their song Crazy to emphasize space before eventually resolving them into G major.
9. A Minor
Chord progressions are the language of music. They tell you how to construct songs and serve as a framework. Sometimes all it takes for something truly new to emerge is making one or more minor tweaks like changing roots of chords or adding inversions – as was done here with this minor 9 chord by adding two b3 and b7 inversions that creates melancholic, introspective, and calm sounds perfect for Neo Soul music.
10. C Minor
C Minor is frequently employed in piano ballads to evoke feelings of melancholy and sorrow, such as Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Coldplay’s “The Scientist”. Both use C minor chords with great effect.
Musical keys are interlinked through a circle of fifths, so songs often vary between major or minor key signatures for added emotional impact.