Change where the tonic chord is:
-
End on the 'root/tonic/one' chord.
(Am, F, G, C)
-
Don't start with the 'root' chord.
(F, C, Am, G)
-
Save the 'one' chord for the chorus.
(Dm, Am, G, F)
-
Vary how many beats a chord is held.
(1/2 bar, 2 and 1/2 bars, 3 bars)
Change the quality of any chord:
- From major to minor (C → Cm)
- From minor to major (Dm → D)
- To dominant 7 (Am → A7)
- To diminished (G → Gdim)
Connect chords together from above or below:
- (C, F, G, Am) becomes (C Em, F, G, Am)
- (C, F, G, Am) becomes (C Gm, F, G, Am)
Change any dominant 7 chord (e.g., E7) using a
tritone substitution:
- C7 → F#7 is the same as F#7 → C7
- C#7 → G7 is the same as G7 → C#7
- D7 → Ab7 is the same as Ab7 → D7
- Eb7 → A7 is the same as A7 → Eb7
- E7 → Bb7 is the same as Bb7 → E7
- F7 → B7 is the same as B7 → F7
- (Am, D7, G, C) becomes (Am, Ab7, G, C)
- (Fm, Bb7, Eb, Ab) becomes (Fm, E7, Eb, Ab)
Use
chromatic mediants
(
more on chromatic mediants):
- Major third up (C, E, F, G)
- Minor third up (C, Eb, G, Am) or (C, Ebm, F, G)
- Major third down (C/E, A/E, Em, F)
- Minor third down (C, Ab, Em, G) or (C, Abm, F, G)
Use
secondary dominants
(
more on secondary dominants):
- Five of two (Dm): (C, A7, Dm, G)
- Five of three (Em): (C, B/D#, Em, F)
- Five of four (F): (C, C7/E, F, G)
- Five of five (G): (C, D7, G, F)
- Five of six (Am): (C, E, Am, G)
Use
augmented chords
for leading lines, changing keys, and for connecting chords.
- Leading lines
- C, C+ | C6, C+
- C, C+ | C6, C7 | F, Fm | C
- Am, G#+ | C/G, F#m7b5 | Fmaj7
- Cmaj7, C7 | C6, C+ | C, C+ | Dm7 G7
- Changing keys
- C, C+ | C6, C7 | F, Gm, C | F
- C, E+ | A, Am | E
- C, G#+ | C#, C#m | G#
- Connecting chords
- C, C+ | Am, F | C, G
- C, C+ | Dm, G7+ | C
Use
half diminished chords
as a substitute for dominant chords, for connecting chords, and more.
- F, G7 | C | F, Bm7b5 | C
- Bm7b5, E7b9 | Am, Am/G | F, Fm | C
- Em7b5, A7b9 | Dm, G7 | C
- C, Am9 | F#m7b5, Fmaj7 | C
- Am, F#m7b5 | Bm7b5, E7b9 | Am
- C, Am7 | F, Dm7b5 | C
- C, Dm7b5/C | C, Dm7b5/C
Take one of the 5 remaining scale notes and make that the root of a new chord:
- D major has 7 notes: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#
- There are 5 remaining notes: D#, F, G#, A#, C
- Choose one of those remaining notes: G#
- Make a progression: (D, F#m, A, G#7)