CRD: Chord Progressions

[Allen Z.]

Hi all, does any one know where to find standard chord progressions? So
far I only have I IV V, aka 12-bar blues progression.
Allen


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[Fletch]

In case you didn't get the post in the other group (corrections
included):

There are variations on the I IV V, like when you add the II

I, IV, I, II, V (2 beats a chord to start with, variants abound)

...and there is the venerable Jazz basic II V I, where the II is often
minor, the V is often a 7 and the I is Maj7 (4 beats to a chord)

And then there is the old I bVI bVII, where the I is minor and the bVI
and bVII are standard major chords (4 beats on the I, 2 beats each on
the VI and bVII, for example)

Of course you could then move into this one:

I bVI bIII bVII, where the I is minor, the bVI bIII and bVII are major
(2
beats per chord)

Oh, yes, then there is this one:

I bVII bIV, where they're all major chords (4 beats on the I, 2 beats
each on the bVII and IV)

Hope this helped.

--Fletch

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[Allen Z.]

Thanks man, I have been looking at songs and I was wondering how you
determine chord progression if there is different one for verse, ref.
and also bridge in some cases?

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[Fletch]

Yes, there is a difference between bridge and chorus progressions
against the verse progression.

Most pop and country style music follows a formula, but there are
variations that can be applied. Example of the formula:

Intro (which can be a verse, bridge or chorus lick)
Verse 1
(between verse break can be partial of chorus or verse prog)
Verse 2
Bridge
Chorus
(Instrumental can be here, often a verse progression)
Bridge
Chorus
Chorus
Outro

One variant:

Intro
Verse 1
Chorus
Intro lick
Verse 2
Bridge
Chorus
Instrumental (verse or chorus lick)
Verse3
(bridge optional)
Chorus
Chorus
Outro

Another variant is to use one progression for the whole song, but vary
the melody for the chorus to make it "sound" different, even though the
basic progression is exactly the same as the verse progression.

I teach my students about song structure and composition which can take
about two to three months, and then another two months or more to
develop their ability as writers. It's really fun to watch them begin
to understand how a song is put together and how with a little coaching
they, too, can do much the same thing.

Of course, really good songwriting takes years to develop and mature.
And you do have to have a real gift with not just musical ideas, but
words, too, how to string together words in a generally interesting and
perhaps even novel way.

--Fletch

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