This article will give you an introduction to building a chord progression for a song. If you have learned 15-20 basic chords, you will have noticed that some sound better together than others. The question is: which ones?
Steps
Step 1. First, find the scale of the song
To do this, hum the melody of the song a few times and try to find that particular note that leads the song to a pleasant and satisfying conclusion. The melody is built on the scale related to this note.
Step 2. Next, determine if this scale is major or minor
To do this, play the chord of the note you located at 1 while humming the melody. For example, if your note is 'C', try humming the song on the C major chord first. If it sounds strange, try C minor. If you have a good ear, you can easily figure out which one is best for you.
Step 3. Once you've found the note and scale, start adding chords as you hum the melody
It's not difficult if you know chord families well. Use the "three chord trick". For example, if the song is on the C major scale, you should be able to play the song using the 'C', 'F' and 'G7' chords. Remember that the chord progression, in most cases, depends on some keynote within the song. So if you are able to play the song on an instrument, finding the relevant chords should be much easier.
Method 1 of 2: Example
Step 1. The C major scale goes from C to C; it takes an octave - eight notes - to go from lowest C to highest C
Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, Do
Step 2. Roman numerals are used to represent the order of the notes in each scale
In this way, a sequence of notes can be represented in each key in a generic way.
Step 3. The “I” chord is called the "root chord"
It is the basis to which the other chords, in a progression, are related. Many books and websites delve into music theory in detail, and there are many terms you should learn and understand, but this article is a "short course", so let's move on.
Step 4. The root, fourth and fifth (I - IV - V) are chords that sound good together in a progression
With practice, you will learn these chord sets, but a good way to learn them is to practice with your fingers. Assign a Roman numeral to each finger of the hand and then simply associate the notes with your fingers.
Step 5. For example, in the key of C, the thumb (I) will be C
the ring finger (IV) will be the F and the little finger (V) will be the G. This means you have to skip the II or King, and the III or Mi.
Method 2 of 2: Give it a try
Step 1. You can only play Do, Fa, and G, but it's more interesting to hear when you mix them up a bit
Step 2. A fundamental unit of measure in music is the "beat"
A beat (or measure) often consists of four beats. It's a little more complicated than that, but think of the beat as a ticking for now. There are four strokes for each beat. Below, a tick is represented as a hit (/).
Step 3. Attention:
when you play the blues, the V chord is often played with the minor seventh. In this example, it becomes a G 7.
Step 4. Consequently, to play a blues in C using the three-chord strategy, play C for four bars, two bars in F, two more in C, then one bar in G 7, one bar in F, and then go back to Do
Do ///, Do ///, Do ///, Do ///, Fa ///, Fa ///, Do ///, CDo ///, Sol7 ///, Fa ///, Do///.
Step 5. The table gets a little more complicated considering the minor chords on the second, third and sixth degrees, but for now let's focus on the first, fourth and fifth degrees
The first degree (I) represents tonality; therefore, to play blues in G, you have to play the previous chord sequence, but using G, C and D 7.
Step 6. Thousands of songs are built on this simple chord relationship
Experiment with this sequence in other tones and you can spend hours and hours in the company of the music.
Advice
- Take time to practice; with practice, everything becomes easier and faster.
- If you have a hard time learning, keep practicing.
