A Fun Chord Progression Chart for Learning a Guitar Chord Progression

A guitar chord progression chart doesn't need to be complex to sound good.   When musicians look at a chord progression chart they often look for simple chord progressions.  This is especially true with many guitar players.  What is one simple guitar chord progressions?  Where did it come from?

A Simple Guitar Chord Progression and It's Mechanics

One simple guitar chord progression is the I, IV, V, iv chord progression.  In order to understand this progression more clearly we should look at an example. Let's look under the hood of a C major chord progression (A major chord progression is often simply called a chord progression.).

Major Scales and How They Contribute to Progressions

First, we must know the C major scale because it has the same letter name as a C chord.  The C major scale has a C, D, E, F, G, A and B note.  We will call the C note the 1st note and the D note the 2nd note etc.  A chord progression comes from the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th notes.  Therefore, the C chord progression is made up of the C, F, G, and A minor chords (The sixth note leads to a minor not a major chord.).  Now we know how to get major chord progressions.  How about minor chord progressions?

Under the Hood of Minor Chord Progressions

A common minor chord progression is the i, iv, V progression. Let's say we want to find a C minor chord progression.  A minor chord progression is made up of the 1st, 4th and 5th notes.  The 1st and 4th notes become minor chords because the Roman numerals are lowercase (i, iv).  On the other hand, the 5th note becomes a major chord because the Roman numeral  is uppercase (V).  Anyways, the i chord will be a C minor chord.  The iv chord will be a F minor chord.  Finally, the V chord will be a G chord.  How about some different progressions that are not common to rock  or folk music?

Different Chord Progressions

Some common jazz progressions include the ii, V7, I form.  Jazz also has forms like I, vi, ii, V7 and the ascending II, VII, II VII.  Which chord progressions should we learn?

What Beginners Should Study

I would advise beginners to study the I, VI, V, vi chord progression.  Of course, popular musicians do not always use this progression though it's very common.  However, it gives us a basic understanding of music and music theory.  If we know this progression in every key then we can sound very professional despite inexperience.  Of course, we should also know guitar tuning, rythym (I would advise learning basic drumming though it's not the only way.), chord memorization and a basic knowledge of the guitar fretboard chart (root notes, movable chord shapes etc.). Since were discussing scales and thier relations to progressions let's look at chord construction.

What are chords made of?

A major chord is made up of the C, E, and G notes since  C, E and G are the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes in a C major scale.  On the other hand minor chords are made up of the 1st, flatted 3rd and 5th notes of a major scale.  Therefore a C minor chord would have a flatted E.  Finally, 5th chords are composed of only the 1st and 5th notes.  So we can say that a C 5 chord is made up of a C and G note.  Now, let's go back to the main topic.

Conclusion

The guitar chord progression chart are for that matter any chord progression chart isn't difficult to understand.  Of course you don't need to know music theory.  For example, you can simply memorize the C major progression (C, F, G) or the D major progression (D, G, A).  However, knowing where it came from gives us an edge.  For example, some beginner musicians cannot easily play uncommon progressions (For example, a person might want to play a guitar song in C # (sharp)). However, you might be able to easily  figure out an uncommon progression without the aid of a chord progression chart.  In addition, if you can understand the guitar fretboard chart (and movable chords and scales) then you will be able to quickly find the chords themselves not just the progressions.

In conclusion, the guitar highway begins with many things and one is the chord progression chart.