What are the best guitar pitiful chord progressions?

The process of writing a sad chord progression that'll motility your listeners to tears is not an easy thing to practise.

Some people but accept a few modest chords in a particular key and go it over with.

On the other hand, those with some skill and knowledge can create sounds that aside from merely sounding sad, volition likewise allow all emotions to freely be expressed.

If this sounds also complicated, don't worry, because nosotros'll assistance you by providing you with the exact chord progressions and tips on how to brand them even more than unique.

All you have to do is catch your guitar and play!

Table of Contents

  • Sad Guitar Chord Progressions
    • F – Dm7 – F/A – Bb
    • A – C#grand/G# – F#m – D
    • Eb – Bb/D – Cm7 – Bb/D
    • Grand – Em7 – Cmaj7 – C6/D
    • Am – (C – Dsus2)
    • A – C#1000 – B – F#m
    • Fm – Eb – Bb
    • Eastward – A – Due east/G# – (A – D/A) – A
    • A – Asus4 – Dmaj9/F# – D – E6 – Dsus2 – A – Dsus2
    • Am – C – M – Em
    • G – Am – D7 – K – D7
    • F#5 – D5
    • Am – (M – D)
    • A – E/G# – F#g – F#m/E – D/F# – E7sus4 – E7 – A
    • F – C/Eastward – Dm7 – (F – C9sus4)
    • (Bm7 – A/B)x2  – (D/E – E)x3 – D/E
    • F#grand – Asus2 – E5 – Dmaj13
    • D – Bm7 – F#yard
    • D – A/C# – Am6/C – B7 – Em – Em7/D – A7/C# – D – D7 – One thousand – Em7b5 – D/A – A7sus4  – G6/D – D5
    • (A – A7/G) – F#m7 – Em – C# – A – F#m7 – Em – C – (C# – F#seven)
    • C – Cmaj7 – Cadd9 – C – Asus2 – Asus4 – Am – Asus2 – Cadd9
  • What is the saddest key?
  • How to write an emotional melody?
    • i. Follow and utilise notes from the chord progression
    • ii. Loop a melody over a certain amount of time
    • 3. Play extended and longer notes
    • 4. Use vibratos equally much as possible
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Sad Guitar Chord Progressions

F – Dm7 – F/A – Bb

Sometimes all you need to do to create a sad chord progression is just utilise a major key signature and a single pocket-size chord.

The chord progression outlined above does exactly that.

Likewise by being so simple, information technology allows us, guitarists, to add our own melodies to make it even more emotional.

On the other hand, a chord type that you may never use oftentimes enough is the offset inversion of a major chord, which in this case is F/A, as seen below.

I - vi - I6 - IV

This chord is in my stance the nearly of import one of this chord progression since it allows the melody to go back to F major in a more natural and pleasing fashion.

If you're wondering which song uses these chords, you can hear them very clearly on Adele'southward "Piece of cake On Me."

Adele - Easy On Me (Official Video)

A – C#m/G# – F#chiliad – D

Many of the most popular chord progressions yous hear nowadays use some variation of the I to Four change.

It'due south for a good reason as the I chord is the relative ascendant chord to the Four in a major key.

In the central of A major, this chord progression will expect something similar this:

I - iii64 - ii - IV

Although this is a progression firmly rooted in a major key, the descending bass line has a feeling of loss and regret.

If yous're interested in having this same effect, be conscious of the bass notes in your chord progression and how you apply them.

This progression is also from ane of Adele's songs, in this case from her hit "Someone Like You."

Adele - Someone Like You lot (Official Music Video)

Eb – Bb/D – Cm7 – Bb/D

Some other great example of how you lot don't have to utilize a lot of minor chords in guild to create a sad chord progression.

This progression uses merely one and it also implements the same chord (Bb/D) twice to finish the progression and go back to Eb.

In the primal of Eb major, this chord progression would be played like this:

I - V64 - vi - V64

The tune and vocals that yous add to on acme of these chords volition ultimately decide the mood and tone that listeners volition receive.

In other words, you lot can brand information technology very sad or you can also brand information technology extremely motivating and inspiring.

This progression is very similar to Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide."

Fleetwood Mac - Landslide (Official Music Video)

G – Em7 – Cmaj7 – C6/D

We're continuing to bosom the myth that writing in pocket-sized keys is the but style to compose sorry chord progressions.

I won't talk a lot about melodies in this article, merely over again, information technology's very important to stay aware of how it influences the feeling and state of your underlying sequence of chords.

In G Major, this chord progression tin can exist played like this:

I - vi - IV7 - IV

A reason that this ane isn't used as much as others are is that lots of songwriters similar to utilise chords that don't sound equally closely related every bit Em7 and Cmaj7 do.

When you suspension down the notes of these chords, they only differ by one or two split notes.

This progression is used by Lady Gaga in her vocal called "I'll Never Love Again" from the A Star Is Built-in soundtrack.

I'll Never Love Again (from A Star Is Born) (Official Music Video)

Am – (C – Dsus2)

Finally, we're going to talk most a chord progression that'southward a lot simpler.

This is another variation of the I to 4 chord change, except this time we're throwing in the III to increase the tension going towards this change.

i - III - IV

When parentheses are used around two or more chords, that means that the song is calling for you to play those two chords in a single bar.

This chord progression appears in i of the ultimate songs well-nigh resignation, and it's from Johnny Cash's embrace of Nine Inch Nails "Hurt."

Johnny Cash - Hurt (Official Music Video)

A – C#thousand – B – F#m

This progression is a lilliputian unlike considering it doesn't first out on the I chord this fourth dimension.

Anytime you see a progression that doesn't commencement on the I chord, it is probably a modal progression.

In this case, nosotros're using the key of East major, and the progression is A – C#grand – B – F#thou.

IV - vi - V - ii

When you start a progression on the IV chord and stay in the major key of the I chord, you'll exist using the Lydian fashion.

This manner is keen to employ when yous desire to create a dreamier soundscape equally the 4 chord is a maj7 chord.

This progression is used in "Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Rey.

Lana Del Rey - Summer Sadness (Official Music Video)

Fm – Eb – Bb

Fifty-fifty though a lot of chord progressions have been longer, there's no denying the power of a simple iii chord progression.

This one is slightly more than used than the others, but non equally much to express sadness.

i - VII - VI

A lot of times, the key of the song is plenty to send the listener into fits of despair and anguish over lost love.

Just cull a key like C minor, Bb minor, or K# small-scale and you're halfway there.

A typical use of this chord progression comes from "Blue Jeans" by Lana Del Rey.

Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans

Eastward – A – E/Thou# – (A – D/A) – A

Again, getting annihilation from this case may exist challenging if you're not familiar with slash/inverted chords.

Why do so many of our progressions have these different-looking chords?

Yous run across, outside of the guitar, there is a whole globe of harmony and chord progressions that have not been touched upon as much. It'due south all due to the composition of these chords.

For this case, allow's set it in E major again, which will be Eastward – A – Eastward/G# – (A – D/A) – A.

I - IV - I6 - IV - bVII64 - IV

You may recognize this equally the verse/chief chord progression of Elton John's "Candle In The Wind."

The chord Eastward/G# volition not have an East annotation as the bass note. Instead, you'll have 1000#, B, Due east, and then some of the other chord tones depending on the voicing you use.

Candle In The Wind (Remastered 2014)

A – Asus4 – Dmaj9/F# – D – E6 – Dsus2 – A – Dsus2

To continue on the discussion of slash chords, let's expect at this one based in A major:

A – (A – Asus4) – Dmaj9/F# – (D – E6) – Dsus2 – A – Dsus2

The maj9 interval on D corresponds to an East note on top of a maj7 interval (C#).

I - IV6 - V - IV - I - IV

So it's got two common tones with the A chord, and information technology uses a bang-up bass notation out of F#.

What'southward important to empathize though is that, past having a dissimilar bass annotation, you get a different set of intervals together.

Compare D and D/F#:

  • D = D – A – D – F# (when played as the common open up chord XX0232)
  • D/F# = F# – D – A – D (when played as 2X023X)

You lot may recognize these chords in "Simulated Plastic Copse" past Radiohead.

Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees

Am – C – G – Em

The ii- IV – I – half dozen is some other modal progression, just nosotros're using the Dorian mode this time.

Using the Dorian mode is really a bang-up way of making jazz progressions, in this case though, information technology's all difficult stone/metal.

ii - IV - I - vi

Recollect that in order to create a modal progression, the progression should get-go and stop on a chord in a major key other than the I.

These chords famously make up the chief riff of Metallica's "Fade To Black."

Metallica: Fade to Black (Lincoln, NE - September half dozen, 2018)

G – Am – D7 – K – D7

This is a nifty progression to have in your arsenal if y'all're interested in writing country songs or anything more than merely a few regular chords.

If you take never worked with a seventh chord, this is your opportunity to practice so in a very unusual and interesting way.

When we're in the key of G major, this progression volition come up out to be:

I - ii - V7 - I - V7

Detect over again that a chord progression doesn't need lots of small chords to audio sad.

This progression comes from the smashing vocal by George Jones chosen "He Stopped Loving Her Today."

A lot of the power of this chord progression comes from the melody that starts high and then descends into a lower register.

He Stopped Loving Her Today

F#5 – D5

This volition be the simplest one we come beyond in this article so far equally it only uses two chords: i and 6.

In the cardinal of F# pocket-sized this will give us the post-obit chord structure:

i - VI

You may recognize this chord progression as the footing for the terminal song on Nirvana's Nevermind album, called "Something In The Way."

Many minor chord progressions volition have a natural tendency to go to Vii and Vi because these are more stable chords.

They also appeal to our ear's tendency to want to head back to the Five chord, however, this lesson is chock full of ways to avert going directly to the relative 5 of the key you're in.

Nirvana - Something In The Manner (Live On MTV Unplugged Unedited, 1993)

Am – (K – D)

Although we've gone through enough of more than hard musical concepts, there is no shame in just going with a few solid chords to brand your progression.

Every bit long as you know the 7 chords bachelor in every major or minor key, you lot take lots of possibilities for inspiration.

For the ii – I – V in G Major, you'll go Am – G – D:

ii - I - V

If you read our tips about modes in previous sections you'll know that this is a modal progression and that we're in Dorian style.

This chord progression can exist heard on Alice In Chain's "Downwardly In A Hole."

Alice In Chains - Down in a Pigsty (MTV Unplugged - Hard disk Video)

A – Eastward/Grand# – F#m – F#m/E – D/F# – E7sus4 – E7 – A

When you play this progression in A major, you're going to go the famous progression from Eric Clapton'southward "Tears In Heaven."

This progression'due south sadness comes from the skilful apply of bass notes, particularly the F# note.

I - V6 - vi - IV6 - V7 - I

Us guitar players are not as adapted to brand several bass note changes as other instruments like the piano require you to be.

At that place is lots of dramatic potential in using the bass register to create counter melodies and but different chords in general.

Find how Eric Claption uses his left-hand thumb for many of the chords in this progression.

Eric Clapton - Tears In Sky (Official Video)

F – C/E – Dm7 – (F – C9sus4)

For another example of great bass note usage, merely look at this chord progression taken from Prince's "Nil Compares 2 U."

The E in C/E helps us move the progression downwardly in a practiced fashion that doesn't take us totally down similar other progressions we've talked about volition do.

I - V6 - vi7 - I - V7

Another songwriting communication that you should be taking advantage of is to insert seventh chords into your progressions.

Every chord in a major or minor key has a corresponding seventh interval you can use to turn the F into Fmaj7, Dm into Dm7, and C into C7 to name a few examples.

Prince - Nothing Compares two U (Alive At Paisley Park, 1999)

(Bm7 – A/B)x2  – (D/E – E)x3 – D/E

This will be the outset of our longer progressions.

Writing longer progressions is not actually the hard part, simply making a melody that engages the listener long enough to follow along is difficult.

If yous were to play this in B minor, you lot'll become the following progression which corresponds to the one in "Blue" by Joni Mitchell:

(Bm7 – A/B) – (Bm7 – A/B) – D/Eastward – (Eastward – D/Eastward – East) – D/Due east – (E – D/E)

i - VII - i - VII - III - IV

What makes the process easier though, with writing longer progressions, is to use chords together that are very like in limerick like D/E and Bm7.

F#1000 – Asus2 – E5 – Dmaj13

This progression is going to satisfy all the heavy metal lovers out there! We're in a small-scale progression, and using a III chord going down to VII chord in the same central.

This is something you should use more often as it helps build a stronger chord progression due to Vii being a fifth away from III.

In F# modest you'll get something like the progression from Pantera's "Cemetery Gates:"

i - III - VII - VI

Going from a relative Five chord to a relative I, whether in a major or minor key or going exterior the key, is one of the most useful ways to build a strong progression.

This is considering the perfect 5th interval is the strongest musical interval out there to use to connect notes and thus chords together.

Pantera - Cemetery Gates (Official Music Video)

D – Bm7 – F#m

Before we become into the other longer progressions, let's talk about a very simple ane from "Julia" of the Beatle's White Anthology:

In the key of D major, this will be D – Bm7 – F#g.

I - vi - iii

This is a cracking case of what I talked most a few sections ago with using similar chords together.

You lot encounter the D chord has 2 similar notes to both Bm7 and F#m, which is F# and D or F# and A.

This idea of putting chords with several shared chord tones together is i of the most useful tools I encourage y'all to take abroad from this lesson.

It'south too going to be a huge aid with the next two progressions that nosotros're catastrophe our lesson with.

D – A/C# – Am6/C – B7 – Em – Em7/D – A7/C# – D – D7 – G – Em7b5 – D/A – A7sus4  – G6/D – D5

This is a very long chord progression in D major:

I - V - v6 - VI7 - ii - ii - V7 - I - I7 - IV - ii - I - V7 - IV - I

When creating a chord progression like this one, it'south key to remember to do some of the things we've been talking nigh.

That is to reuse chords to keep the progression strong, and to use a V – I chord move wherever y'all tin.

In this case, the ii to V7, VI7 to 2, and I7 to 4 work great to reach the purpose of creating relative V to I chord moves.

Also, find how ofttimes the D chord and notation are used!

This case comes from the main progression of "My Manner" by Frank Sinatra.

Frank Sinatra - My Way (Live At Madison Square Garden, New York Metropolis / 1974 / 2019 Edit)

(A – A7/G) – F#m7 – Em – C# – A – F#m7 – Em – C – (C# – F#vii)

Classical music is full of sad chord progressions reeking of despair, and we couldn't help simply cull one of the best out there.

This 1 is long as well, but actually has several of the same qualities of the other long progression we but did.

VII - VII7 - V7 - iv - II7 - VII - v7 - iv - bII - II7 - V7

C# is the relative V to F#7, and F#m7 has ii chords in common with D, which is the relative I to A and A7.

This information may exist a lot but we're just referring to the V-I relationship that's used throughout all of this music.

What's too keen about this chord progression is the use of the bII (C chord).

Using a chord that doesn't vest to the key you're in is an example of chromatic harmony, which only means that y'all're using notes or chords that don't appear naturally in the primal you're in.

By the manner, a like chord progression can be heard in Tchaikovsky's main theme in Swan Lake.

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake (Swan Theme)

Listening to these chords leaves people with a sense of wanting to "come back home" melodically since information technology sounds like a bridge or a build-up.

This is why oftentimes, it's more than usual to hear musicians go back to Bm – Em or the appropriate chords depending on the key.

Bm-Em

C – Cmaj7 – Cadd9 – C – Asus2 – Asus4 – Am – Asus2 – Cadd9

This chord progression is widely known but full of opportunities to create your own unique versions.

You might recognize this pattern from "Grit in the Wind" by Kansas:

C - Cmaj7 - Cadd9 - C - Asus2 - Asus4 - Am - Asus2 - Cadd9

Although using the verbal chord changes will inevitably make any song sound exactly the aforementioned, what I would encourage you lot to practice is play effectually with the order of the chords and come up with your own patterns.

The point I want to make is that, nowadays, nearly all possible chord progressions have already been used by who knows how many people.

As musicians, is okay to get inspired by other artists to and so create and write our ain music.

If y'all're able to master the ability to put different musical elements together from different songs, then you basically accept an unlimited amount of ideas to work with.

Kansas - Dust in the Wind (Official Video)

What is the saddest key?

There isn't any music theory behind describing what personally feels sad to certain people.

In other words, the answer to this question is very subjective and really comes downwards to the limerick of the piece and the message that the songwriter is trying to share.

You tin write a sad song from a primal that sounds "happy" and you can also write a happy vocal from a key that sounds "sad."

However, for some reason, if you ask this question to multiple people, or even search for its reply only, you'll acquire that:

Nearly musicians find the key of D pocket-sized as the saddest key.

The reason backside this is again, subjective and general consensus.

Here are some common chord progressions in the key of D natural minor:

i – iv – VII Dm – Gm – C
i – iv – five Dm – Gm – Am
i – VI – III – Seven Dm – Bb – F – C
i – Half dozen – 7 Dm – Bb – C
i – iv – V – i Dm – Gm – A – Dm
i – v – VI – VII Dm – Am – Bb – C
i – III – VII – 4 Dm – F – C – Gm

How to write an emotional melody?

Once once more, making an emotional melody is extremely relative and subjective.

Nonetheless, here are some suggestions that yous tin can apply to your songwriting process that will help you compose better emotional melodies:

1. Follow and use notes from the chord progression

If you lot are a beginner and haven't really learned to improvise a solo or create a tune on the spot then your best bet is to utilise notes from the electric current chord that's existence played.

For example, allow's say that the chord progression is Dm – Gm – A – Dm:

Dm - Gm - A - Dm

All the notes in these chords are correct when you play them throughout the progression, with some exceptions.

Slash is known to do this in many of his solos, particularly on "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "November Rain."

He'southward ever very aware of the chord that'southward existence played and uses notes from that same chord to either transition to the next one or create a tune in itself.

If you are able to discover the minor third in a chord, then you can utilize that annotation as your base.

2. Loop a melody over a certain corporeality of time

Looping a melody, especially one that already sounds sad, adds a lot of emotion to your songs.

In the context of solos, this is a great mode of building some tension and making your listeners feel the despair of the music.

On the other hand, if you're trying to write the chief riff, then make sure you pay attending to the way that it matches and meets the beginning of the loop.

A great example of a loop that perfectly goes back to its first note is found in "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones:

The Rolling Stones - (I Tin can't Go No) Satisfaction (Official Lyric Video)

3. Play extended and longer notes

There'southward something nigh extending the right note for more time than expected that allows you to share a deeper and meaningful sentiment with your listeners.

When it comes to sad chord progressions and emotional melodies in general, slow and soft is your best pick.

The length of whatsoever annotation is solely determined by you lot and your own intuition and feel when playing your guitar.

Something similar this allows for a more than personal and intimate connexion since it'due south another way in which yous're essentially talking to your audience.

4. Use vibratos as much as possible

Using vibratos is another great course of communication between your guitar and other people.

A vibrato, for those of you lot that might be unaware:

Is a rapid, slight variation in pitch in singing or playing some musical instruments, producing a stronger or richer tone.

In other words, this is the aforementioned affair as pressing a notation and stretching the appropriate string either up or down multiple times.

The reason vibratos are and then emotional is essentially the continued added expression yous get from doing it and the slight tension that changing the pitch creates.

You can either play a fast vibrato or a very slow ane, this is called the vibrato speed.

In both cases, but make sure that yous're keeping upwards with the tempo of the song and that you're doing so in the most natural and particular style.

Don't overdo it and as well be sure that the annotation that y'all're planning on doing the vibrato sounds right or at the very least that it melodically makes sense.

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