How to Create Chord Progression for a Song

This article will provide you with an introduction to building guitar chord progressions for a song. If you have learned 15–20 basic chords, then you may have noticed that some sound better together than others. The question therefore is, “Which ones?”

EditSteps

1. First, find the scale of the song. For that hum the tune of the song a couple of times and try to find the particular note which brings the whole thing to a pleasing, satisfying conclusion. The tune of the song is built on the scale related to this note.
   
   
2. Next, find whether the scale is a major or a minor. For this strike the chord of the note (that you located in step 1) while humming the tune. For example, if 'C' is your note, first try humming the song to C major chord. If it sounds odd, try C minor. If you have a sharp ear then you can easily see which one fits.
   
   
3. Once you have located the note and the scale, start adding chords as you hum the song. This is not difficult if you know all about chord families. Apply the 'Three chord trick'. For example, if the song is in C major scale, then you should be able to play the song reasonably well using 'C', 'F' & 'G7' chords. Remember that chord progression most often depends on some key notes appearing in the tune. So if you are able to play the song on an instrument, locating the related chords will be much easier.
   
   

EditExample

1. The scale of C major goes from C to C; it takes an octave or eight steps to get from the low C to the high C.
   
   C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
   
   
2. We use Roman numerals to represent the order of the notes in any scale. In this fashion, a pattern in any key can be represented “generically”.
   
3. The I chord is called the root or the tonic chord. It forms the base to which the other chords in a progression relate. Many books and other websites go into great detail about music theory, and there are many terms that you should ultimately learn and understand, but this page is the “short course”, so let’s move on.
   
4. The first, the fourth, and the fifth (I – IV – V) are chords that sound good together in a progression. In time, you will learn these “chord sets”, but a good way to learn them at first may be to work them out on your fingers. Assign Roman numerals to the digits on your hand and then simply count out the letters on your fingers.
   
   
5. So, for the example in the Key of C, your thumb (I) would be C, your ring finger (IV) would be F, and your pinky (V) would be G. [This means we are skipping II or D, and III or E.]
   
   

EditPut it to work

1. You can play just C, F, and G, but it is more interesting to the ear to mix them up a little.
   
   
2. A fundamental unit in music is a measure. A measure (or bar) is often composed of four beats. It gets more complicated than this, but for now just think of a beat as a strum. There are four strums to a measure. In the example picture a strum is represented as a slash (/).
   
3. One more twist… When playing the blues, the V chord is often played as a 7th. In this example, that would be a G7th.
   
   
4. So to play the blues in C using the 3-chord theory, strum C for four bars, F for two bars, a couple more C, then a bar of G7th, a bar of F, and back to C again…
   
   C///, C///, C///, C///, F///, F///, C///, C///, G7th///, F///, C///…
   
   
5. This table jumps ahead a little by showing the minor chords for the second, the third and the sixth chords, but for now focus on the first, the fourth and the fifth columns. The (I) column is the Key, so to play the blues in G, you’d play the above strum pattern, but use a G, C, and D7th chord.
   
   
6. Thousands of songs are built on this simple relationship. Explore this pattern in the other keys and you will find countless hours of musical enjoyment.
   
   

EditVideo

EditTips

• Take time to practice; with repetition, it becomes easier and faster.
• Keep on trying if you don't get the hang of what you are doing.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Make a Major Chord Minor
• Read Chord Diagrams
• Play an Open G Major Chord on the Guitar
• Play an E Major Chord on a Guitar
• Play a D Major Chord on the Guitar

EditSources and Citations

• https://www.youtube.com/user/guitarlessonscom

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via Peter