Chords are groups of musical notes used to produce harmonious sounds. Additionally, these arrangements of notes may also be known as triads.
Experienced musicians can use different modes to alter the feel of a chord progression.
This sequence can often be found in doo-wop songs and classic love songs, evoking powerful emotion in listeners. Furthermore, this structure can often be seen used in pop music.
1. C Major
There are various methods for stringing chords together into progressions, and understanding this technique is integral to playing songs and creating music. Chord progressions can range from extremely straightforward to extremely intricate; we will start with one of the more widely-used C major progressions as an example.
This chord progression defies genre and can be found everywhere from classical to pop music, such as Let It Be by the Beatles or Bush’s Glycerine hit or even Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry.
It is an incredibly straightforward progression to play on guitar. Simply place your ring finger at the third fret of the fifth string, followed by your pinky on the fourth string at its second fret, to form this triad chord. Feel free to experiment by adding in some sevenths for that classic rock feel or opening up for more folky sounds such as in “Where’s Your Head At?” by Basement Jaxx.
2. F Major
This major chord progression can be found throughout music. It transcends genre boundaries, providing a great way to close off songs such as Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface”. You may come across this progression while working on songs for popular artists like Lady Gaga.
It consists of the F, C and E notes from the F major scale and can be difficult to finger due to your first finger muting the high E string; but once you learn how to play it well you’ll quickly master this one!
This progression, popular during doo-wop music from that era, is known as the 1950s chord progression and invokes feelings of love, romance and sentimentality in listeners. You’ll find examples such as Ben E King’s “Stand By Me” or Sam Cooke’s Chain Gang.”
3. A Minor
The A minor chord is an often-used key for songs, it’s straightforward and sad-sounding! Just leave off the fourth string for this to work; all it requires are two fingers and a guitar!
Minor chords differ from their major counterparts in that they can be written using an “m” rather than “major”, representing “minor”.
Players often find A minor chords easier to learn than other minor chords due to only needing one finger to cover all three strings and its full sound. Its popularity in doo wop tunes and classic love songs is well known; 50s progression can be heard in songs like Stand By Me by Sam Cooke as well as Chain Gang by him.
4. E Minor
This chord progression can be heard in almost all contemporary music. It can be used to form a whole song, or simply serve as a cadence between verses or sections of songs; knowing it gives you many possibilities for crafting engaging progressions.
Em can be played both open or barre, and is typically the starting chord when performing in minor keys. Its open version is easier for guitarists and many guitarists use their index finger to mute the low E string so as to reduce buzzing while strumming.
The barre version of this chord can be more challenging to learn as it requires all four fingers at once to play effectively. Some musicians prefer using their second and third fingers when playing barre chords; this decision typically depends on personal preference. Once mastered, however, this chord can be used across genres for satisfying progressions and interesting sounds.