Stringing chords together is like playing matchmaker. Some chords are made for each other, some are mortal enemies, and some take a bit of coaxing to get on. Add the fact that there are millions of chords and you’ll find it’s way tougher than swiping right or left.
We’ve already gone through the iconic I-IV-V progression , but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
We’ve said major chords tend to be ‘happy’ while minor chords are more ‘melancholic.’ That’s a simplification, of course. The flavors of chords should be looked at
How To Use Sad Chord Progressions In A Song?
It happens that no matter the key you’re playing a progression in, the first (I), fourth (IV) and fifth (V) chords will always be major. The second (II), third (III) and sixth (VI) chords will always be minor. We won’t go into the details, but it’s sufficient to know that there are always three major and three minor chords in every key.
And when you play two or more chords in succession, each chord takes on a different voice in relation to the key. Here’s a simple reference chart of their respective nuances:
While the I, IV and V chords are all major, the I chord has a distinctly positive vibe. The IV chord, however, sounds ‘dreamier, ’ while the V chord has a tonality best described as ‘dominant.’ As for the minor II, III and VI chords, most would agree that II sounds the ‘darkest, ’ while III and VI are both distinctly melancholic in their own unique ways.
Sad Guitar Chords And 5 Emotional Chord Progressions
Again, note that these characteristics are relative to the key and its root chord. So a D minor played in the key of C will sound ‘sadder’ than the I chord, a C major. And a G major in the key of C will add a ‘dreamy’ touch to the progression.
Let’s take a look at three basic chord movements commonly used in modern music: I-ii, I-iii and I-vi. In the key of C, the ii, iii and vi chords are, respectively, D minor, E minor and A minor.
This progression starts with the C major and then ascends to D minor. Notice that this progression ends without a resolution—you’ll feel like you should add another chord to ‘complete’ it. This is why the D minor chord is commonly used as a ‘passing chord’; it lacks a strong tonality that can ‘tie up’ a progression.
Common Chord Progressions For Guitar (with Charts)
Swapping the D minor with an E minor produces a ‘dark’ vibe, which is commonly used, to borrow Leonard Cohen’s term, as a “minor fall.” Yes, all the times you cried to Simple Plan—it was probably the E minor at work.
The sixth chord, or A minor (in the key of C major), also channels melancholic vibes. What differs is that it lacks the ‘darkness’ found in the previous one, and can be used to create more of an ‘endearing’ feel.
There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, about 220, 000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary, and millions and millions of written material ever published. Similarly with music, there are just a dozen notes but an uncountable number of songs ever written.
Sad Songs To Play On Guitar [2023]
Which is why it’s helpful to look at songs in terms of their chord progressions. Two comic books, for instance, may share the same type of hero. Yet Superman and Captain America are rather different—even though they’re fundamentally equivalent. And, in music, while Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and The Beatles’ “Let it Be” are different tunes, they have similar chord progressions.
In the key of C, this progression would be: C major, A minor, F major and G major. Try it out with different strumming patterns and in various tempos. Sound familiar?
Songs that use this progression include “All I Have to Do is Dream” by The Everly Brothers, “I will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, and “Every Breath You Take” by The Police.
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Just by shifting the sequence of chords, you’ll end up with quite a different feel. End the progression on the IV, and it’ll lend a ‘dreamy’ vibe to the composition. You’ll hear this progression in tunes such as Mraz’s “I’m Yours, ” The Beatles’ “Let it Be, ” Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry, ” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing, ” just to name a few.
This is an ascending progression that begins with the root chord and goes to the next three chords of the scale. In the key of C, the chords are: C major, D minor, E minor and F major.
The sense of ‘ascension’ is distinct, and hence this progression can be for transiting from one mood to another. Songs that feature it include “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys and “Love is All Around” by Wet Wet Wet.
Songwriting Basics: How To Create A Heartbreaking, Sad Chord Progression
And guess what: You don’t even need to play the root chord to be in the key. A vi-ii-iii progression in the key of C, for instance, is an A minor, D minor and E minor.
This progression deploys all three minor chords of the major scale, so it’s no surprise that you’d get a melancholic vibe from this progression. Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” is a great example of a song built around these three chords.
We’ve only shown you the chords in the key of C. So as an exercise, try transposing these four progressions into another key —you’ll find that although the notes are completely different, the emotional resonance remains the same.
Guitar Chord Progressions
3 “We have this thing in us that we need to excavate and work on together” Mannequin Pussy on embracing positivity together in a bleak worldLuckily there are a handful of chord progressions that will make you cry, weep, wail, and contemplate all your relationships and life decisions.
This progression is sometimes called a sensitive female progression as it was common in 90's alternative songs by women like One of Us, Building a Mystery, and Foolish Games.
But it has been around for a long time with songs like The Passenger, and San Francisco. It is a similar progression to the Four Chords progression and very common.
What Is The Saddest Chord?
P.S. Those Roman Numbers above are a way to denote progressions, in the free download area you find a complete reference about this system.
This is a common progression for jazz standards along with sad songs, as we get Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and Without You when we mix the vi and ii.
This is the progression for While My Guitar Gently Weeps. And chord progressions with descending bass lines often make great sad songs, there is something about moving down in notes that takes our mood with it!
Looking For Some Easy Ways To Create Emotions In Your Guitar Songs?
This is often seen as Am-G-F-E or (A-G-F-E) and is present in songs like I Can't Tell You Why and Science Fiction, Double Feature.
They don't stay strong on their own for long, but add extra melancholy feelings when they are used in songs like November Rain and Let's Stay Together.
Think of all the sad songs where the singer builds to a crescendo or modulates from loud to soft to convey their feelings.
Sad Guitar Chords & Emotional Music Ideas
Guitar effects pedals can also help with chorus, reverb, delay, echo, and all manner of wails and shrieks. In general, you want pedals that can add a dreamlike quality and ambience, nothing like crazy overdrive and distortion.
Drill Down: find more progressions (with chord diagrams for all the keys, not just C) in my complete ebook 52 Chord Progressions.
The rhythms below are great to write sad songs to, pick a key and chord progression up above and try playing along with these grooves.
This Chord Breaks My Hand
If you use one of the progressions above, especially those with minor chords, you will have no problem writing a sad song.
That is if you remember the final pointer to writing a down ditty; a sad song is best written right away, when the sadness is real and raw.
For more chord progressions and new song ideas, you might find useful my ebook 52 Chord Progressions | Learn How To Connect Chords and Create Great Songs , check it out here.Harmony, or the chords that support a melody, is an important element of music, and sad guitar chords and chord progressions are required if you want to write sad and emotional music.
Simple & Easy Guitar Chord Progressions For Beginners
A chord is a collection of notes performed together, whereas a chord progression is a series of two or more chords played in succession.
Every chord expresses a different feeling, and some chords are sad, dark, or depressive in nature. In this lesson, we’ll look at five of them.
When a chord is seen in the context of a chord progression, it expresses emotions more clearly. A chord progression may even contain chords that, when played individually, sound happy or bright, but when played as part of a progression, sound sad. In this lesson, we’ll look at five different chord progressions that convey sad emotions.
Emotional Chord Progressions That Will Make You Cry
However, as you’ll see in some of the examples below, this is not a hard and fast rule, and major chords and chord progressions in major keys can be utilized to portray sadness as well.
There aren’t dissonant intervals within this chord, but it has the other three elements present:
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