{"id":4311,"date":"2021-07-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=4311"},"modified":"2023-06-09T12:26:17","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T19:26:17","slug":"chord-progressions-that-move-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/chord-progressions-that-move-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Chord Progressions That Move You"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/pop-piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1-5-6-4 pop chord progression<\/a> we all know and love sounds great, but what if you want something more? What if you want something <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/chord-progressions-for-mood\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">moodier<\/a>, or just a tad different to spice things up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this lesson, we&#8217;ll look at three different ways to add personality to your chord progressions: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/diatonic-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diatonic chords<\/a>, passing diminished chords, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/slash-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">slash chords<\/a>. If these are new words to you, don&#8217;t worry! I&#8217;ll explain the theory behind them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Step One: Use Diatonic Chords<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Diatonic chords<\/strong> are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/chord-hacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chords<\/a> built on every note (degree) of a scale. Let&#8217;s use G major as an example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">How to Find Diatonic Chords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>G major has one sharp (F#) and its notes are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Chord%20Progressions%20That%20Move%20You\/g%20major%20scale%20-%20compressed.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<p>If we build a triad (three-note-chord) on each note of the G major scale, we&#8217;ve found all of G major&#8217;s diatonic chords!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Building triads like these is easy. All you need to do is shift the same claw-shape across the keyboard. Just remember to sharp your Fs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Chord%20Progressions%20That%20Move%20You\/G%20to%20Am%20-%20compressed.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<p>In standard notation, this is what those diatonic triads look like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Chord%20Progressions%20That%20Move%20You\/G%20major%20diatonic%20triads%20copy.png\" alt=\"Diatonic chords of G major on the treble staff with note names and Roman numerals.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This method of finding diatonic chords can be used in any key. All you have to do is keep track of how many sharps and flats are in that key. If you need help with that, refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/circle-of-fifths-useless\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Circle of Fifths<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83e\udd3f \ud83c\udfb9 <b><i>DIVE DEEPER:<\/i><\/b> Why do we use Roman numerals to symbolize chords? Well, they help musicians transpose and visualize chords. Capitalized chords are major; lowercase chords are minor. Learn more about the number system <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/the-number-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">How to Mix and Match Diatonic Chords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many pop and classical songs use some semblance of the 1-5-6-4 (I-V-vi-IV) progression. In G major, that would G &gt; D &gt; Em &gt; C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what if we mixed this order up a bit? And try other diatonic chords outside of 1-5-6-4?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the video, I try out these progressions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>I &#8211; iii &#8211; IV<\/strong><br><span style=\"color:#f61a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>G &gt; Bm &gt; C<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<p>A short variation on the 1-5-6-4 progression.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>iii &#8211; vi &#8211; IV &#8211; V<br><span style=\"color:#f61a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Bm &gt; Em &gt; C &gt; D<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<p>A moodier progression that starts on chord iii (daring!).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>ii &#8211; I &#8211; V &#8211; IV<br><span style=\"color:#f61a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Bm &gt; Em &gt; D &gt; C<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<p>Another progression that starts on a minor chord, but ends on a more hopeful, major note!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When you first start learning diatonic chords, you may have to count on your keyboard to know where the V or IV or vi chord is. That&#8217;s normal, and once you get used to the concept, you&#8217;ll become faster at spotting where these chords are. So be patient, and practice lots!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">More Ways to Make Diatonic Chords Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, you can play these chords on any octave of the piano. You have 88 keys \u2014 use &#8217;em! You can also play the notes of each chord in any order. In fact, once you get comfortable, we suggest you start learning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-inversions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inversions<\/a> to spice things up even more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you feel your ear being pulled to the Is and Vs, you&#8217;re on to something&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Chord%20Progressions%20That%20Move%20You\/V-1%20G%20major.png\" alt=\"Piano keyboard diagram with G (I) and D (V) labelled. G has a house icon and D has a location pin with a dashed arrow pointing from the pin to the house.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">V-I is a chord progression that feels like coming home. (Art credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/twemoji.twitter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twemoji<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The I chord always feels like home. And the V chord naturally pulls your ear back home to the I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last tip in this step: if you ever need to get out of a rut&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Don&#8217;t start on the one!<\/p>\n<cite>Lisa<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Chord%20Progressions%20That%20Move%20You\/don%27t%20start%20on%20the%20one.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Step Two: Surprise Your Listener With a Diminished Chord<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may have noticed that chord vii<sup>o<\/sup> has a little &#8220;<sup>o<\/sup>.&#8221; This is the diminished symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<video playsinline=\"\" autoplay=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Chord%20Progressions%20That%20Move%20You\/diminished%20triad%20build%20-%20compressed.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A <strong>diminished triad<\/strong> is a stack of minor thirds. Take the note you want to build upon, count up three half-steps, then count up another three half-steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diminished chords sound crunchy, but they work well as a &#8220;passing&#8221; chord when moving from one chord to another. They pull your ear into the next chord and make things sound more interesting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"blue-text-block\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Chord%20Progressions%20That%20Move%20You\/HALF%20STEP%20DIAGRAM%20copy.png\" alt=\"piano keyboard diagram with E and F, F# or Gb and G highlighted in red to show half-steps\">\ud83d\udd25\ud83c\udfb9 <b><i>HOT TIP!<\/i><\/b> Two keys on the piano keyboard directly next to each other (black key to white key or white key to white key) are a half-step apart.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Step Three: Add Slash Chords<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/slash-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">slash chord<\/a> is when you switch out your bass note for another note. So, if you&#8217;ve been matching the triad G-B-D on your right hand with a G on your left, try using a B instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slash chords are useful for adding a little punch of color into your playing without totally changing the character of a chord. So, experiment with slash chords and hear where your ear takes you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What Are Slash Chords?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2X2FMVe9YWM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Slash chords explained! Also visit our lesson here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Singing notes out loud will also help guide you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If this lesson inspires you, go sit down at the piano and let your imagination run wild. If you run into a cool progression, share it with us in the YouTube comment section. We might play it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to go beyond the 1-5-6-4 progression? In this lesson, we&#8217;ll look at diatonic chords, passing diminished chords, and slash chords.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":4351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1104,507],"tags":[1088,1134],"class_list":["post-4311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chord-progressions","category-chord-theory","tag-ch","tag-easy-chords"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4311"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14127,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4311\/revisions\/14127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}