Learn to improvise. 2003-2004. Lesson 26: popular chord progressions.

Inventing something new is in fact combining existing things in a new way. Certain chord progressions are popular in chord schemes. Many schemes use the same chord progressions, only arranged in a different way. It comes in handy to make an inventory of chord progressions you like in order to create new chord schemes. You have to select then schemes which fit musically together. Apart from that you have to change or to add some measures until everything runs smoothly. A piece with a 4/4 measure often has 16 or 32 measures.

To create chord schemes in the initial key of C we may use among others the following popular chord progressions.
  1. C - F - G7 - C
  2. C - Cdim - G7 - C
  3. C - Gdim - G7 - C
  4. C - Am - Dm - G7
  5. C - C#dim - Dm - G7
  6. C - A7 - D7 - G7 - C
  7. C - Am - D7 - G7 - C
  8. C - D7 - G7 - C
  9. C - C7 - F - D7 - G7
  10. C - F - C - G7 - C
  11. C - Gm - A7 - D7 - G7 - C
  12. C - C7 - F - Fm - C
  13. C - Fm - G7 - C
  14. C - Am - Ab7 - G7 - C
  15. C - E7 - A7 - D7 - G7
  16. C - E7 - Am - D7 - G7
  17. Em7 - Ebm - Dm7 - G7 - C
  18. Em - A7 - D7 - G7 - C
  19. Em - Am - Dm - Gaug - C
  20. C - Dm - Em - Dm - C
  21. C - Eb7 - Dm7 - G7
  22. C - Ab7 - G7 - C
  23. C - Ab7 - Dm - G7 - C
  24. Gm - A7 - Fm - G7 - C
  25. C - C7 - F7 - C - Ab - G7 - C
  26. Dm7 - G7 - Am7 - Ab7 - G7 - C
  27. C - Dm - E7 - A7 - Cm - D7 - G7 - C
  28. C - C7 - B7 - Bb7 - A7 - D7 - G7 - C
  29. C - Bb7 - C
  30. C - F7 - C
  31. C - Ebm - Dm - Db7 - C
  32. C - Eb7 - D7 - Db7 - C
  33. Am - E7 - Gm - A7 - Fm - G7 - C
  34. Am - G#aug - C - D7
  35. Cm - Fm - G7 - Cm
  36. Ab - G7 - Em - Am
  37. B7 - Em - D7 - G7
  38. F7 - C - Ab7 - G7
  39. E7 - Eb7 - D7 - G7 - C
  40. C - Caug - F - Fm - C - D7 - G7 - C
 To illustrate a procedure to make a new chord scheme, we may start with progression 5 (C C#dim Dm G7). We may have the need to repeat this and choose number 12 (C C7 F Fm C) to close it. So far we have 13 measures. We may add 3 measures at the end to the following scheme of 16 measures:
C - C#dim - Dm - G7 - C - C#dim - Dm - G7 - C - C7 - F - Fm - C - G7 - C - C.

Another example: number 19 may lead to the following 8 measures:
C - Em - Am - Dm - Gaug - Gaug - C - C.

Another example: number 13 may lead to the following 8 measures:
C - Fm - C - Fm - C - Fm - G7 - C.
Of course a scheme may be transposed into another key by counting of keys. E.g. the last scheme in key G looks like: G Cm G Cm G Cm D7 G.
HOMEWORK: Design a chord scheme using the above chord progressions. By any chance add progressions to the list.
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