Standard Chord Patterns For Basic Song Segments
April 28, 2008 Songwriting No Comments
One of the most common ways of writing a new song is to come up with a cool chord pattern or two and then to put lyrics and a melody to them by “singing along” while repeatedly playing the patterns on the guitar or keyboard. I often go so far as to make a simple recording of the new chord patterns and then play it back over and over, allowing the sound of it to suggest a melody line or a set of lyrics. I almost always come up with something, although I admit to having a half-dozen songs on hand right now with fully recorded backing tracks and no lyrics at all. These songs usually have temporary titles like “No Idea” or “Rocker In G.”
OK, but where do these “cool chord patterns” come from in the first place? The answer is that the chord sequences in the verses and choruses of most songs are variations on a relatively small set of standard patterns. If you think about it you can see why. If a chord pattern is weird and atonal, jumping from one oddball chord to another, it will indeed sound unique and “untypical” - and will likely be jarring and annoying as well. There are very few occasions when this is the desired reaction! The fact is, clever variations on familiar patterns are what makes a great song work.
I am going to describe some of the standard chord patterns that I have used as starting points for my songwriting over the years. This is hardly an exhaustive list of useful patterns, and I would be interested in any others you may have noticed in your own listening and songwriting.
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