How to Write Chord Progressions in Pop Music

A chord progression is the pattern of chords in a song. Chord progressions are a key part of pop music. This blog post will teach you how to write chord progressions in pop music.

Introduction

Understanding chord progressions is a crucial part of being a musician. Without this knowledge, it can be difficult to write songs that sound good and flow together nicely. Chord progressions are simply a series of chords played in a specific order. These progressions can be found in almost every pop song that you hear on the radio.

There are many different ways to write chord progressions, but there are some common progressions that occur often in pop music. In this guide, we will go over some of the most common chord progressions in pop music so that you can start using them in your own songs.

What is a chord progression?

In music, a chord progression or harmonic progression is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice era of Classical music to the 21st century. Chord progressions are usually expressed by Roman numerals. A chord may be built upon any note of a musical scale, therefore any note may serve as the “root” or tonic of a chord. The origin of the chord progression can be traced back to tonalCenter music theory.

How to write chord progressions in pop music

Chord progressions are the foundation of any good song. They provide the structure and the foundation that the melody and lyrics can be built upon. A well-crafted chord progression can make a song sound polished and professional, even if the melody and lyrics are simple.

Start with a basic chord progression

Start with a basic chord progression. A chord progression is simply a series of chords that are played in a particular order. A basic chord progression might look something like this:

I-IV-V-I

This progression starts on the tonic chord (I), moves to the subdominant chord (IV), then the dominant chord (V), and finally back to the tonic (I). This type of progression is called a “circle progression” because it literally moves in a circle around the tonic chord.

One of the most popular progressions in pop music is the I-vi-IV-V progression, which looks like this:

I-vi-IV-V

This progression starts on the tonic (I), moves to the relative minor (vi), then to the subdominant (IV), and finally to the dominant (V). This progression is used in countless pop songs, including “When I’m Sixty-Four” by The Beatles, “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and The Waves, and ” California Girls” by Katy Perry.

Add seventh chords

After you have the basic chords in a key down, it’s time to add seventh chords. These are chords built on the seventh scale degree of a key. In major keys, they are usually written as Maj7 or 7; in minor keys, they are written as m7. Seventh chords give pop songs a richer, more emotional sound.

To add seventh chords to your progressions, first identify the root and the third of each chord you’re using. Then, add the note that is a third above the root (or a seventh below the root). For example, in C major, the root of Am is A; the third is C. The note a third above A is C# (or Db), so Am7 would be written A-C-E-G# (or A-C-E-Db).

Pop songs often use progressions that move by fourths or fifths instead of by thirds. To do this, simply move to the next chord in the scale. For example, in C major, after Am7, you could move to Dm7 or Em7. In minor keys, after Im7, you could move to IVm7 or Vm7.

Here are some common progressions that use seventh chords:

I–IV–V–Imaj7: This progression is used in countless pop songs and is sometimes referred to as “the Andalusian cadence” because it’s used in a lot of Spanish music. In C major, this would be C–F–G–Amaj7.
I–vi–ii–V: This progression is sometimes called “the blues progression” because it’s often used in blues music. In C major, this would be C–Am–Dm–G.
I–vi–IV–V: This progression is similar to the Last Crusade ending sequence (Indiana Jones finding his hat). In C major, this would be C–Am–F–G.

Add ninth chords

Ninth chords are chords that contain the ninth scale degree. In C major, this would be D, the ninth scale degree. To find the ninth chord of any key, simply go up two half steps from the seventh chord. In major keys, this will give you a major ninth chord; in minor keys, this will give you a minor ninth chord.

As with seventh chords, you can add ninth chords to any position in a major or minor scale. However, they sound best when they’re used as either the tonic (I) or subdominant (IV) chord in a major key, or as the dominant (V) chord in a minor key.

Here are some example progressions featuring ninth chords:

I–IV–V–VI in C Major: C–F–G–Amin
I–IV–VII9–VI in A Minor: A–D–G9–F
viio7–III7–VII7–I in F# Major: B7b9–E7b9#5–A7#5b9#11–F#

Add suspensions

One common way to make chord progressions sound more interesting is to add suspensions. A suspension happens when you replace a chord tone with a non-chord tone, and then resolve it back to the chord tone. This gives the progression a little bit of tension and resolution, which can be really satisfying for listeners.

To add a suspension, you simply need to identify the chord tone that you want to replace, and then find a non-chord tone that will work well in its place. The most common non-chord tones to use are the 2nd, 4th, and 6th scale degrees. So, if you’re working with a C major chord, you could replace the root (C) with either D (the 2nd scale degree), F (the 4th scale degree), or A (the 6th scale degree). Then, when the non-chord tone resolves back to the chord tone, it will create a nice moment of tension and release.

Conclusion

So there you have it — a crash course in how to write chord progressions in pop music! By following these simple guidelines, you should be able to write great sounding progressions that will work well with any pop song. Just remember to keep it simple, use a variety of chords, and include a mix of major and minor chords. And most importantly, have fun!