Chord Progression Suggestions

chuckyspell wrote: For the following chord progression I'd like some suggestions in terms of substitutions, extensions and alterations.   The original is I - V - viim - IV   So in C that would be C - G - Am - F   I've come up with E7/C - Fm7/G - F#dim - Bm/F   Suggestions?

You mean vi (or vim)?

None of this really works man, I can tell by looking at it (with the greatest of respect to you)

- First chord is along the right lines of tertiary substitution (substitution by thirds), however there is one note that clouds its identity as a diatonically functioning chord, and that's the B natural, the 5th of E7. Because C is the route of your chord, for it to sound nice you need to treat it like a C7 chord, using notes from E7 to spice it up. As mentioned above, the only issue is the B natural, and to make the chord function as a nice dominant, just flatten it. Your new chord would be E7(b5)/C, or otherwise known as a C9(#5).

-The next chord would work fine for an unresolved effect, however personally I'd keep the F in the bass and make it a minor 9, just a suggestion.

- I don't really understand the context of this chord (f#dim) unless you are modulating to Gm, which you don't in the next chord. Maybe think this over a little bit more? Diminished chords have a very special place and mostly function as a hollow type dominant as a substitute for chord V, e.g. you're F# diminished would work nicely as a substitute for D7 in G minor, so long as it wasn't an final cadence. You can't really dot them around anywhere in diatonic harmony...

- Unless you are purposely trying to create something that sounds horrific (horror movie composers use this bad boy all the time), then this chord has pretty much no function, because the parent chord and the root note are a tritone apart. Minor chords don't have a tritone relationship like dominant 7th chords do!

Your initial chord sequence is ok, however it doesn't really serve itself to substitutions as it kind of ignores pythagoras's pendulum model. I'd suggest changing the order around so that the G is at the end of the sequence.

As for effective substitutions in western harmony, I'll be posting an article of mine on them in the next few days, referring to all the most commonly used substitutions (including tritone and tertiary) plus some harmony basics, so I'll link you here. Also feel free to inbox me


Edited by Jazz Pianist - 28 Jul 2011 at 10:58am

I see, I went back to your original, it sounds good with some really extended harmonies, but I don't get the diminished chord it seems out of place. Do you mean a fully diminished 7 chord ie   f# a c d#

Now in a modern blues style.

Edited by js - 28 Jul 2011 at 9:55am

For the following chord progression I'd like some suggestions in terms of substitutions, extensions and alterations.