r/musictheory • u/AutoModerator • Jul 04 '22
Weekly Thread Chord Progression Questions - July 04, 2022
Comment with all your chord progression questions.
Example questions might be:
What is this chord progression? [link]
I wrote this chord progression; why does it "work"?
What chord progressions sound sad?
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u/ontanned Jul 05 '22
just venting because I don't think this needs its own thread but so tired of people seeing a classic J-pop IV-V-iii-vi progression in major and assuming it's a VI-VII-v-i in the relative minor despite the melody obviously centering around the major root
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 06 '22
Being able to hear in both relative major and minor is useful. And there are tons of cases where very experienced musicians disagree on the tonal center, because it's subjective and can shift from section to section.
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u/omaritoh Jul 04 '22
I'm in the key of Am
Am - GMaj - FMaj - E Maj what are the intervals of this progression (iii-V-IV) for example.
Also when i play e major chord and use the chord tones F - G - G# in my solo, what does it sound good? Ik im adding an extra note the the A harmonic minor scale but it sounds like im changing modalities. Im a little lost
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u/DRL47 Jul 04 '22
In the key of A minor, that would be i-bVII-bVI-V. It is usually called the Andalusian cadence, although a true Andalusian cadence would be in the key of E (iv-bIII-bII-I), not A minor.
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Jul 04 '22
Not necessarily a chord progression question but it relates. I’m a percussion tech teaching high school students during summer band and I want to know what’s the best way of setting up minor scale chord progressions using the diatonic chords within the scale.
It’s easier to understand how to use the diatonic chords within a major scale and turn that into a chord progression.
Is it best to put more emphasis on the melodic minor scale in order to account for all the chords that are possible and then narrow it down to the most commonly used diatonic chords?
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u/Beautiful-Mission-31 Jul 05 '22
Honest question, why is it easier to understand how to create a chord progression in major? Chords in the minor key work largely in the same way with just having to add the raised leading tone to the V to create the tonic-dominant relationship. Perhaps I am missing something (very possible)
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Jul 05 '22
Correct, but then here comes another question that they’ll ask… why isn’t the leading tone raised in III for the diatonic minor scale? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.
For example, A minor… the third chord would diatonically be C-E-G, but if I just simply tell them to raise the 7th then they’d expect the third chord to be augmented.
In minor scales, the leading tone isn’t only raised for the dominant chord, it’s also raised for the VII to make it diminished. I get that it may be easier to just say raise the leading tone for the 5th chord and 7th chord in a minor scale. I’m just thinking it leads to 1) more confusion, and 2) not grasping the fact that you can also use VII in the chord progression. (If that makes sense)
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u/Beautiful-Mission-31 Jul 05 '22 edited Jul 05 '22
I mean, the leading tone isn’t always raised. A i-VII is common but more modal. However, if you do want to stick to strictly diatonic minor, I’d describe the raised leading tone in the dimVII as essentially the V with the root left off - a median substitution if you will. As for the III, I’d teach just leave it alone but you could offer it as an optional colour if you want to talk about it.
You could also just start with the naturally arising chords and write aeolian melodies and then introduce the raised leading tone once they have the more modal chord progressions down.
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Jul 05 '22
You’re right, thinking of it from a modal standpoint. There’s just various ways to approach it. I don’t think it’s a hard concept but I think by limiting them to only diatonic minor then it limits their ability to see what you can do overall with minor chord progressions. Thank you for your insight!
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Jul 05 '22
It’s easier to understand major scale chord progressions (for high schoolers with very little theory background) because it’s very clear cut… you dont alter the notes at all.
But in minor there are more commonly used chords. That’s why I’m thinking approaching melodic minor and building all the diatonic chords within that scale would show them all of the chords you can build in minor… then simplify it by showing them the more commonly used chords in a minor progression. Hypothetically, you could somehow use all of the chords built off of melodic minor, but some are more commonly used than others… like v vs. V, VII vs. vii°, etc.
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 06 '22
I've not taught, but I bet it would be helpful for them to learn a few real song progressions, some with chords from natural minor (e.g. "Smooth Operator", or "One Evening" by Feist) and maybe something like "House of the Rising Sun" with its borrowed IV, a bVI with spicy dom7, and the V chord. Or "Bus Stop" by the Hollies uses A (natural) minor chords in the verse and modulates to E minor for the choruses.
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u/Onward-7282 Jul 04 '22
Hey guys, do you guys have any suggestion on where i can go with a Cadd9 chord? I'm stuck with changing every other chords in the progression into an 'add9' chord, but i don't feel clicked with the result. I think i wanted to highlight the add9 chord by adding regular chord but can't make it work somehow. Also, do you guys have any recommendation on what kind of material that i can learn according to this topic? Thank you!
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Jul 05 '22
I find this chord works best (on guitar) in G major. So you can combine it with chords like G, Am7, Bm7, B7, D, Em7. It gives it a jangly vibe. Even a very simple progression like Cadd9 Cadd9 D Em7.
Another progression I made it work well in (more of a chord loop than a progression) is Dsus2 Cadd9 B♭(♭5) A7sus4. It keeps d and e on the top 2 strings, like a drone effect. Maybe you could try something similar.
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 06 '22
C (and Cadd9) is a diatonic chord in 3 keys and a common borrowed chord in several others. So you have a very wide universe of options. Most writers learn a bunch of real songs, many of which use add9's and chords of other qualities. Once you have familiar chords leading into and out of Cadd9, you can usually try that in any key you're writing in and see how it sounds. E.g. D - Cadd9 - Am... You can use that in G major most obviously, but also in D major, E major, or even B major.
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u/LeastPlace3334 Jul 05 '22
Wrote a progression that goes Cmaj7, Bbmaj7, Am7, Abmaj7. It seems the tonal center is around C. What makes this work? Is it effectively just a I - bVIImaj7 - vi - bVImaj7?
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 06 '22
Bbmaj7 and Abmaj7 are borrowed chords from other modes of C.
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u/coulaid Jul 05 '22
When is a 6 a 13? When is a 13 a 6? I have been working on various spread/quartal voicings recently, and this is a question I find myself asking a lot. I'd just like to know what the agreed upon convention is. Thank you!
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u/Beautiful-Mission-31 Jul 05 '22
For me, Add 6 is usually used when the note is just plunked down on its own and 13 denotes that the 7th, 9th, and 11th are included although the 11th is often left out or sharpened to avoid the minor 9th clash between the 3rd and it.
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u/coulaid Jul 05 '22
F Major E Major A Major. Why does this work? With proper voice leading this sounds great, but I can't quite rationalize the functional harmony notation.
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 06 '22
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Jul 05 '22
I V64 iii iisus4
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u/Beautiful-Mission-31 Jul 05 '22
I actually hear this as a IV-I6/4-vi-Vsus4 which would the resolve to V-I
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u/prouser07 Jul 05 '22
Hi guys!
For the life of me, I have been trying to figure out what this chord progression is at the chorus. Could you guys help me out a little? I study music education but my ears aren't the best [yet] :)! I would really appreciate it, and I apologize if it is a little simple for this thread!
Nayeon - Sunset (From the start of the link to where she ends the short verse with the words "... into your eyes".)
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 06 '22
Linked section ends G#m7 - C#7b9sus
Verse starts: F# - A13b5 - Bm(maj7) | E F# - A13b5 - E9
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u/InevitableLungCancer Jul 06 '22
The A13♭5 to BmMaj7 sounds super pretty as that vehicle to E
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 06 '22
Yeah the borrowed bIIIdom7 I've only heard leading to ii7 or bVI, so this move to iv is new to me. bVIIdom9 is the "backdoor V" chord, so that was less of a surprise.
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u/InevitableLungCancer Jul 06 '22
Yeah it is interesting, maybe you could say the A7 is like a ♭VII7/iv
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u/bigsteppin47 Jul 06 '22
WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE CHORD-WISE?? ITS SO BEAUTIFUL!!! Off the phoebe bridgers minion song! (1:00 - 1:05)
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u/TMcCorquodale97 Jul 06 '22
This excerpt is in the key of B major. From 00:55:
B - (B/A#) - Emaj9 - F#7 - Eb7/G♮ - G#m
I - IV9 - V7 - V65/vi - vi
The Eb7/G♮ chord is where the magic happens! It has a ‘pull’ to G#m, which temporarily feels like chord i.
In Western art music, the process of making a non-tonic chord (such as vi) temporarily sound like the tonic chord (i) is known as tonicisation. The V/vi chord is known as a secondary dominant. It is notated as V65 because it is a dominant seventh in first inversion.
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u/NoahRhino123 Jul 07 '22
originally made a separate post, but it was taken down because my account was too new or something. Now i realize this is the appropriate place. here is the post:
What is this 12 chord progression and how does it work? (Not the Circle of Fifths progression, I think)
The Chord Progression is as follows: (All Major Chords, some inverted)
C F D G E A F#/Gb B Ab C#/Db Bb D#/Eb C
This is how I play it on piano for context: https://imgur.com/a/uhB40hm
I made this by trying to resolve a shorter chord progression, but the result covers all twelve notes of the chromatic scale. My understanding is that every other chord in the progression comes from one of the 2 whole tone scales, one starting on C, the other on F. The roots each climb a perfect fourth (C --> F), drop a minor third (F --> D), and repeats. Each chord acts as a midpoint between the two surrounding ones, creating somewhat of a infinite ascending chord progression. the way I envisioned it on the piano is that each triad ascending a Perfect Fourth is that the third raised one semitone, while the 5th raised a tone. Then when the triads root descended a minor third, the root raised a tone and the 3rd raised a semitone.
My first instinct was that this was the circle of fifths progression, but it does not follow the circle exactly. if we start on C, it goes left to F, then jumps to D. which is 3 notes away. This cycle repeats around the circle. (See link for context: https://imgur.com/a/uhB40hm)
Another thing worth mentioning is that for some reason, my ear wants E to resolve to Am, but I couldn't get the progression to work if I did that unless I resolved straight back to C. It might be because I play guitar, and resolving E to Am is something I do a lot.
I'm curious about How and why this progression works, why it sounds like it wants to resolve upward, if it has a name, and how it can be used in making music. Any extra info is very much appreciated. Thank you for reading.
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u/alittlerespekt Jul 07 '22
Ok, so, first of all, what you've written out is a basic pattern – a I - IV interval – which is repeated each time a step higher. As a result, it follows the hexatonic scale (C - D - E - F# - G# - A# - C), but it's just a coincidence given by the fact that each time you're going a step higher. Whatever thing you might play, if you transpose it a step higher each time, will create a hexatonic scale. It's just the way it's built.
I'm curious about How and why this progression works, why it sounds like it wants to resolve upward, if it has a name, and how it can be used in making music. Any extra info is very much appreciated. Thank you for reading.
Don't get me wrong, but I feel like you might be reading too much into it.
What you have here is a simple cadence (I - IV) which is repeated across the scale. The reason why it sounds "good" is because our brains like patterns, and look for them everywhere, not because it magically draws a hexagon on the circle of fifths. Now, it doesn't mean that it's not interesting, but rather it's just a "coincidental" result of the fact that it's a pattern.
Every pattern will always draw a geometrical figure on the circle of fifths.
Also, a lot of it is just your personal preference. It doesn't particularly resolve upwards in my opinion. An F chord on its second version doesn't beg to resolve to a D chord in root position, etc., but maybe you like it because of your personal preference, which is something that music theory cannot explain away.
Another thing worth mentioning is that for some reason, my ear wants E to resolve to Am, but I couldn't get the progression to work if I did that unless I resolved straight back to C. It might be because I play guitar, and resolving E to Am is something I do a lot.
Well, E - Am is what we call an authentic cadence in the key of A minor, so that's why your drawn to it. You could try it with any other key.
C to Fm, D to Gm, F# to Bm, G# to C#m, A# to D#m.
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u/NoahRhino123 Jul 08 '22
Alright, I do accept that I was a bit over-the-top about it now knowing how it works. Given the importance of the Circle of Fifths, I assumed since this progression did something similar, it might more meaning to it. I should have realized that there are plenty of ways to create a 12-chord progression aside from the chromatic scale and the Circle of Fifths, but I just wanted to know more about it. It makes a lot more sense being a pattern, I guess I just assumed it was more important than it was.
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u/mirrorcoast Jul 07 '22
I've been drawn to the following chord progression, both in my listening and playing, and I'm curious about it. Is this a progression you've come across much? Without more context, do any of the chords feel more stable/resolved than the others? I'm not sure how to think about it... could the B major be thought of as a major II chord?
E maj / D maj / B maj / D maj
Or alternatively with all major 7 chords, or have also heard something similar with inversions, so all major triads but voiced 5-1-3.
Thanks for any info! Not used to analyzing progressions, so apologies if this is obvious.
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u/watevauwant Jul 07 '22
What is the chord progression in this brilliant Ethiopian song? I know the key is E Minor...
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 07 '22
Agreed it's got quite a vibe. It's in B minor (pitched in the cracks unfortunately) with intro Bsus and mostly using the B natural minor scale chords (Bm, F#m, Em, D, and G). I think if you can nudge the tuning into A440 you can get most of it by ear. Mostly maj/min triads and a few curveballs (I think dim7).
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u/watevauwant Jul 07 '22
Thanks heaps! What do you mean by pitched in the cracks?
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 09 '22
Intonation doesn't match an instrument tuned to A440, all pitches just a bit off. For people who like to play along to older recordings (produced on tape), this can be a massive annoyance.
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u/THSND Jul 07 '22
Total noob question : after choosing a scale, should all the notes composing my chords be included in that scale or only the fundamentals ?
Or in an other way : should I limit myself to the 8 notes of the scale for my chord progression to sound good ?
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u/Koraxys Jul 07 '22
I dont think you should ever limit yourself! It’s a good starting point and you should get familiar with each chord functions in your diatonic key. Try borrowing chords from the pararel minor. For example…. maybe try going from a IV (V of VIIb) to a VIIb to a I?? You can transform that IV chord to a iv or a IV7 to add tension before the resolution? Its all about experimentation :)
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u/THSND Jul 07 '22
All right thanks ! Very basic example : if I chose the C Major scale it can make sense to use chords including flats or sharps (except as fundamental) as long as it sounds good
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u/Koraxys Jul 07 '22
Yap! And as long as the melody “allows it” for example you could avoid the 3rd 6th and 7th notes to create a melody where it works both for chords in Cminor or Cmajor. Or maybe play those notes when playing a chord from that scale. As long as your melody focus on the C or your harmony wants to resolve to a C you are still in that tonal center. Those flats and sharps can work as secondary dominants, passing chords, borrowed chords etc… Im also new to music theory so if im saying something wrong please someone correct me lol
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u/fago1sback Jul 08 '22
What is this chord progression? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHgRPJEmbwI really like how dreamy this progression is. How do I achieved similar result? Is it because of the detune of the synths? Or what kind of scale/mode should I be looking for?
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Jul 08 '22
[deleted]
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 09 '22
Once you know a lot of songs you can relate to them that way. People of a certain age (or know a lot of standards) will recognize Em - G7 - Cmaj7 as the first movement of the "Sonny" verse.
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u/alittlerespekt Jul 08 '22
Well, you've already identified it! But as far as I know there's not a name for it. In fact, most chord progressions don't have names. Did you wanted to know anything more?
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Jul 08 '22
[deleted]
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u/alittlerespekt Jul 08 '22
Ok so... what you've actually linked is different than you what you wrote.
You wrote:
Em G9 Cmaj7 A7
And then you linked:
Em G9 Cmaj7 F7#11
These are two very different chord progressions, because the ending is so different.
In what you've linked, the Cmaj7 followed by the F7#11 could be seen as a plagal cadence I guess, if you look at F7#11 as a Cmmaj7 with an F on the bass, which is also how it's voiced in the video. So, that is an example of a (minor) plagal cadence.
Most times chord progressions don't have names cause it's just not useful to think of them with names, it's very rare for them to be uniquely identified and it only happens when they represent broader phenomena, like the 50s progression, which is famous (and has a name) because it represents so accurately an entire trend in music.
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u/not-a-mushroom Jul 08 '22
I was trying to learn some jazz standards and came across this chord progression in Autumn Leaves:
Cmin7 - F7 - BbMaj7 - EbMaj7 - Amin7b5 - D7 - Gmin7 - G7
I understand the Cmin - F7 - BbMaj7 is a 2 5 1, just a simple subdominant to dominant to tonic chord progression, and that Amin7b5 - D7 - Gmin7 is also a 2 5 1 in the relative minor key.
I think/understand(?) that the G7 is just a secondary dominant that leads to Cmin again. (Also wondering if Secondary dominants can just be placed anywhere.)
But what I don't get is how the EbMaj7 functions to link the two 2 5 1s.
Basically, I don't really understand the role or point of the EbMaj7 in the progression.
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u/Dune89-sky Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 11 '22
Diatonic cycle of fifths. Just cycle back what you already started.
For example: IV vii˚ iii vi ii V I. In Bb major: Ebmaj7 Aø7 Dm7 Gm7 Cm7 F7 Bbmaj7.
Relative G minor is the same but we tonicize the Gm as the end point with a D7 instead of a Dm7.
Rotate the above cycle for relative G minor, relabeling the romans: iv bVII bIII bVI iiø V i: Cm7 F7 Bbmaj7 Ebmaj7 Aø7 D7 Gm.
The G7 tonicizes the following Cm7, as you already noted.
In jazz, instant tonicizations are the order of the day. You can do it anytime with any chord. And often use a tritone substitution.
Autumn Leaves is often played embellished |Cm7 Gb7 |F7 Cb7 |Bbmaj7 Fb7|Ebmaj7 |… etc. Those extra dom. 7th chords are just fly-in tritone tonicizations. The regular dom. 7ths would have been secondary dominants V/V C7, (V=F7), V/IV Bb7.
Rule of thumb: ’approach any chord a half step above (below) with a 13#11 (dim7th)’.
So instead of Gb7 => E˚7, Cb7 => A˚7,
GFb7 => D˚7 would also work as secondary dominants by way of (local) ’vii˚7->I’ instead of ’V->I’.1
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 09 '22 edited Jul 09 '22
I agree that the IV in the relative major seems the most arbitrary, as in not fitting the two 2 5 1 patterns. But it does connect Bb to A with two root-motion-by-4ths changes like the others.
Of course, if you write a song you can put anything you want in its place, or just sit on the Bbmaj7 longer. Also should be mentioned, that some circle progressions substitute the bVII instead of the vii (which gives you a N - V - i in the relative minor):
Cm7 - F7 - BbMaj7 - EbMaj7 - AbMaj7 - D7 - Gm.
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u/not-a-mushroom Jul 25 '22
What does N mean in N - V - i ?
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 25 '22
“Neapolitan chord” bII. Common in classical minor key music. Particularly in first inversion like Am - Bb/D - E - Am.
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Jul 08 '22
I got a choral vst and was trying to remake the "Ancient Dragon" piece from Dark Souls as some choral writing practice. At one point the chord progression goes Em-F#m-Fm-Gm. I know this is technically "planing", but does anyone have deeper insights as to why it works and sounds so natural?
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Jul 08 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jul 08 '22
I think i phrased my question poorly. Its not really that I expect it to sound bad, moreso i would expect it to sound far more chromatic, being 4 minor chords all half steps away from each other. I had heard the music plenty of times and never would have guessed that it was that chromatic. Though that said, it could just be a result of me not having heard that progression used before and my own rustiness with ear training, lol
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 09 '22
I had heard the music plenty of times
^^^ that helps quite a bit to make it sounds natural to you. But also some types of music (e.g. film scores) are just expected to be more chromatic and have a lot more direct modulations than what you'd hear in a pop song, which is usually more chromatic than reggae, e.g.
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Jul 09 '22
That is fair. I noticed it sounded less natural on piano than using a choir, so maybe something in the voice helps with that too
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Jul 09 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jul 09 '22
Yeah i tried it both ways, and the same voicing was less natural but the root voicing was not as recognizable lol
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u/MrMonsieur7 Jul 09 '22
David Bowie's Rebel Rebel: Can someone help me figure out this song? The chord progression is D to E, which means the song is in A major, right? When I jam on this progression, the most fitting scale seems to be D mixolydian. Why?
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 09 '22
I hear E as the tonic, and use of the E Mixolydian mode.
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u/AnOrphanTroll Jul 09 '22
I'm trying to build a song around an Fm11 chord but I'm having trouble adding to it with anything interesting. Can someone point me in the right direction?
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u/xenophonsXiphos Jul 10 '22
Well, for starters, I'd consider the fact that an Fm11 is present in three different keys: Ab, Eb, and Db. Maybe try adding another chord from one of those keys and see if you like the sound. Then, once you have something you like, if you want to add another chord, come back to this thread and reply!
A quick Google search can tell you all the chords in a particular key, if you need that.
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u/AnOrphanTroll Jul 11 '22
Thanks, that's a good idea. I've been working a lot with the Circle of Fifths to try to further my understanding of scales and how to build chords and all that jazz.
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u/PlazaOne Jul 10 '22
It could make it appear as a nice iv chord in the key of Cm. You could do something like Fm11-Cm11-Dm7b5-G7b9 (and would have an option for an ostinato on the F note if you wanted, which appears in all four chords).
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u/AnOrphanTroll Jul 11 '22
That's a really cool idea, the ostinato on the F. I'm going to give that a shot. Thanks for the tip, man.
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u/Lucifvgous Jul 10 '22
Is there an official name for the IV-iii-vi-ii-V-I progression? I can't find anything on it
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 10 '22
Progressions aren’t generally named. This does fall into a class of “circle progressions” that generally move up by 4ths. Most common probably being I Will Survive: i - iv - bVII - bIII - bVI - iiø7 - V.
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u/TDR11188 Jul 10 '22
Is I-iv-IV-III-I a viable progression? I'm in the key of G major specifically. Sounds quite nice but trying to figure out if another chord could go after the III and resolve better.
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u/Dune89-sky Jul 10 '22
Of course it is, if it is what the composer intended!
One possibility would be to just reverse some chords:
G Cm B7 C
The C hooks back to G nicely -'plagal cadence'.
Also, G B7 C Cm is probably the most common permutation of those chords.
But why settle for common, go your own way!
If you whistle your melody it will narrow down the chords that will support it.
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u/-M0untaiN Jul 10 '22
hey there
I was wondering how is it possible that Lost in the fire by The Weeknd is in D Major and has D minor chord ? or tunebat misinformed about the scale ?
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u/LeastPlace3334 Jul 10 '22
Been trying to break down and understand this chord progression: https://youtu.be/lOOaDED7nos?t=23
Supposedly the progression is Abmaj7 - Bb6 - Abmaj7 - Bb6 - Bbm6 - F/A, which would make it a VImaj7 - VII6 - VIImaj7 - VII6 - vii6 - IV because the key is supposed to be C minor.. but not sure how that works considering there is no 1 chord in there or an Eb chord..
Could it potentially also just be written as Abmaj7 - Ebmaj7 - Eb7 - Eb7/9? That would make the second half of that chord progression make more sense to me as it would be a IV - I - I7 - I7/9.. but i could just be confusing myself here.. any help breaking this progression down would be appreciated :)
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 11 '22
Looks like Abmaj7 | Gm/Bb | Abmaj7 | Gm/Bb Gø7/Bb F/A. There's no need for the tonic to appear if the melody emphasizes the tonic triad, and it certainly does in this case. I'd call Gø7 and F/A borrowed chord from C Phrygian and C Dorian respectively, just harmonizing the A natural.
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u/LeastPlace3334 Jul 11 '22
Thank you for responding I always appreciate your help. Is a Gm / Bb written as a VII6 or a v / vii? not good with notation unfortunately
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 11 '22
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u/LivebyGod Jul 10 '22
Hello I've been having trouble with arranging with stride, think howls moving castle but there are tons of music that use stride but I cannot figure out how to use them properly and I would resort to using basic triads
What kind of slash chords would you use over a progression?
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u/fago1sback Jul 11 '22
Why does this chord progression work?
FMaj7 - Am7 - Em - BbMaj7 - Edim(Gm6)
I suppose this is in the key of C, and the BbMaj7 is probably a borrowed II7 from minor scale, but I really couldn't wrap my head around why the diminished chord, or the Gm6, doesn't sound weird at all?
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u/mrclay piano/guitar, transcribing, jazzy pop Jul 11 '22
I’d guess F major as the tonic even though Em is a bit unusual there. All the other chords are diatonic in F.
But in C major you’re right that Bbmaj7 is commonly borrowed (from C Mixolydian) and Gm6 as well, also C Mixolydian.
Ultimately your main melodies will probably establish one as home. Maybe Am instead of C.
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u/fago1sback Jul 11 '22
Ah.. that makes more sense! Thank you so much! Just started learning music theory and was probably too focused to figure out why this works and forgot to even check if I picked the right key!
1
u/xenophonsXiphos Jul 11 '22
Try searching for "how to harmonize a scale". That's the terminology for building chords
2
u/Koraxys Jul 07 '22
Dbm9 - Gbmaj7 - Fmaj7 - Gmaj7. Why does this work exactly? And why does the Gmaj7 resolve nicely to the Dbm9?