Creative Chord Progressions

Do you want your songs to take off in surprising directions, avoid cliches, and bypass the
tried-and-true? I created this page to help songwriters expand beyond I-IV-V chord
progressions and vanilla major and minor chords.

Welcome to Milo Ippolito's unschooled approach to music theory and composition.

Don't worry. I won't lead you to atonal hell. For me, the point of writing music is to create
ear-pleasing compositions that sound like nothing you've heard before. If you share this
passion, please read on.

A Word on Music Theory

Use it to expand your horizons; don't let it reign you in.

The most important rule is: If it sounds good, do it.

Opening Chord Changes: Roads Less Traveled

The first two chords set a progression in motion. Start off in an unfamiliar direction and you
will discover new musical territory to explore.

Below I've suggested opening changes taking you to each step of the chromatic scale. The
chord changes are written in Roman numerals (followed by a random example).

 im7 - I6 (Em7 - E6)

 i - bII (Em - F)
 I - iim#5* (D - C/E*)
 I - bIII (A - C)
 IM7 - III6 (FM7 - A6)
 I - IV7 (C - F7)
 i - bv dim (Bm - F dim)
 I - V sus (D - A sus)
 I - bVI aug (E - C+)
 I - VIm7b5 (C - Am7b5)
 i m7 - bvii m7 (Am7 - Gm7)
 I - VII7 (C - B7)
Closing Cadences: There's More Than One Way to Get Back Home
There are plenty of ways to bring home a chord progression without the V7 cliché. Here are
a dozen alternative turnaround chords—one for each step of the chromatic scale. The
chord changes are written in Roman numerals (followed by a random example).

To my ears, all of these cadences do a good job of creating harmonic resolution. I doubt
you'll find many alternatives that work quite as well. And sometimes V7 is still the best
solution.

(Note: Many of these turnaround chords will also resolve to the relative or root minor.)

 I sus - I (D sus - D)
  bII7 - I (F7 - E)
 iim7 - I (Dm7 - C)
 bIII7 - i (G7 - Em)
 III7sus - I (E7sus - C)
 ivm6 - I (Dm6 - A)
 bV dim - I (F# dim - C)
 V7sus - I (E7sus - A); V7#5 - I (E7#5 - A)
 bVI dim - I (Ab dim - C)
 VI sus - I (A sus - C)
 bVII7 - I (C7 - D)
 VII aug - I (E+ - F)
Standard Chord Progressions: A Song Your Mother Would Know
There are several tried-and-true chord progressions.

If you know these, you can probably play 99.9% of all songs ever written.
Cliché progressions can sound pretty cheesy if not used carefully and sparingly. They've
definitely been overused. But there's a reason for that. They work.
If you write a song starting with the melody, you will probably wind up using one of these for
the harmonic backdrop. They make singing a whole lot easier. You may write a great song
using a standard progression. Respect cliches for what they are, but try not to fall into the
trap of using them all the time.
Here is a short list of common chord progressions presented in Roman numeral form
followed by an example.

 I - IV - I - V (C - F - C - G)
 I - V - vi - IV (C - G - Am - F)
 I - vi - IV - V (C - Am - F - G)
 I - vi - ii - V (C - Am - Dm - G)
 ii - V7 - I (Dm - G7 - C)
 I - bVII - IV (A - G - D)
 i - bVII - bVI - V7 (Am - G - F - E7)
 I7- IV7- I7- V7- IV7 (E7- A7 E7- B7- A7)
 I - I+ - I6 - I7 (C - C+ - C6 - C7)
Original Chord Progressions: Steal These or Write Something Better
Don't limit yourself to standard chord progressions.

Writing an original chord progression—that sounds good—is tricky. Start off in an intriguing
direction. Use your ear to discover where the music wants to go next. Finally, try out
different ways to resolve the progression. You'll know it when you hear it.

Below are some unusual progressions I've used in creating songs. I may not be the only
person to come up with these chord changes. Music is out there in the air, and we just find
it. (FYI: Chord progressions cannot be copyright protected, so have at 'em.)
Here is a list of "original" chord progressions that sound good. Take what you can use:

 ||: Dm7 - D6 :|| (Bb7) ||: Gm6 - Bb69/G :|| (F7) |

 | Bm | C | Fm | E dim |
 | D | C/E | F | A/E |
 | A | C | Bm | A |
 ||: FM7 | A6 :|| C | E + |
 ||: A | D7 :|| Cm6 | E7#5 |
 ||: Fm | B dim :|| (Gm7) |
 | D | A sus | E | B sus |
 | B | G+ | E | A7 |
 | D | Bm7b5 | D | Em7 | D | Bm7b5 - E7 | E7 - Gm6 | D |
 ||: Em7 | Dm7 :|| (Dm6) ||: CM7 | Dm7 :|| (Fm6 - D7) |
 | C | B7 | Em | B+ | C | B7 | Em - Eb+ | Em |
Minor Seventh Chord Progressions: Songs From Dreamland
The minor seventh chord is special because it is the only four-note chord that sounds as
stable and consonant as a simple major or minor triad.
The extra note gives the minor seventh a fluffy cloud feel. Progressions built around this
chord have a distinct character and should be considered as a category of their own.

Minor seventh progressons have a dreamy sound. They can also be moody. And they have
elitist tendencies. They prefer the company of other fluffy cloud chords. Common three-
note chords just don't fit in.
To maintain the mood, gravitate toward the following chord types:

 Minor seventh
 Major seventh
 Suspended seventh
 Minor sixth
Standard Chord Library: The Basic Harmonic Tool Kit
I'll get into some weird stuff in a bit.
First let's start with a list of the basic chords everyone should know. Don't feel stupid if you
don't recognize some of these, and please don't be offended if this is all too obvious.

Here are the chord names, followed by an example from the key of C or thereabouts.
(Some chords don't belong to any key.)

 Major (C-E-G)
 Minor (A-C-E)
 Suspended (C - F- G)
 Augmented (Ab - C - E)
 Seventh (G - B - D - F)
 Minor Seventh (A - C - E - G)
  Major Seventh (F - A - C - E)
 Sixth (C - E - G - A)
 Minor Sixth (D - F - A - B)
 Minor Seven Flat Five (B - D - F - A)
 Diminished (Ab - B - D - F)
 Seventh Suspended (G - C - D - F)
Chords Seldom Heard: Use at Your Own Risk
The following are nameable but rarely used chords.
There are plenty of other possible chords (that sound like crap). The ones here sound
intriguing and are potentially useful for the right song.
I'm trying to find ways to work them into progressions myself.

 Added 2nd (C - D - E- G)
 Minor add b6 (A - C- E - F)
 Sixth suspended 2nd (C - D - G - A)
 Seventh suspended 2nd (G - A - D - F)
 Major seventh suspended 2nd (F - G - C - E)
 Major seventh sharp 5 (C - E - G# - B)
 Minor major seventh flat 5 (F - Ab - B - E)
Chord Inversions: The Movable Bass Note
An easy way to give simple chords a fresh sound is to move the bass note.
Instead of always having the bass play the root, try putting the bass on the third, fifth, or
seventh interval of the chord.
To my ears, some chords sound better inverted. The sus2 is a smoother-sounding
inversion of the sus4. The minor sixth is a sublime inversion of the spooky minor seven flat
five.
There's a fancy way that classical composers write inversions. The easier way is to put a
backslash after the chord followed by the bass note you want used.

Here are the three most useful inversions:

 Minor (first inversion) Am/C

 Major (second inversion) C/G
 Seventh (third inversion) G7/F
Non-traditional Sonorities: Are these Even Chords?
I've been experimenting with chords that are unnamable in the traditional musical language:
chords that don't fit into the categories of major, minor, suspended, etc.

They're more like harmonic clusters, I guess. My classical music friends call them
"sonorities." But to me, any group of notes played at the same time is a chord.

Here they are:

 One two six (C - D - A)

  One five six (C - G - A)
 One two three (C - D - E)
 One flat five sharp five (C - Gb - G#)
 One five major seven (F - C - E)
Ninth Chords: Number Nine, Number Nine . . .
I'm not a huge fan of ninth chords. I'm just not.

For me, a seventh chord is good enough. If you absolutely need the "ninth" in the harmony,
a suspended 2nd or add 9 does the trick, without any tritone dissonance.

These are the only ninth chords that really do it for me:

 Seven Sharp Nine (E - G# - B - D - G)

 Minor Seven Flat Nine (E - G - B - D - F)
 Six-Nine (C - E - G - A - D)
A Note to Guitar Players . . . to be Taken Lightly
You've probably discovered that a lot of these are damn near impossible to shape into
guitar chords. Unless you are a jazz virtuoso, guitars can limit your songwriting. I find that
composing on a keyboard instrument allows me to be more creative.

Here's my best advice for wrestling with the damn six string:

 Play everything in C or Am.

 Remove one of the E-strings.
 Google alternative tunings.
 Leave out the fifth or the root and let the bass player handle those notes.
 Play only the triads and let the keyboardist color in the chord.
 Learn to play the accordion.
 Play bass live and let the guitar chords be someone else's problem.
Balancing Melody and Harmony: Much Like a Bird on a Wire
In most cases, your melody will fall on intervals of the accompanying chord: roots, thirds
and fifths. Notes outside of the chord usually serve as passing tones.
It makes sense. But is making sense all we want out of music?

Try creating more interesting relationships between melody and harmony. Put the melody
on a note outside the chord once in a while. It's like teetering on a tightrope, but it can be
done. If the melody relies on a third or fifth, spice up the chord around it. Complex
harmonies work best with simple melodies. You will need to depend on stable harmonies
and traditional scales most of the time. But every so often, step out on a ledge.

Here are a dozen melody/harmony relationships that are worth a try:

 Sixth chord (C6); melody on root (C)

 Added Ninth (F add 9); melody on major 7th (E)
 Minor Seventh (Em7); melody on 7th (D)
 Suspended (Csus); melody on 6th (A)
 Seven Sharp Five (B7#5); melody on augmented 5th (G)
 Minor/bass on flat third (Dm/F); melody on 5th (A)
 Diminished (Ab dim); melody on flat 5th (D)
 Seventh Suspended (G7sus4); melody on 4th (C)
 Sixth Suspended Second (C6sus2); melody on major 3rd (E)
 Seventh (Ab7); melody on minor 3rd (B)
 Major/bass on fifth (F/C); melody on 2nd (G)
 Seventh Suspended (E7sus4); melody on flat 2nd (F)