Sad Chords

Sad Chords. Sad chords allow for complex emotional concepts meanings and states to flow through your music This quality makes songs renowned for their emotionally potent power so memorable It is this same magic as well that helps make emotional films and other media so impactful.

I – V – Vi – IVI – Vi – IV – VIV – V – Vi – IIV – V – III – IVI/3 – Visus2 – V – ViI – Vi – III – VIII – I/7 – Iv/B4 – ViI – VII – IV – IVI – VII/1 – Vi – V7Sad Chords Progressions Final ThoughtsExample C | G | Am | F In some ways this is one of the “happier” of sad chord progressions represented here But there’s just something about it Even though the first chord in the progression is a major putting the vi third in order somehow draws out a touch of melancholy And it seems to have that effect no matter what speed you play it at which is quite surprising Oftentimes sadder songs are slower You’ll probably recognize this progression from a song like John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads” (although there’s a little more to that song than just this progression) This might not be the right chord progression for the ultimate sad song But for songs that express a feeling of longing and a bittersweet emotion this one is worth a try Example C | Am | F | G Now in a way this is just going to seem like a reordering of the same chord progression you’ve already seen And in some ways it is! But that is the magic of music that you can cover a lot(and I do mean a lot) of ground with just four chords Try mixing up the order of these four chords yourself and you’ll see exactly what I mean You might recall this specific progression from the chorus of The Penguins’ “Earth Angel” And upon first listen it does have a pinch of sentimentality to it But there is a difference between “sad” and “slow” and ballads like “Earth Angel” are often just slow with a happy chord progression (same thing could apply to The Pussycat Dolls’ “Stickwitu” – not sad just slow) So beware of playing this progression fast! It’ll just sound like a punk song which all tend to sound kind of happy If you want this chord progression to come across as sad then be sure to pick your moments and play it slowly Think about how the progress Example F | G | Am | C This is a dramatic sounding chord progression with plenty of potential And in some ways it takes after the chorus in Mr Big’s “Take Cover” The suspense comes from the first chord in the progression being the IV rather than the I and it naturally wants to resolve to the V But it becomes suspenseful once more as you change to the vi and the I followed by the vi instead of sounding like a major chord just sounds like an inversion of the vi (and it sort of is) For guitarists there’s something quite magical you can do with this chord progression in the key of E You can leave the first two strings open the whole time so if you’re playing fifth string roots it makes the IV chord a sus2 followed by a sus4 m7 and finally a big 5 (power chord) You can also keep the chords and layer a constant harmony over top (like a repeating riff) and that can produce an emotional effect too Like I said it’s a chord progression with a lot of potential and it so Example F | G | Em | F Mariah Carey’s chartbreaking 2005 hit “We Belong Together” was written entirely around these four chords – well technically three No the song does not have any other chords in it and the basic rhythm carries throughout But we’d be lying if we said we didn’t think it had some merit What’s most interesting about it is that the I and vi chords never appear in the song So even though there’s no question what key this song is in(C major/A minor) it never resolves And that provides the backdrop to Mariah’s passionate virtuosic vocals I think this progression has a lot of potential especially considering you could mix and match it with other chord progressions even those on this list! Now don’t forget Adding some harmony to these chords can make them “pop” The IV works great as a maj7 and the iii as a m7 Experiment and see if you can come up with your own variations Example C/E | Fsus2 | G | Am This is a magical little chord progression that wouldn’t quite work without the C/E slash chord and the Fsus2 suspended chord It tends to sound plain without them and it doesn’t evoke the same level of emotion The E bass note is basically anticipating the ascending line that goes E F G A which packs an emotional punch The progression wouldn’t sound the same without the first slash chord The progression starts to sound even more mature if you turn the V into a suspended chord and the vi into a m7 I’ve used this chord progression in a couple of my songs (especially since they were quite similar thematically) And I thought I’d discovered something relatively unique To my surprise this is basically the same chord progression used in the chorus to Don Henley’s “New York Minute” except with different timing In that song the VI chord basically lasts two measures while the V and vi chords get half a bar each Also the guitarist carries the bass Example Am | F | C | G Though quite simplistic this chord progression is one of my favorites The basic structure of EagleEye Cherry’s “Save Tonight” relies on this progression Played slowly it tends to create a melancholy feel over which a powerful melody can be sung In an upbeat context this progression turns from sad to serious When you have a message that you want to hammer home in your song this is not a bad sequence of chords to explore It is a little trite though so it can’t hurt to avoid “zombie” chords You know the same old stock chords you’ve played a million times (on the guitar it would be threenote open chords with no added harmony and on the piano it would be triads with a root bass) With this progression you can turn the i chord into a m7 the VI into a maj7 or add9 chord the III tends to sound good as is but the VII could become a sus4 (or you could quickly shift between a standard major and sus4) There are obviously many other ways of spicing u Example Am | Am/G | D/F# | F This one might seem a little odd at first But try playing it You’ll probably immediately recognize it as The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” So what’s going on with this chord progression? Let’s ignore the slash chords for just a second You end up with Am Am D and F Now this is a little odd because the iv chord would generally be a minor chord in the key of A minor – in other words a Dm Well the best sounding chord progressions aren’t always within the realm of what one might consider “normal” But the main reason the Dm is a D here is because of the chromatically descending bass line (minus the G#) It’s going A G F# and F And this tends to create a lot of suspense Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4” follows a similar progression except with a V chord at the end (that’s a whole other story) Although chord progressions can’t be copyrighted this one should certainly be employed carefully It would be a good idea to put your own spin on Example Am | G | D | D This progression probably looks like a simplified version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” But you’re also probably still wondering “what’s the deal with the D major anyway?” Obviously the “right” chord in key would be Dm Well music theory is a funny thing as there are many ways to explain this But perhaps the simplest explanation is that it’s borrowing from the parallel major key (in the key of A the IV chord would be D) This chord progression is the underpinning of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” which has an exotic mysterious feel to it Isn’t it magical that he gets away with using such a simple chord progression to convey such deep emotion? This chord progression does sound good at just about any speed except when you play it faster At higher tempos it certainly loses its mysterious and exotic quality It starts to sound more like a Lynyrd Skynyrd jam session (which is not a bad thing) So don’t abuse the progression But if you use it wisely Example Am | G/A | F | E7 Speaking of Don Henley This chord progression is the essence of The Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why” And here’s a little trick – moving from the V7sus4 to V7 in the final measure is far more effective than just going straight to the V7 The second chord in the progression – the slash chord – is quite important A lot of people hear a different chord there but if you listen carefully to “I Can’t Tell You Why” the bass note doesn’t change during that measure So you want to create a subtle colorful G/A voicing perhaps using three notes (like A G and B) Aside from that just experiment and see what you can come up with Playing the chord progression exactly as is can be thrilling but with some changes to the rhythm and voicings (and even harmonies) you can do some interesting things with this The V7 at the end at higher speeds will give you a bit of a Spanish flavor so if that’s not what you’re after beware Slower tempos are good Putting your Don’t forget – chord progressions don’t have to be limited to four bars – they can be much longer! Nor do they need to fit nicely into symmetrical beats and patterns You can shorten some chords lengthen others create transitions between each and more The above is just a starting point There are plenty of other chord progressions out there (you’ll notice we didn’t even touch the ii or vii° in the above progressions although the vii° isn’t often used in songs) What you layer above the chords also makes a big difference So pay attention to your melodies bass lines and any other harmonies you include in the song because they can all contribute to the feel of the song Enjoy your writing!.

9 Sad Chords Progressions That’ll Stir Listener’s Emotions

Sad chord progressions Sadness is an unavoidable part of life But it’s also the basis for lots of great music What sounds sad changes from person to person but there’s a few common chord progressions that signal sadness right away Some chord progressions have strong associations with a specific era.

Ultimate List of 20 Sad & Emotional Chord Progressions in 2020

Someone that&#39s afraid to let go uh Dm Em You decide if you&#39re ever gonna let me know (yeah) Am C Suicide if you ever try to let go uh Dm Em I&#39m sad and low yeah I&#39m sad and low yeah Verse Am C I gave her everything Dm Em She took my heart and left me lonely Am C I&#39ve been broken heart&#39s contentious Dm Em I won&#39t fix I&#39d rather weep Am C I&#39m lost then I&#39m foundbut Dm Em It&#39s torture being in love Am C I love when you&#39re aroundbut Dm Em I fuckin&#39 hate when you leave.

SAD CHORDS by Bo Burnham @ UltimateGuitar.Com

Someone that&#39s afraid to let go uh Dm Em You decide if you&#39re ever gonna let me know (yeah) Am C Suicide if you ever try to let go uh Dm Em I&#39m sad I know yeah I&#39m sad I know yeah [Verse] Am C I.