A Minor Chord Progression Chart
Map A minor Roman numerals, chord names, and cadence feel into a clean chart that is ready for songwriting or practice.
Use the A minor chart presets, then compare Roman numerals, chord names, and cadences before the loop gets crowded.
| Bar | Roman | Chord | Function |
|---|
| Pattern | Style | Best Bars | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| i-VI-III-VII | Pop lift | 4 | Big chorus hooks |
| i-bVII-bVI-bVII | Andalusian | 4 | Driving vamp motion |
| i-VI-IV-v | Folk fall | 4 | Verse flow |
| i-iv-v-i | Dark close | 4 | Ballad release |
| i-ii°-V-i | Harmonic | 4 | Strong turnback |
| i-bVII-IV-i | Rock drive | 4 | Riff-based loop |
| i-VI-IV-bVII | Cinematic | 8 | Wide score bed |
| i-IV-i-bVII | Dorian color | 4 | Modal lift |
| Degree | Natural minor | Harmonic minor | Melodic minor |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Am | Am(maj7) |
| ii | Bdim | Bdim | Bm |
| III | C | Caug | Caug |
| iv | Dm | Dm | D |
| V / v | Em | E | E7 |
| VI | F | F | F#dim |
| VII | G | G#dim | G#dim |
| Capo | Open shapes | Sounding key | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Play in key | Same key | Full fretboard voicings |
| 1 | One fret down | +1 semitone | Easy key lift |
| 2 | Two frets down | +2 semitones | Open C/D shapes |
| 3 | Three down | +3 semitones | Bright top strings |
| 5 | Five down | +5 semitones | A minor and relative major songs |
| 7 | Seven down | +7 semitones | High register sparkle |
A chord progression charts is a representation of the tension of the chords within a song as well as the release of that tension through the resolution of those chords to different chords within the song. A chord progression chart allow a person to arrange the chords of a song that are written in a minor key. Although the chords create when a person plays songs in a minor key tend to circle back to themselves without resolution, a chord progression chart provide structure to creating songs that do experience that resolution.
Furthermore, a chord progression chart allow a person to plan the chords for a song in such a way that the song dont drag. The A minor scale can be played in a variety of different ways and can have a variety of different sounds create from each of those variations. The natural minor scale use the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale use a G# in place of the G note, creating tension between that chord and the tonic of A minor.
How chord charts help minor key songs
The Dorian mode use a different set of notes from those in the natural minor scale, and sounds more bright than songs using only the natural minor scale. Certain chord pattern or presets can help a musician to find the perfect musical feel for a particular song. For instance, the pop lift pattern use a sequence of chords of i-VI-III-VII, but also use major chords borrow from the C major scale to create an additional sense of energy to the song.
The Andalusian pattern use a chord progression of i-bVII-bVI chords and create a sense of urgency due to there downward movement within the chord progression. The fall pattern in the folk music genre use a chord progression of i-VI-IV-v chords that descends in pitch, creating a chord progression that is suitable for storytelling. Each of these chord progression patterns use specific rules that musician can follow to create a musical loop.
Cadence is a term that describe the way that a musical phrase end. Cadence is important to contribute to a sense of stability within a song. For instance, a V-i cadence use an E major chord and an A minor chord.
Due to the G# within the E major chord, the cadence provide a strong sense of resolution when the chord sequence resolve to the tonic A minor chord. Another example of a cadence is the v-i cadence that use an E minor chord and an A minor chord. The v-i cadence generally feel gentler than the V-i cadence.
To create a sense of stability within a song, a musician should end a musical phrase on the i chord or the V chord. However, to create a sense of open-endedness within a song, the musician should end on the bVII chord to keep the listener in the song, waiting for the resolution of the chord progression. A capo is a device that a musician clamps onto the neck of a guitar.
When a musician places a capo onto a guitar, the pitch of the guitar can be changed without changing the way in which a musician plays the guitar. For instance, if a musician places a capo on the fifth fret of a guitar, the musician may play chords that are in the key of D minor but the sound of the guitar will be that of a song in the key of A minor. Furthermore, when a musician places a capo on a guitar, the voicing of the guitar will sound brighter.
Additionally, the use of a capo allow for the voicings of the guitar to more easy be within the vocal range of the vocalist for that song. Finally, the tempo of a song also contribute to the chord progression of a song. Fast tempo create a sense of energy within the song, while slow tempo create a sense of weight within the song.
There are some common mistake that many individual tend to make when using chord progressions within a band setting. For instance, musicians may use too many chord change within an eight-bar section of music. Instead, four-bar section can be used to allow for the music to breathe.
Additionally, another mistake that individuals may make is ignoring the use of mode swaps. Different mode can be used within a band to create a narrative within the song. For instance, the Dorian mode can be used for the verses of a song to create a sense of lift to the song, but the harmonic minor mode can be used for the chorus to create a sense of tension within the music.
A chord progression chart allow individual musicians to simplify the songwriting process. For instance, musicians can use a chord progression chart to decide how their song will move from chord to chord prior to beginning to play the song. Furthermore, by listening to the musical loop that they create, the musicians can determine whether they succeed in hooking the listener to the song, or if their song provide a sense of resolution to the listener.
Thus, a chord progression chart is a tool that enable the musician to manage the tension and the resolution of their song composed in a minor key.
