Chord

Progressions
@ MoneyChords.com

Chord Progressions
@ MoneyChords.com

MoneyChords.com

Chord Progressions
@ MoneyChords.com
All Rights Reserved 2000 - 2009 by Richard Scott

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Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Ascending Augmented Progressions ............................................................................................................ 7
Ascending Bass Lines..................................................................................................................................... 9
Backdoor progression ................................................................................................................................. 11
Basic Progressions ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Basie Blues Changes .................................................................................................................................... 13
Blues Progressions ...................................................................................................................................... 14
Blues With A Bridge .................................................................................................................................... 23
Bridge Progressions..................................................................................................................................... 24
Cadences ..................................................................................................................................................... 25
Canons......................................................................................................................................................... 26
Circle Progressions ...................................................................................................................................... 29
Classic Rock Progressions............................................................................................................................ 30
Coltrane Changes ........................................................................................................................................ 31
Combination Progressions .......................................................................................................................... 34
Constant Structure Progression .................................................................................................................. 35
Counterpoint ............................................................................................................................................... 36
Descending Bass Lines ................................................................................................................................ 38
Descending Minor Cliche ............................................................................................................................ 40
Diatonic Circle Progressions........................................................................................................................ 42
Diminished Cliche Progressions .................................................................................................................. 44
Double tonic ................................................................................................................................................ 46
Doo-Wop Progressions ............................................................................................................................... 48
8-Bar Blues Progressions............................................................................................................................. 51
Endings ........................................................................................................................................................ 53
Flamenco Progressions ............................................................................................................................... 54
Folk Progressions ........................................................................................................................................ 56
General Chord Progression Lessons............................................................................................................ 58
Gospel Progression ..................................................................................................................................... 61
Introductions............................................................................................................................................... 62
Jazz Progressions......................................................................................................................................... 63
4

La Folia ........................................................................................................................................................ 64
Minor Plagal Cadences ................................................................................................................................ 68
Modulation ................................................................................................................................................. 69
Omnibus Progression .................................................................................................................................. 73
One-Chord Progressions ............................................................................................................................. 75
Parker Blues Changes .................................................................................................................................. 76
Passamezzo Moderno Progression ............................................................................................................. 78
Pedal Points................................................................................................................................................. 81
Pop-Rock Lydian II Progressions ................................................................................................................. 83
Ragtime Progressions.................................................................................................................................. 85
Relative Minor Vamps ................................................................................................................................. 89
Rhythm Changes ......................................................................................................................................... 92
Rock and Roll Progressions ......................................................................................................................... 97
Rock Ballad Progressions ............................................................................................................................ 99
16-Bar Blues Progressions......................................................................................................................... 101
Standard Progressions .............................................................................................................................. 103
Stomp Progression .................................................................................................................................... 105
Tritone Progressions ................................................................................................................................. 108
Turnarounds .............................................................................................................................................. 109
24-Bar Blues Progressions......................................................................................................................... 112
Vamps ....................................................................................................................................................... 113
Vanilla Changes ......................................................................................................................................... 115
About MoneyChords.com ......................................................................................................................... 116

Introduction
"The recipe for music is part melody, lyric, rhythm, and harmony (chord progressions). The term
chord progression refers to a succession of tones or chords played in a particular order for a
specified duration that harmonizes with the melody. Except for styles such as rap and free jazz,
chord progressions are an essential building block of contemporary western music establishing
the basic framework of a song. If you take a look at a large number of popular songs, you will
find that certain combinations of chords are used repeatedly because the individual chords just
simply sound good together. I call these popular chord progressions the money chords. These
money chord patterns vary in length from one- or two-chord progressions to sequences lasting
for the whole song such as the twelve-bar blues and thirty-two bar rhythm changes." (Excerpt
from Chord Progressions For Songwriters 2003 by Richard J. Scott) Every guitarist should
have a working knowledge of how these chord progressions are created and used in popular
music. Click below for the best in free chord progressions lessons available on the web.

Ascending Augmented Progressions

(I-I+-I6-I7)
"Inserting the "C+" (common tone substitution), the "C6" (embellishment), and the "C7" (chord quality
change) in the "C" one-chord progression creates the "C-C+-C6-C7" ascending augmented propression a
shown below.
One-chord progression:

|C / C

/ |C

/ C

/ |

Ascending Augmented:

|C / C+ / |C6 / C7 / |

An example of this type of pedal point is the opening verse progression to Whitney Houston's 1986 hit
The Greatest Love Of All.
The box below shows other examples of this type of pedal point. Notice that the "C-C+-C6-C+" pedal
point has a middle voice line that moves both up and down. The "C-C+-C6" and "C-C+" examples are
further variations (omitted chords) of this type of pedal point." (Excerpt from Chord Progressions For
Songwriters 2003 by Richard J. Scott)

C C+ C6 C7

(You've Got To) Accentuate The Positive chorus (Standard - 1944), Because
verse (Dave Clark Five - 1964), Laughing verse (Guess Who - 1969), Love Will
Keep Us Together chorus (Captain & Tennille - 1975), and Stand Tall verse
(Burton Cummings - 1976)

C C+ C6 C9

Maybe This Time verse (from "Cabaret" - 1966) and Losing My Mind verse
(from "Follies" - 1971)

C C+ C6 C+

Louise A section (from "Innocents Of Paris" - 1929), Match Maker A section

(Standard - 1964), and (Just Like) Starting Over verse (John Lennon - 1980)

C C+ C6 C#o7 For Once In My Life verse (Stevie Wonder - 1968)

C C+ -

Baby Hold On To Me verse (Eddie Money - 1978)

Guitarists should be able to easily play typical ascending augmented progression chord changes in the
most commonly used keys. Below are the chord fingerings I like for various ascending augmented
progressions.
Laughing verse:
A = x07655 A+ = x07665 A6 = x07675 A7 = x07685
Dmaj7 = xx0675 Dm7 = xx0565 C#m7 = x46454 E = 022100
The Greatest Love Of All verse:
E = 022100 E+ = 03211x E6 + = 02x12x E7 = 02x13x
A = x0222x A+ = x0322x A6 = x0422x A+ = x0322x

Stand Tall verse:

G = 3x0003 G+ = 3x1003 G6 = 3x2003 G7 = 3x3003
Cmaj7 = x32000 Cm = x35543 G= 320003 C= 032010
Maybe This Time verse:
C = x32010 C+ = x3211x C6 = x3221x C9 = x32330
F = xx3211 F+ = xx3221 Dm = xx0231 F#o7 = xx1212
As with learning any new progression, you should study it by playing it in all twelve keys. Also, try
substituting the ascending augmented progression where a I chord is used for two or more bars.

Ascending Bass Lines

Ascending bass line progressions are a type of moving bass line progression where the bass notes of
each chord in the progression move higher typically following the "1-2-3-4," "2-3-4-5," "1-2-4-5", or "1-3-45," "1-#1-2-#2," "1-#1-2-5," and "1-2-b3-3" note bass lines. Ascending bass line progressions are popular
with songwriters wishing to create a bright sound. Scott Joplin and other Ragtime writers frequently used
the "IV-#IVo-V7" progression to brighten their songs. Some great popular music of the last century has
been written around ascending bass line progressions such as Ain't She Sweet (1927), Ain't Misbehavin'
(1929), Stormy Weather (1933), Oh What A Beautiful Morning (1943), I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right
Outa My Hair (1949), Like A Rolling Stone (1965), As Tears Go By (1966), I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone
(1967), Love Is All Around (1968), Bend Me Shape Me (1968), Lean On Me (1972), Live And Let Die
(1973), Slow Dancin' (1977), With A Little Luck (1978), My Life (1979), Key Largo (1982), Have I Told You
Lately (1989), and Heart Of The Matter (1990). Three great examples of ascending bass lines are shown
below in the key of C.
Ain't Misbehavin' (Fats Waller - 1929) opening A section progression
[1-#1-2-#2 chromatic pattern]

C / C#o7 /

Dm7 / D#o7 /

C/E / E7#5 /

F6 / Fm6 /

Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan - 1965) opening verse progression

[1-2-3-4-5 diatonic pattern]

C / Dm /

Em / F /

G///

////

Somewhere Out There (Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram - 1987) opening verse progression
[1-3-4-5 diatonic pattern]

Cadd9 / Cmaj7/E /

Fmaj7 / G11 /

Hear a midi of the I-ii-iii-IV diatonic chord stream by clicking here. The Beatles used this progression to
create the verse for their Here, There, and Everywhere.
Click below for the best in free Ascending Bass Lines lessons available on the web as well as links to
various song examples.

Lessons
Ascending Augmented I-I+-I6-I7 Progressions (MoneyChords)
Chord Stream - I-ii-iii Progression (Olav Torvund)
Chord Stream - I-ii-iii-IV Progression (Olav Torvund)
The "Creep" Chord Progression (PSR Tutorial)
Diminished Cliche I-#Io-IV-V Progressions (MoneyChords)
Rock Ballad I-iii-IV-V Progressions (MoneyChords)
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Song Examples
Ai Misbehavin' (MoneyChords)
Ain't
Don't Get Around Much Anymore (MoneyChords)
Do
Hotel California (MoneyChords)
Ho
Like A Rolling Stone (MoneyChords)

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