• Join the A7X Discord!

    We're updating the community and moving all social content from the community to the Discord. All lessons related conversations will still take place here though! Join the Discord below and view the full announcement for more details

    JOIN THE DISCORD VIEW THREAD

Chord progression challenge

idssdi

Sold-out Crowd Surfer
Nov 11, 2019
5,336
6,754
Groningen
11
Since there are never enough challenges and chord progression a are the foundation for any melody/solo you hear it is important to train writing chord progressions

Basically what the challenge is is you take a scale, let's say locrian, you study the chords inside the locrian scale and most importantly the chord progression should be in locrian(it resolves back to the vii chord of the major scale)

It helps you train writing chord progression but also how to write in a specific key
 
Last edited:

Chris Johnston

Music Theory Bragger
  • Nov 11, 2019
    759
    10
    1,883
    29
    North Ayrshire, Scotland
    14

    Here's my take on an F# Locrian Progression. I tried to do some voice leading so that there was a melody on top too. Although it goes back to the F# Min7b5 at the end of each round of chords, I can't help but feel like it's leaning more into C Lydian just before it goes back. Locrian is so tricky because it's usually a leading chord/passing chord in a progression haha, so making it the Key Centre all the way through is proving difficult :LOL:
    Let me know what you think and thanks for the challenge @Ids Schiere !
     
    • Like
    Reactions: carlosmqr

    idssdi

    Sold-out Crowd Surfer
    Nov 11, 2019
    5,336
    6,754
    Groningen
    11

    Here's my take on an F# Locrian Progression. I tried to do some voice leading so that there was a melody on top too. Although it goes back to the F# Min7b5 at the end of each round of chords, I can't help but feel like it's leaning more into C Lydian just before it goes back. Locrian is so tricky because it's usually a leading chord/passing chord in a progression haha, so making it the Key Centre all the way through is proving difficult :LOL:
    Let me know what you think and thanks for the challenge @Ids Schiere !
    Nice, I like it!

    I'll share mine later, I decided to use a German augmented sixth chord which sounds pretty nice in this context.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Chris Johnston
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Chris Johnston

    Music Theory Bragger
  • Nov 11, 2019
    759
    10
    1,883
    29
    North Ayrshire, Scotland
    14
    The tricky part of F#m7b5 is you can't really do it before or after an E chord(like any chord). It's a substitution for Am6 so that can result in it resolving to Am or E instead of F#m7b5 so you're not in Locrian anymore 😅


    Haha I get you man! it's uber tricky :LOL: I think it all depends on context with that one too, like how long you can get away with sitting on the chord it resolves to (not long in this case) and the rhythm of your progression. Like jumping to the E minor for 1 beat and back sitting on the F#m7b5 can work, the same with Am. But yeah because of the nature of the chord's function in it's Major Key, your ears are quick to try and hear any move as a resolution into one of the 'nicer' sounding modes.

    The way I tried to get around it in my Progression was to sit mainly on the F#m7b5 and then quickly cycle through the chords that root notes make up the rest of an F#m7b5 arpeggio (Am11, C lydian voicing/Cmaj7, Emin7) - then I quickly sat on a Bmin7 to resolve it back to F#mb75

    It's a great exercise though! Because it really forces you to consider these things :love:
     
    • Like
    Reactions: idssdi