By Jim A. Byrne
As a songwriter, even if your focus and strength lie primarily in lyrics, having a working knowledge of a chordal instrument like keyboard or guitar can help you find the proper chords for your song - or at least help you guide your co-writer. Learn some of your favorite songs on piano or guitar to see the chord sequences used and to notice the moods being set. Songwriters start as fans of different writers and songs, and then as they learn those progressions, they start to adapt and modify them to their own style.
The most basic and useful thing to learn when studying chords is that each key has seven different notes. From each one of these notes, you can build a chord - one through seven. When you hear someone refer to a "1, 4, 5 progression," he's talking about the one chord, the four chord (four notes up in the scale from the first), and the five chord (five notes up in the scale from the first).
Knowing your scales in every key will be an enormous help for you as a songwriter. In every key, you have three major chords, three minor chords, and one diminished chord. In a major key, the chords built off of the first note, the fourth note, and the fifth note will give you a major chord. This is the 1, 4, 5 progression of so many great rock 'n' roll and blues tunes. The chords built off of the second note, the third note, and the sixth note will give you a minor chord (a 2, 3, 6 progression). And a chord built off of the seventh note will give you a diminished chord. As long as you know what key you're in and what notes are in that key, you can begin to base your major and minor triads (three-note chords starting with the root - or basic note - of the chord) off of each respective note. Technically, you can arrange them in any order (this is where personal taste and style come in) and they'll all sound reasonably good together, because they contain notes from that key that you've chosen.
Blues and blues-rock chords
Blues and most forms of rock 'n' roll use a premise of a major key for the most part, using the 1 chord (the root), the 4 chord (the fourth), and the 5 chord (the fifth), which are the major chords. If you are in the key of A, you'd have an A major, a D major, and an E major. What blues and some rock do is to make each chord a dominant (the namesake of the key - if you are in the key of E, then E is the dominant - also referred to as the root or tonic of the chord) seventh chord. Your A will become an A seventh - an A major chord with a G natural on the top of it to give it that grindy or bluesy sound. To the D, you'll also add a dominant seventh of a C natural on top. The E will be an E major chord with a D natural on the top. When you're adding sevenths to your chords, you're actually going outside the notes contained in the major scale of that key and dipping into the notes of the minor key. It's that minor sound on top of that major chord progression that gives you the bluesy sound.
The minor blues progression is also a popular form from which to base your song. In the key of A, your 1 chord is now an A minor (lowering the second note of the triad from C sharp to C natural) with a G on top making it an A minor seventh chord. The D or 4 chord becomes a D minor chord with a C on top to make it a D minor seventh. Theoretically, your 5 chord - the E in the key of A - should also be a minor chord in a minor key, but often writers will make it a major or even a seventh to give it a more definite resolution back to the 1 chord.
Chord progressions don't have to be complex in order to be powerful. In fact, often a simple two-chord sequence can sometimes be the most powerful of all. Listen to the two minor chords (E minor to B minor) of "Fallin'" (written and sung by Alicia Keys) as a good example.
The most basic and useful thing to learn when studying chords is that each key has seven different notes. From each one of these notes, you can build a chord - one through seven. When you hear someone refer to a "1, 4, 5 progression," he's talking about the one chord, the four chord (four notes up in the scale from the first), and the five chord (five notes up in the scale from the first).
Knowing your scales in every key will be an enormous help for you as a songwriter. In every key, you have three major chords, three minor chords, and one diminished chord. In a major key, the chords built off of the first note, the fourth note, and the fifth note will give you a major chord. This is the 1, 4, 5 progression of so many great rock 'n' roll and blues tunes. The chords built off of the second note, the third note, and the sixth note will give you a minor chord (a 2, 3, 6 progression). And a chord built off of the seventh note will give you a diminished chord. As long as you know what key you're in and what notes are in that key, you can begin to base your major and minor triads (three-note chords starting with the root - or basic note - of the chord) off of each respective note. Technically, you can arrange them in any order (this is where personal taste and style come in) and they'll all sound reasonably good together, because they contain notes from that key that you've chosen.
Blues and blues-rock chords
Blues and most forms of rock 'n' roll use a premise of a major key for the most part, using the 1 chord (the root), the 4 chord (the fourth), and the 5 chord (the fifth), which are the major chords. If you are in the key of A, you'd have an A major, a D major, and an E major. What blues and some rock do is to make each chord a dominant (the namesake of the key - if you are in the key of E, then E is the dominant - also referred to as the root or tonic of the chord) seventh chord. Your A will become an A seventh - an A major chord with a G natural on the top of it to give it that grindy or bluesy sound. To the D, you'll also add a dominant seventh of a C natural on top. The E will be an E major chord with a D natural on the top. When you're adding sevenths to your chords, you're actually going outside the notes contained in the major scale of that key and dipping into the notes of the minor key. It's that minor sound on top of that major chord progression that gives you the bluesy sound.
The minor blues progression is also a popular form from which to base your song. In the key of A, your 1 chord is now an A minor (lowering the second note of the triad from C sharp to C natural) with a G on top making it an A minor seventh chord. The D or 4 chord becomes a D minor chord with a C on top to make it a D minor seventh. Theoretically, your 5 chord - the E in the key of A - should also be a minor chord in a minor key, but often writers will make it a major or even a seventh to give it a more definite resolution back to the 1 chord.
Chord progressions don't have to be complex in order to be powerful. In fact, often a simple two-chord sequence can sometimes be the most powerful of all. Listen to the two minor chords (E minor to B minor) of "Fallin'" (written and sung by Alicia Keys) as a good example.
Jim Byrne is a musician and songwriter; and has created songs with an Americana, Celtic, and bluesy folk feel to it. More songwriting tips, and a wealth of resources for beginner guitar players and songwriters are featured in his website. If you are into Americana and country music, download his latest single for free here => http://www.songsbyjimbyrne.com/freemp3music/index.html
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