I just learned this

[i-watermelon john]

These chords really sound so well together


I'm using the : I vi IV V


E C#m A B

G Em C D

A F#m D E

C Am F G


anyway just thought I'd pass this along

I really was taken how well them chords sound played in each key

[mikeyBoab]

Absolutely, these are all used in a number of songs.

C Am F G - "those magic changes" and "where have all the flowers gone" to name but two . . . . .

[olly]

Yep a great chord progression there. Are you going to start writing a new song based on these?

[i-watermelon john]

Yep a great chord progression there. Are you going to start writing a new song based on these?

I know that finding this out will help me choose chords faster now to songs I'll be writing. I usually never play a chord first though, always the lyrics, then try to match my voice with a chord, but knowing this will give me a song structure (using chords in a musical sense) that I haven't had known before. It was just all by ear and what sounded good to me.

[olly]

On someones recommendation I have just bought a book called " how to write songs on guitar" by Rikky Rooksby.

I m so far very impressed with the information contained within it. In the first couple of chapters you get given examples of loads of chord progressions like this as well as examples of what songs use them.

The book then goes on to describe song structure, rhythm, melody, lyrics etc though I have not got to these sections yet.

You can quickly see the more popular progressions that are used as there are loads of song examples, such as the progression mentioned above.

One interesting point that he makes, is that if you can make something sound great out of a non popular chord progression it will instantly sound unique. The example he gave is of the song "light my fire" by The Doors. It has that two chord progression that you would struggle to find in any other song. As soon as these two chords are played together, it instantly sounds like the this song due to how unique putting these two chords together sounds!

It is well worth a read, especially if you want to get into trying more popular chord progressions and seeing how different songs tick!

I am hoping that this book, as well as my other songwriting analysis will really help me write some of my own music!

I still haven't written anything yet but I feel the day is ever getting closer ( I have been saying this for around ten years now though!!!)

[barbaric_mustard]

That sounds like a good book. Writing songs has always been a weak point.

[olly]

yep well worth a read if you are keen to improve songwriting! So many ideas to get you going!

[naciketas]

I can hear that in Eric Clapton's 'My Father's Eyes' It begins with

E C#m A B