The Usefulness of a Chord Progression

Having a music-composing mental block? Go find a chord progression from your favourite piece of music (if you have a crisis of conscience about being ‘inspired’ in this way, firstly don’t, Bach did it, but if you’re STILL feeling guilty, turn it back to front, jiggle it around first), play a little melody over the top and then, ta-da! Use all of that as a basis for your theme.

It appears harmonic progressions are basically impossible to copyright since it’s likely they’ve all been done before.

Aside: In a Jazz Composition module at uni, we deliberately took jazz harmony progressions from previously composed works as a harmonic structure for our new compositions – heck, the 12-bar blues is nothing but those specific chords in a specific harmonically structured pattern. You have to copy the chords or it’s not a 12-bar blues.

For example, why not use I-V-vi-IV, as illustrated in this little YouTube video. Evidently, you won’t be the first…

Enjoy!

Want to know why this four-chord structure is so popular?

This is the best explanation I’ve found yet:

Heck even I did it. The important point here is that I saved it for a very special, final moment in a huge show, so we really needed a moment of significance and resolution, and of coming home. If you hear film music and other music composers using these chords, and specifically in this particular structure, they save it for really significantly emotional cathartic moments.

(Final piece of advice – don’t buy any of those pre-made midi chord progression packs that are advertised so much on places like YouTube (you never saw them? I’m clearly being targetted!). Chord structures, and original-sounding progressions, are so unbelievably straightforward to create that anyone asking you for money to provide them is… well… not a good person)

5 Replies to “The Usefulness of a Chord Progression”

  1. When it comes to Intellectual Property in business I have begun to tak the position that there really is no such thing as original thought. But there is original expression. This is such a fabulous demonstration of that idea. Thanks!

  2. Heather,

    In another dimension, I’m a competent piano player. The very little that I’ve dabbled, it has soothing for me, especially when I compose my own little melodies. It’s been a while though. Your site makes me remember what I’ve forgotten: What it feels like to sit at the piano and create.

    Thank you for that youtube lesson. Very helpful to hear all of that. Fascinating!

    I really enjoy the music in your player on the side of your blog. Many of the tunes are moving. Wow!

    This gets me away from the same old business blogs and into another world. Fun. Thanks!

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

  3. John – thanks! glad you enjoyed the youtube, it certainly made me smile. And it’s great that you enjoyed my tunes – it’s always heartwarming to hear that 🙂

    Keep playing and creating!

  4. Also, it can be helpful to toy with inversions… which often times will lead to interesting substitutions… and voila. That staid 4 chord progression is starting to blossom !!

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