Today as part of my IDS project, I wrote a chorus using a method that I discovered, which can put together the chords for a chorus with incredible ease.

I discovered this technique while I was trying out chords in the D Harmonic Minor scale, trying to figure out a progression for the chorus of Machine Hell. This technique, of course, uses the ubiquitous circle of fifths.

To begin, start with the key you’re in. For the sake of demonstration, we’ll use C Major. Then, highlight that key and each adjacent key.

The highlighted keys/chords will correspond to you I, IV, V, and vi chords; chords that are used in almost every major chorus and will always sound good. If you construct a progression with just these chords in any order, it is guaranteed to sound musical. You can also add the chords on the diagonals(in this case Dm and Em), although this is more situational.

(This post is part of a series of entries into my Learning Journey for my IDS project in Music Composition.)

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