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All The Pop Songs – Part Two
You’ve already encountered the G D Em C, or ‘I V Vim IV’ chord progression and the large number of songs you can play with these chords.
There are some other ‘standard’ chord progressions that also crop up in many tunes. When you are used to playing and hearing several of these stock progressions, you will eventually be able to tell just by listening to song whether it is using one. You will also be able to improvise freely over these types of progressions because when you get used to one, you can apply the same principles to all of them. The one we’re going to look at just now is sometimes called the 50’s chord progression because it was very common in doo-wop and fifties styles – although as you’ll see from the by the extensive list of songs that use it below, it has remained a staple of pop, ballads, rock and indie music.
The chords are
| G | Em | C | D ||
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[/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Here is a range of backing tracks in different keys and styles and speeds. Pick slower ones first if you are working on chord changes or trying out new arpeggios. Pick keys you know the chords for, and while you are playing, whichever key you use, you’re aiming to also get to know the personality of this particular chord progression.
Key of G – G Em C D
key of C – C Am F G
key of D – D Bm G A
key of F – F Dm Bb C
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Application:
1. Play the chords as they are in G, first getting the chord changes working with a strum on beat one, and if that is fluent, with any strumming patterns you know. If you are a beginning guitarist, this is plenty.
2. Play the chords in the key of G with any picking patterns you know, e.g Beginning Guitarist lesson 2, 5, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19.
3.Play the chords in the keys of C, D and F as below:
In the key of C, the chords would be C, Am, F, G.
In the key of D, the chords would be D, Bm, G, A.
In the key of F, the chords would be F, Dm, Bb, C
4. If you’re into understanding how music works, and have looked at the harmonised major scale, take out your list of chords and keys and work out what the chords would be in the keys of A and E.
5. Play the chords in different time signatures. If you have looked into triplets, try playing a triplet feel; an eighth note feel and a sixteenth note feel.
6. If you are developing lead skills, work out which scales out of those you know you could play over them, and try out as many scale approaches as you can – pentatonics, major scales, arpeggios or at least one of those.
7. Chord voicings. Take the progression in one key, maybe G, and find where you can move between chords only changing one or two notes for a very smooth sounding transition. Contrast that between using barre or open chords.
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[vc_column_text]Some of the songs that use this sequence-thanks Wikipedia.
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