How to Create Electronic Dance Music Chord Progressions

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to create chord progressions for your EDM tracks using some simple techniques.

Introduction

In electronic music, a chord progression is a series of musical chords, or harmonic progressions, that are often recurring in songs. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice era of Classical music to the 21st century. A chord progression is created by playing two or more chords in succession. The chords may be played on different instruments, but for the most part, they are played on keyboards.

The simplest electronic dance music chord progression is just two chords played in succession, for example, C and G. These two chords form a basic I-IV progression in C Major. This progression can be embellished with additional chords to make it more interesting, but at its core, it is still just two chords played one after the other.

A more complex chord progression might include a series of chords that move through multiple key changes. For example, a chord progression could start in C Major and move to D Minor, then E Minor, then back to C Major. This type of chord progression is called a ii-V-I progression because it includes the ii (D Minor), V (E Minor), and I (C Major) chords. These are some of the most common chords used in electronic dance music and are often used to create catchy hooks or melodies.

Chord progressions can be created using any combination of notes, but some notes work better together than others. When creating a chord progression, it is important to consider which notes will sound good together and which notes will create tension or dissonance. Tension can be created by using notes that are not usually found in the key of the song or by using dissonant intervals such as the tritone (three whole steps). Dissonance can add interest to a chord progression and make it sound more complex.

What is a Chord Progression?

A chord progression is a series of musical chords that are played in a particular order. Chord progressions are the foundation of most popular songs. They provide the main harmonic framework for the melody and often determine the overall mood or feel of a song.

Defining Chords

In music, a chord progression or harmonic progression is a succession of musical chords, which are two or more notes that are played together. 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 a seven-note scale allows seven basic chords, each degree of the scale becoming the “root” or starting note of its own chord. A chord built upon the note E is an E chord of some type (major, minor, etc.)

Progression

A chord progression is a series of chords played in a particular order. Chord progressions are used in everything from classical music to rock, and they can be created for any purpose, from creating a feeling of suspense to telling a story. In electronic dance music (EDM), chord progressions play an important role in creating the overall sound and feel of a track.

Chord progressions are often used in EDM to create an emotional or musical “journey.” They can be used to build tension, release it, or create any other number of emotions. A chord progression can take the listener on a journey from start to finish, or it can be used to create a specific mood or feeling at any point in the track.

There are limitless possibilities when it comes to creating chord progressions. However, there are some general guidelines that can help you get started. Here are a few tips for creating effective chord progressions in EDM:

-Start with the root note of the scale you’re using.
-Create a basic progression using only major or minor chords.
-Experiment with different voicings and inversions of chords.
-Add seventh chords for more harmonic interest.
-Use chromatic movement to add forward momentum.
-Create tension and release by moving between tonic and non-tonic chords.

putting it all together

Now that we know the basics of chords and chord progressions, let’s put it all together and create a chord progression for an electronic dance music track.

First, decide what key you want to write your chord progression in. In EDM, it’s common to use minor keys, so let’s choose the key of A minor.

Next, choose a tempo for your track. For this example, we’ll use 128 beats per minute (bpm).

Now it’s time to choose the chords for your progression. In A minor, some common chords are Am, Dm, Em, and G. Let’s try a progression using these chords: Am-Dm-Em-G.

To create a full chord progression, we need to add more chords. One way to do this is by adding seventh chords: Am7, Dm7, Em7, and G7. Seventh chords add a bit more harmonic interest and can make your progression sound fuller. Let’s try adding seventh chords to our previous progression: Am7-Dm7-Em7-G7.

Finally, let’s add some movement to our chord progression by using different inversions of the chords. Inversions are simply different ways of playing the same chord (for example, you can play an Am chord as A-C-E or as E-A-C). By using different inversions of the chords in our progression, we can create a sense of forward motion and energy: Am(add9)-Dm(add9)-Em(add9)-G(add9).

And that’s it! You’ve now created a basic chord progression for an EDM track in the key of A minor.

The Three Essential Chord Progressions

Are you interested in learning how to create Electronic Dance Music chord progressions? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re going to be discussing the three essential chord progressions that you need to know in order to get started. We’ll also be giving you a few tips on how to create interesting and unique chord progressions.

The One-Four-Five Progression

The one-four-five progression is by far the most common chord progression in popular music. It’s so common, in fact, that it’s often referred to as the “generic chord progression”.

The one-four-five progression is made up of the chords I, IV and V (the Roman numerals indicate major chords). In the key of C, these chords would be C, F and G. The one-four-five progression can be found in countless songs in almost every genre of music.

Despite its simplicity, the one-four-five progression can be used to create a wide range of emotions and vibe. Upbeat songs will have a different feel than slow ballads, for example. The one-four-five progression can also be embellished with additional chords to create even more interest and variation.

The Six-Two-Five Progression

The six-two-five chord progression is one of the most essential progressions in electronic dance music, yet it’s often overlooked by producers.

This progression is made up of three chords: the root (I), the supertonic (ii), and the dominant (V). It’s called the six-two-five progression because it’s based on the root, the second scale degree above the root (II), and the fifth scale degree above the root (V).

This progression can be used in a variety of electronic dance music genres, from house and techno to trance and progressive house. It’s often used as a ” turnaround ” progression, meaning it leads back to the tonic chord (I).

The six-two-five progression is a great way to create tension and release in your tracks. The root chord (I) provides a sense of stability, while the supertonic (ii) and dominant (V) chords create a sense of movement and tension. When used correctly, this tension and release can be extremely effective in creating an emotional response in your listeners.

The Four-Five-One Progression

A four-five-one progression is a chord progression that resolving on the tonic (I), and is the most common chord progression inpopular music. The progression consists of four chords, the tonic, subdominant, dominant, and finally the tonic again.

The first chord is typically a major or minor chord, the second chord is always a minor chord, and the third chord is always a major chord. The fourth and final chord is always the tonic chord.

This progression is found in virtually all genres of popular music, including rock, pop, jazz, blues, country, and hip-hop.

Conclusion

Now that you know the basics of how to create chord progressions, you can experiment with different combinations of chords to create your own unique sound. Remember that there are no rules when it comes to making music, so don’t be afraid to experiment. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process!