what chord progression do you think is most overused (also an unrelated question)

[horacexgrant]

what chord progression is used too much in neoclassical/heavy metal/prog rock/power? what key it is in doesnt matter btw.

i will list mine from the perspective of the key of E.

1) E minor to D major to C major, or any variation of it

2) the harmonic minor thing from say E to F

i have more, but would liek to hear from you guys.

also if anyone reads this, what's the best way to record your own songs via computer microphone. I use audacity, and i wuld only rate that a 6.5/10

 

[Yngvai X]

If I ever hear another cycle 5 again I'll vomit.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I IV V I. Must die. Especially in power chord form.

For question 2, Cubase SX 3 or Logic if you have a Mac.

 

[razoredge]

I'm less about what the progession is as the rhythmic value thats applied to it.

 

[noble savage]

ii V I, even with a good old Tritone Sub gets very annoying in Jazz Standards. It is fun to improvise over, though.

 

[Ben101]

I find in a lot of metal, especially in bands that take influence from southern/blues style that the 1, flat3, 4, flat5 variation is used to death. Just about every heavy metal and hard rock band i know of has used this, main abusers of this are definately Pantera, modern Annihilator, Down, Lamb of God and too many others.

I think it is a good progression to use if you can jazz it up a bit, but I can't stand it when bands use it on many songs on one album. I believe SX even use it abit on the last few albums.

 

[schenkadere]

Creative rhythm, melody and orchestration is will make the mundane exciting and interesting. There's not a chord progression you can come up with that hasn't been done before.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I find in a lot of metal, especially in bands that take influence from southern/blues style that the 1, flat3, 4, flat5 variation is used to death. Just about every heavy metal and hard rock band i know of has used this, main abusers of this are definately Pantera, modern Annihilator, Down, Lamb of God and too many others.

I think it is a good progression to use if you can jazz it up a bit, but I can't stand it when bands use it on many songs on one album. I believe SX even use it abit on the last few albums.

your picture..... is awesome.

 

[Ben101]

your picture..... is awesome.

Thankyou. Garth = Boss.

 

[Yngvai X]

I like when bands take common progressions and mix em up a bit, or try to structure them differently. I know I like to do that in my writing. Example: the Sea of Lies solo section where Romeo and Pinnella do that unison/harmony (that crazy tapping part, for all the guitarists out there). Thats all inside of your standard bVI bVII Im chord progression that Maiden has overused to death, but because of how they're outlining the chords with the melody they're playing on top, you don't hear it as such.

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

ii V I, even with a good old Tritone Sub gets very annoying in Jazz Standards. It is fun to improvise over, though.

Yeah, the ii-V has got to go.

And I'm with Matt. It's all about taking common progressions and dressing them up a bit differently to get something that sounds new. They're common for a reason - there are opportunities for some smooth voice leading and whatnot, so don't shy away from something just because certain genres have beat it to death.

 

[razoredge]

its been along time since I've thought about what progressions I was actually using (dont play other peoples) This is making me think though. I dont know anything about that bVII bVI your talking about ? I'm only capable of understanding things in major keys (not modes or minors, excluding minor blues) and have noticed I mostly use the keys of C, G, A & E due to my necessity of using that lowest E in standard tuning somewhere in most progressions. Then I seem to like some F to E intervals so that always throws me into the key of C everytime. I worry about these things but it doesnt seem to stand out as reguratated to me. I'm most thrilled about anything I come up with that uses chromatics, key changes or some harmonic minor(I think). Just wish I knew what the hell I was playing.... lol. Shame I didnt get more theory because like I said I always translate by use of major keys and basic theory... is this a bad thing ? I figure Im missing other interesting ideas.

 

[ABQShredHead]

Nah - minor is all based on major anyway. If it works for you, your ear is probably telling you it's good. All they are referring to is the scale degrees of the chords. For instance, bVII and bVI in the key of C would be Bb and Ab. (C = I, D = ii, E = iii, F = IV, G7 = V7, A = vi, B = vii°7, where capital Romans are major chords and lower-case Romans are minor chords, per the modal degrees of C Major).

And if we did away with ii-V7, what would become of Jazz? There are plenty of other substitutions beyond the tritone which will bring enough flexibility to what you're doing (IVmaj7 for iimin7, iiimin7 or vimin7 for Imaj7, vii°7 for V7 to name the simples).

 

[razoredge]

yep, thats the way I've always done it. or I should say did it. With metal I dont use any 7ths to speak of, just various M/m diads and the one aug/dim diad. Abuse the heck out of M/m 7ths for the sweet stuff and love the 13th, just applied the M6th to a few things and some other odd ball I picked up from some jazz method site, dont have the chart infront of me so I dont recall what it was... pretty much a bar from the A to the E string with the middle finger up one fret on the B string, guess that would be like a m7th with a whole step flat 5 I think the roote is off the A string. So I bet thats a m7b5 ? I have issues with the V DOM 7th but have used it some. With blues Im abusing the heck out of the ? like E-Ab-D triad, then ya have to add the pinky on the G for that conclusive V chord at the end of the progression. Thanks ABQ

 

[SyXified]

I like when bands take common progressions and mix em up a bit, or try to structure them differently. I know I like to do that in my writing. Example: the Sea of Lies solo section where Romeo and Pinnella do that unison/harmony (that crazy tapping part, for all the guitarists out there). Thats all inside of your standard bVI bVII Im chord progression that Maiden has overused to death, but because of how they're outlining the chords with the melody they're playing on top, you don't hear it as such.

I found with that Sea of Lies progression it seemed a unique twist during early listens, but then as the tapping lick started to make more sense, it wandered back into the realm of a somewhat trite, predictable progression. Especially with the lack of rhythmic variation between the chord changes. That lick just does not hold the same mystique it did when I first heard it, which is a common occurrence with anything over a familiar progression. I tend to feel that the best enduring progressions are the ones that actually sound a little odd or unnatural at first and then, as you come to understand them better, they are more enjoyable (and not the other way around as occurs with familiar progressions). For example the lengthy progression in Communion under 'raise our hands up to the sky...' has a lot of strange steps if you just play it on guitar, but the way they orchestrate it into a meaningful amalgamation gives it a unique power that makes it more enduring.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

I'm less about what the progession is as the rhythmic value thats applied to it.

Agreed.

 

[Meedleyx10]

yep, thats the way I've always done it. or I should say did it. With metal I dont use any 7ths to speak of, just various M/m diads and the one aug/dim diad. Abuse the heck out of M/m 7ths for the sweet stuff and love the 13th, just applied the M6th to a few things and some other odd ball I picked up from some jazz method site, dont have the chart infront of me so I dont recall what it was... pretty much a bar from the A to the E string with the middle finger up one fret on the B string, guess that would be like a m7th with a whole step flat 5 I think the roote is off the A string. So I bet thats a m7b5 ? I have issues with the V DOM 7th but have used it some. With blues Im abusing the heck out of the ? like E-Ab-D triad, then ya have to add the pinky on the G for that conclusive V chord at the end of the progression. Thanks ABQ

You're getting closer....

If the chord you're describing in the part I put in bold is (from lowest to highest) D-G-C-F-A then it's a Dm11. For it to be a m7b5, the second note from the bottom (the one on the D-string) would have to be an Ab. Adding "b" to a note only lowers it one half-step/one fret.

Not sure what issues you could be having with the V7 chord (for the record....just putting "7" is all you need in order for it to be "dominant", you don't need to write out "dom" or "dominant"). It's one of the most used chords in music. I can guarantee that if you've ever listened to music in the past 400 or more years, then the sound is one you are very familar with. Is it just a concept or theory thing that you're having an issue with?

The E-Ab-D chord is actually an E7. It should be spelled E-G#-D. The G# and the Ab are the same note, enharmonically speaking (i.e. they sound the same) but spelling does make a difference. The reason it is not technically a triad even though you are only playing three notes is that the notes you are playing (E-G#-D) can't be stacked in 3rds. So even though you're ommitting the 5th...you're playing an E7. Adding the G (g natural, just so I'm being clear) makes it an E7#9....the Hendrix chord! If we wanted to be technical, the "G" is more correctly named "Fx" (F double-sharp....the "x" is the closest thing on the keyboard to the correct symbol), but in rock and blues especially, the major 3rd and minor 3rd are often interchangeable and I don't know anyone who would make a fuss of someone calling it "G".

 

[razoredge]

Thanks Meeds, If I had taken the second to analize the notes I would have known that was a 7, but instead I compared it quick to the sound of the other 7th fret : E-B-D-G#-B... E7 and gave her a quick no, must be the extra two B's or something, thats the one I dont like much, say for a blues, 1-4-5, it just sounds _____ ... I dont have the word. So it must be the use of the 5th (B and two of them) altogether that is unpleasent for my taste in the typical blues application.

I was unaware that a triad HAD to be 3rds or at least forgot, (seems some bells might be ringing, now) but Im still a bit confused. Does this mean triads are only Major & minor, no 7th's 9ths, 13ths, ect ? This becomes more obvious on paper Im willing to bet.

You lost me on the double sharp F, is this because G isnt in the key or something ? I dont get this at all for some reason. But that cant be, I would use this E7#9 chord to conclude an A minor blues progression and there is a G in A blues (C pent). Yeah, Im lost.

Anyhow, that D11 is one sweet chord where I placed it in this one particular progression. I think I screw proper key sigs all to hell.

chords : using easy bars on D-G-B-E strings, in other words played on the upper 4 strings : 5th fret : G-C-E-B (Cmaj7 ?).... 4th fret: F#-B-D#-A (B7 ?).... 2nd fret: E-A-C#-G.... (A7 ?)..... then first position Fmaj7: F-A-C-E, then the D11 then the G13 and back to the beginning. I guess maybe I use kind of a slow swinging jazz blues groove, my best effort at a rhythmic description anyhow. Pass down the first 4 chords fairly quickly, like two beats a piece (roughly, with various rhythmic accents w/rests) with maybe 4 each on the D11 & G13, I liked it, was new for me but then in sound seems like someones used it before.... alot, perhaps cliche ? So what kind of a musical nightmare is that ? .... LOL I should get back after working on my jazz improv over it, but... that is a joke unto itself. Its been awhile, I came up with this around Christmas and dont even remember what key I found worked best on it, seems it was a bit screwy, but would sound great with a good jazz improv man.

 

[DTJeff]

Creative rhythm, melody and orchestration is will make the mundane exciting and interesting. There's not a chord progression you can come up with that hasn't been done before.

Truth.

 

[Holytonescale]

I'm 100% sure that not all chord progressions have been used so far. At least if you take rythm into account also. I bet that for example the chord progression in the chorus of Sea of Lies was not used before that song couse it features such odd time signatures.

I think all 1-4-5 kind of simple stuff can be made interesting with a cool rythm, but I bet 1-4-5 is the most used all tough not the worst.