How to Build Chord Progressions on Guitar Part 3

Subscribe To
This Site

Home > Guitar Theory Lessons > Chord Progressions Part 3

Guitar Chord Progressions - Part 3

In Part 2, we looked at how to use the chord scale, based on the 7 modes, to create simple major key chord progressions. We also learned how we can modify the basic major/minor triads, adding tones to the chords to make the progression sound more interesting.

In this part, we'll look at making minor key progressions and something called "gateway chords", and how to use them to create more dynamic music on guitar.

Minor key chord progressions

Up to now, we've only been looking at major key progressions, where the tonic chord (that's chord I in the chord scale) is a major chord. Now, chord I is based around its relative 1st mode - Ionian which can also be called the natural major scale, because it's the major scale without any sharpened/flattened notes unlike the other major modes.

Therefore, to create a minor key progression we need the tonic chord to be...(well I'll be damned) a minor chord.

This, as you probably guessed throws the whole chord scale out of order. Well, not really, all we have to do is shift the scale so Chord I becomes relative to the natural minor scale. The natural minor scale is the same as 6th mode Aeolian. Look at the regular major key chord scale below, and pick out the 6th chord...

OK, now this 6th minor chord is our tonic and the chord cycle continues from there... to make life easier I'll draw up a new scale based around this minor tonic...

Remember, when we note a chord progression in this format, the lower case numerals indicate a minor chord, so if you see a lower case i, you know that means the tonic chord is minor and the progression will be based on that scale above.

So, if we just use the basic major/minor triads, that minor chord scale in the key of B minor (just for example), could be played as follows...

click tab to hear!

So, just like in last lesson with the major key chord scale, start and end with the tonic (B minor in this case), pick any of those chords from that scale above and in any order, and you get a minor key progression. That's a very simple way to do it. You can also see how if we play that relative 6th mode, the natural minor (or Aeolian) scale, it fits over every chord in that scale...

Left Click to Play, Right Click to Save

Let's now move on to look at how we can in fact alter some important chords in the scale and add chords to the scale to make progressions more interesting...

Altering chords in the scale for tension

As you probably guessed, the major and minor chord scales we've been using in the past 3 lessons are not the be-all and end-all of music, of course not. They are merely a base for western music (and have been for centuries). A lot of songs you'll hear will just use the chords straight from the scale, but we can do better than that (note to self: music is not a competition)!

Let's use the B minor chord scale from above in these examples. Say you wanted to create that tension before you return to the Bm tonic. Well, from the scale above, you could use F#m (F sharp minor), or A major - these two chords played before Bm act as tension chords. However, you could also play F# major in place of the minor version...

...Has a very unique tension, and that's because a major V chord in a minor key progression gives it that flavour. You'll learn which chords provide different flavours over time.

Here's another similar progression from the Bm chord scale using that V major tension chord...

This time we also used F#7sus4 before the F#7 major chord to add more tension. So it still fits, even though "the scale says" it should be F# minor in the V position! Trust your ears and experiment.

Let's go back to the major key chord scale for a second for another example of how chords can be changed in the scale from major to minor.

So, if we were in the key of E major ( click here to see the E major chord scale!), we could play around with a few of the chords to see what changing majors to minors/minors to majors would produce. Take a listen...

We started with the tension of IV (A major in this case), but we modified that to an A minor - this sounds great as tension before returning to the tonic. The other modified chord was the ii chord (F#m) which became major

The more you experiment and play around with the chord scale, the more your ear gets trained on which chords will sound right before you play them. Another example - changing the V chord (B major in this example) to minor...

Obviously, when you change tones of chords (e.g. from major 3rd to minor 3rd tones) the scale(s) you can play over the progression change - this is where knowing when to hit the right notes comes in, and this will be covered in the lead guitar section of the site!

Gateway chords

Gateway chords are basically chords used in a progression that aren't even in the chord scale, but act as a logical "link" between chords that are in scale.

A good example of a commonly used "gateway chord" with the major key chord scale is a major chord half a step above the ii chord, and therefore half a step below the iii chord. Again, let's use the E major key as an example, so G major could be used as a gateway chord. Take a listen by clicking the tab below...

Of course, it doesn't HAVE to be used between the ii and iii chords in a progression, that was just an example. Again, experiment, mess around, create. I can't cover every possible combination I'm afraid!!

Another common "gateway" chord is a major chord a whole step below the major tonic chord. I really like it used in the following clip because it makes the progression so alive and ecstatic.

So the D major (or powerchord if like that you're turning up the gain!) acts as a gateway between the tonic E major and the V tension chord B major.

You can also have a mix of the two we've been looking at - modified chords within the chord scale also act as gateway chords because they are like mini-tensions throughout the progression, before you even get back to the tonic. E.g. starting back on E major as the tonic, if the iii chord, which is a minor in the scale, is turned into a major chord, the III then becomes the tension before, say, the vi chord! So the point is, you don't always have to use tension for returning back to the tonic. The more you do away from the tonic, the more of a journey you take your listeners on.

Take a listen...

Bit of a jazzy clip there, and a good example of how tensions can be used through gateway chords away from the tonic. The minor iii chord from the scale has been major-ized (NOT a real word, I know) to provide tension before C#m7 (the vii chord). Also, the minor ii chord from the scale has been turned into a major with added tones for more tension. The final tension, or what I like to call the pre-tonic tension occurs with the B7sus2 - a natural tension of the major chord scale if you remember.

We're starting to use that chord scale to good effect now and getting more creative which can only be a good thing! The key is to use that chord scale (whether it's the major key scale or minor key scale) as a foundation and then when you write the song you can weave in those gateway chords, modify chords, add tones to chords and just have fun trying things out.

The way you use the actual chords in progressions is a different kettle of fish. You can learn how to construct chords on your own for any key right here.

Next lesson is the last for building chord progressions and we're going to be looking at the all-important changing key. Knowing how to change key effectively is important and rewarding to know. It'll be just what you need to push your own music a step further, opening up your "options" almost infinitely. Changing key can often change the whole mood of a song in a split second and wow your listener.

So when you're ready (and you do need to be!) use the links below.

See you soon!

Go Straight to Part 4
Back to Top of Chord Progressions Part 3
Return to Guitar Lessons Home

footer for chord progressions page