Lesson 7 — Chords & Progressions
Chords turn scales into emotion. Progressions turn emotion into songs.
Triads & Chord Quality
A triad stacks three notes from a scale. Major sounds bright, minor sounds dark, diminished sounds tense. In a major key the diatonic chords are I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°.
Common Progressions
I–V–vi–IV and vi–IV–I–V are pop staples. I–IV–V drives blues/rock. ii–V–I is jazz backbone.
MONAKAI CHORD-LAB
🎧 Monakai Pro Tip
vi–IV–I–V works because it creates a question, then answers it. Think of progressions as tension and release, not just chords.
Key Takeaways
- A chord is three or more notes played together.
- Triads are the simplest chords: major, minor, diminished and augmented.
- Roman numerals describe chord functions within a key.
- Common progressions like I–V–vi–IV work because they create tension and release.
Practice This
Open your DAW and apply one idea from this lesson to a 16-bar loop. Don't worry about making a full track — just experiment until the concept feels natural in your hands.
Try Monakai's free VST3 plugins to hear these ideas in action, and check the music production blog for more tips.