Reference it any time you’re stuck on coming up with a new instrumental hook. Take this chord chart, and print it out and hang it up on your studio wall. Plus, there’s definitely no saying that music built on chord progressions won’t overtake the current, drone-y club rollers that are topping charts in 2019. They also make some seriously wicked software for production and DJ’ing alike. Pro-tip: If you really want to get crazy with your chord progressions, check out this piece from our friends at Mixed In Key. Even if the use of chords in your genre isn’t popular right now, you have to remember that Electronic music is cyclical. Learning how to use chords is just as much an exercise in increasing your competence as a producer as it is a way of drafting out new ideas. Ultimately, it’s on you to experiment with the above charts to see what sounds good, and what does not. Trust us when we say that everything comes back around in popularity, eventually. Get them to fit together nicely, and expand accordingly. Start with a simple progression of two to three chords. But, as someone who’s brand new to using chords in their music, we suggest keeping it simple. Now, this is more of the exception as opposed to the rule. For example, plenty of hit songs have been built on just two chords. The type of chord progressions that you employ in your music is going to vary significantly depending on what style you’re making. How To Use Chord Progressions In Your Music As we say here at Toolroom Academy, improvise and adapt! These are just four sequences to get you started. I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V – Cannon in D Minor I – V – vi – IV / V – vi – IV – I – The Sensitive Songwriter Ii – V – I – The Cadential Chord Progression I – I – I – I – IV – IV – I – I – V – V – I – I – The “12 Bar Blues” You’ve officially fast-tracked your way to writing chords.Įven though we don’t suggest producers trying to break into the Tech House scene release piano house records, being able to riff out a few chords on the fly is a timeless skill that every producer should have. Ever seen those viral videos that claim to know why all pop music sounds the same? Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of songs rely on this exact structure. That’s just how versatile this progression is. In other words, you can take these same progressions and apply them to whichever key you happen to be working in.Īs such, instead of thinking: “Okay, I’m going to put A, D, and E together,” you think “I, then IV, then V.”Īnd, this very chord sequence is perhaps the most used in the history of music.īelow, we have I-IV-V, displayed in a variety of keys. Doing this is important as it allows you to quickly code out a chord progression like so…īest of all, these patterns of roman numerals actually transcend whichever key a song is in. Our chord progression chart breaks down chords as simple, easy to read roman numerals. Understanding Roman Numerals: Hacking Chord Progressions While there’s nothing wrong with doing it this way, it’s ridiculously inefficient and is a great way to waste a whole day in the studio.įortunately, there’s a better way to go about this process. We’ve all done it! As they say, you’ve gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet.Īnd in this case, the egg is your patience as a producer! Most producers who aren’t classically trained in piano will literally toil for hours, trying chord after chord until they come up with something that’s semi-decent. In fact, chances are just putting any random two chords next to each other will sound pretty bad. Simply put, just because you put two chords next to each other does NOT mean they will send good in sequence with one another. In fact, a basic system of roman numerals can fast track your progressions to sounding professional in no time. If you’re learning how to be a music producer, you’d be foolish not to understand the basics of chord progressions.īut, you don’t need to be a music major to learn how to place chords in an arrangement. Ranging from classical music to the records that we release to this very day, chord progressions are largely the essence of most music itself. It’s that simple.Ī chord progression is a simple, harmonic succession of the three-note (or more) delights that we call chords.Ĭhord progressions are absolutely fundamental to virtually every style of music that exists (except, maybe Techno). If you’ve ever listened to music, you’ve heard a chord progression.
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