The chord progressions every songwriter should know are I–V–vi–IV (the four-chord pop progression), its minor-first rotation vi–IV–I–V, the ’50s progression I–vi–IV–V, the 12-bar blues, ii–V–I, the ♭VII rock move, the Andalusian cadence, the borrowed minor iv, the Pachelbel sequence and…
Most beginning songwriters fail to accept the following truth: the chord progressions inside professional records are almost never complicated. They are simple progressions, played with conviction, voiced with care, and dressed in production choices that make four ordinary chords feel…
Chords don’t move listeners by accident. There’s a mechanics to why a progression aches, soars, or unsettles — and once you can see it, you can write the feeling on purpose. The Question Behind Every Great Progression Why does one…
By the time you, as a self-taught songwriter, start taking their choruses seriously, you sit down to write a chorus, ready to write a big, clear, anthemic — one chord per measure, four chords, room for the melody to breathe. …
Most beginning songwriters fail to accept the following truth that the chord progressions inside professional records are almost never complicated. They are simple chord progressions, played with conviction, voiced with care, and dressed in production choices that make four ordinary…
The I-V-vi-V progression, known as the Axis of Awesome, is sometimes critiqued for contributing to homogenization in music, as highlighted in comedic sketches like Axis of Awesome’s “Four Chord Song,” which mashes up dozens of hits using this exact progression.…