Three Chords that Always Sound Good
If you have ever tried to write a song or a chord progression, you may have found that what you have written lacks “direction”. Specifically, you may have noticed how it is difficult to write a chord progression that makes a song end satisfactorily. Well, unless you know how to do it, and by the end of this lesson you will definitely know how to do it!
One of the factors giving “direction” to a musical phrase is the inclusion of some short chord sequences called “cadences” in specific points of the phrase (typically at the end of it). While there are many types of cadences (authentic, deceptive, half, plagal), today we are going to see only one of them, the “authentic cadence”.
The Cadence Formula
So, let’s see the magic formula first, and then we will see how to apply it. A major cadence is composed by the 2nd chord of the scale, followed by the 5th chord of the scale, followed by the 1st chord of the scale. It is also called “The 2nd-5th-1st” in colloquial speaking. In a C major scale, the cadence will be: Dm, G, C. (sometimes the G is played as G7). Now, go forth and play these chords. You can play them in the traditional “open strings” way:
Or you can play them in a more sophisticated way:
In either case you can hear how after the cadence the song can safely end: the cadence has a conclusive sound.
Use #1: to Close a Song
This is of of the cadence’s natural uses. You simply end your chord progression with a 2nd-5th-1st and you are sure that the song has been ended properly. Mind, this is not the ONLY way to do it, but it is by far the most common. As an example, try to play this chord progression: C Am Dm G7 C. You can hear how the song ends after the C chord. This is useful trick if you have a longer chord progression too, like: C G Am F C Em Dm G C. Hear how the last three chords effectively end the progression.
Another more subtle use is this: if you do NOT want your song to end, then avoid the cadence completely, or just play it in an incomplete way. Playing only the 2nd and the 5th chords and then moving to another chord (not the 1st) gives a sense of “false ending”. Try with this (cadences indicated in bold): C Am Dm G7 F Em Dm G C. See how the first time the song seems to end, but it doesn’t, while the second time the song actually ends.
Use #2: to Establish a New Key
Every now and then we want to make a song change key, for instance moving from the key of C major to the key of G major. This is called modulation. The problem here is to make the key change clear so that not to confuse the listener. One of the easiest way to establish the new key is to play a cadence in the new key. Let’s make an example. Let’s say we are moving from C major (cadence: Dm G C) to G major (cadence: Am D G). We need first to establish the key of C, then when we actually move to the key of G, wee need to establish it too. Here is an example of how things may go (cadences indicated in bold): C Dm G C F Am D G. The first cadence tells us we are in the key of C. The second one signals the moment we are moving to the key of G. After that we can continue the chord progression in the key of G, and since we just played the major cadence in G, it will sound natural.
After you learn about the major authentic cadence, your next step is to learn the other cadnces and how to use them in Guitar Chord Progressions so that you will be able to recognize them when you meet them and write songs with them too. Click below to learn more:
