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LANDR11 is Emotional
the creative
platform forChord
musicians: audio
mastering, digital
Progressions
distribution, collaboration,
Every Producer
promotion and sample
Should Know
packs.
By Patrick McGuire PRODUCTION TIPS 13 . 08 . 21

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Music plays a lot of different roles in

LANDR is the creative

our lives.

platform for musicians:

emotion. The best way toaudio
But at the end of the day music is
Patrick McGuire is a musician, writer,
about
and educator. He creates music under
connect with your listeners on a
the name Straight White Teeth and

mastering, human
digital
has a great affinity for dogs and
level is through honest,
putting his hands in his pockets.
emotionally rich work.
distribution, collaboration,
Conveying the right emotions when
promotion you
and sample
write songs isn’t easy. But some
chord progressions can evoke

packs. powerful feelings right away.

Today we’re sharing five distinct

moods you can create in your songs
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using emotional chord progressions.

To get the most out of this article,

you’ll need to have some basic
music theory knowledge like how to
build chords and Roman Numeral
Analysis. Take a second to brush up
if you need a refresher.

Epic chord
progressions

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10 Powerful Chord Progress…
Progress… LANDR

LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
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distribution, collaboration,
From the hero’s journey to music that
reflects the power of nature, epic

promotion chord
and sample
progressions turn your songs’
emotional intensity up to eleven.

packs. Our first progression is the active

ingredient in a huge number of hit
tracks—for a good reason. Each
Try it free chord adds a new layer to its
satisfying emotional arc:

This progression can be heard

across many musical genres, from
John Denver’s Take Me Home ×
 Country Roads to The Cure’s A
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Letter To Elise:

The Cure - A Letter To Elise …

LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
mastering, digital
distribution, collaboration,
promotion Butand
epicnesssample
can occur wherever

packs.
there’s heightened emotion. One
progression that never fails to tug at
the heartstrings is the unique cycle
of chords found in Pachelbel’s
Try it free canon:

Pop artists from Vitamin C to Oasis

and Belle & Sebastien have brought
this stately yet epic emotional chord
progression into modern music:

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LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
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distribution,
Sad collaboration,
chord
progressions
promotion Sadness
andis ansample unavoidable part of

packs. life. But it’s also the basis for lots of

great music.

What sounds sad changes from

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person to person, but there’s a few
common chord progressions that
signal sadness right away.

e chord Some chord progressions have

strong associations with a specific
ressions have
era. This one is sometimes called the
g associations “50s progression:”
a specific era.

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 It’s especially common in doo-wop
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music and classic love songs from
the era of pop crooners:

Righteous Brothers - Unchai…

Unchai…

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platform for musicians: audio
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promotion and sample
packs.
Try the 50s progression if you want
to evoke some classy sadness and
nostalgia.

Try it free Here’s another one that’s sure to give

you the blues:

Don’t let the inverted chords or slash

chords in this progression fool you—
it’s based on a simple descending
bass line.
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 Minor chords and downward motion
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combine with a slow tempo to create
an atmosphere of loss and despair:

While My Guitar Gently Wee…

Wee…

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packs.
A variation of this descending minor
progression can be heard on Led
Zeppelin’s rendition of Babe, I’m
Gonna Leave You
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Cool chord
progressions
Coolness is impossible to define. If
you could it wouldn’t be cool
anymore!

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Seventh Chords Explained (…about LANDR

LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
mastering, digital
distribution, collaboration,
Luckily, there are some chord
progressions that can bring a sense

promotion ofand sample

coolness to your tracks.

packs.
From slowed down jams to
meditative tracks, many “cool” chord
progressions are inspired by
complex jazz harmonies.
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m slowed down Here’s an example:

to meditative
s, many “cool” This chord progression appears in
d progressions Chris Isaak’s windswept country
nspired by torch song Wicked Game.
plex jazz
The major IV chord is borrowed from
monies.
the parallel major, providing an
unexpected yet stable resting place
for the moody harmonic sequence:

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LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
mastering,
digital
distribution, collaboration,
This next one has been a staple
chord progression in pop music over

promotion theand sample

past two decades.

packs.
By turning the V chord into a minor, it
subtly surprises listeners to create an
interesting mood:

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Coldplay uses this progression in
multiple songs, including Clocks:

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LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
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Some chord progressions are closely
associated with specific genres.

promotion The
and sample
ii-V-I progression is the

packs.
backbone of almost all of the
standard tunes in jazz. But the ii-V-I
shows up in many different genres
for it’s smooth and nostalgic feel.
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These days you’ll often here it in the
jazz-influenced chord changes in lo-
fi hip-hop.

Depending on how you use it, ii-V-I

can sound sophisticated and
cosmopolitan or cosy and
comfortable due to its naturally
strong dominant-tonic relationship.

Here’s how the ii-V-I is built:

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 And here’s a track that shows how it
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great it can sound in a modern tune:

LANDR is the creative

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promotion Weird
and chord
sample
packs. progressions
Every once in a while, it helps to build
a song on a weird chord progression.
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Borrowing chords from other keys is

a great way to play on your listener’s
expectations and put them in a weird
place.

owing chords
This progression uses an
other keys is a
unexpected major chord to add
way to play on some nice tension. The Arcade Fire
listener’s use this progression for their song
ctations and put The Suburbs:
in a weird place.
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Happycollaboration,
chord
progressions
promotion Happy
and sample
means something different to

packs. all of us. But in musical terms,

predictable progressions with major
chords reflect contentment and
happiness.
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There’s nothing more straightforward

than a simple progression based on I,
IV and V:

But simple progressions like this feel

amazing when used well:

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LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
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To make things more exciting you
can try a progression with a little

promotion more
and sample
tension like this:

packs. In this example II7 acts as a

predominant chord for a gospel style
cadence.
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This extra tension produces an
expectant sound that can feel like
giddy excitement that builds as the
progression develops.

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platform for musicians: audio
mastering, digital
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Another progression that can sound
unexpectedly happy is the 12-bar

promotion blues.
and sample
packs. I know what you’re thinking. Why is a
blues progression doing here in the
happy chord progression session?

Try it free This progression was born from the

blues and is now featured in
countless songs from many genres.

Instead of “happy” or “sad,” this

progression is a blank musical slate
that’s easy to create with.

The verse sections of The Beatles’

Can’t Buy Me Love are great
examples of the 12 Bar Blues
progression in action:

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LANDR is the creative

platform for musicians: audio
mastering, digital
distribution, collaboration,
Emotional
intelligence
promotion These
and sample
emotional chord progression

packs. examples are a great start, but you’ll

need to present them in a
compelling way if you want to
connect with listeners.
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Instrumentation, music production,

and storytelling go a long way in
music.

There’s no perfect formula for

making emotionally impactful music,
so you’ll need to experiment to see
what works for you!

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