3 Minor key chord progressions you should know

For a limited time, get 20% off select Hooktheory products when you use this link: www.hooktheory.com/davidbennett
Learn more about the Harmonic minor scale here: • Songs that use the Har...
📌 NOTE: there were a couple of examples of the second chord progression that I have edited out of the video now as they were incorrect. The incorrect examples were "Don't Speak" by No Doubt and "Unbreak My Heart" by Toni Braxton. I must have been having a bit of a brainfart when I added them into the video as they use a very similar but different chord progression! Thank you to the commenters who drew this to my attention and sorry for any confusion caused.
The minor key can have various different flavours depending on which minor scales you are using, so today we are going to look at three common minor scale chord progressions which each mix minor scales in different ways.
And, an extra special thanks goes to Peter Keller, Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano 🎹
0:00 Introduction
0:31 Minor climb progression
3:10 "Welcome to the Internet" progression
5:12 Hooktheory
5:56 Aeolian closed loop progression

[@DavidBennettPiano]

For a limited time, get 20% off select Hooktheory products when you use this link: www.hooktheory.com/davidbennett

[@NBrixH]

@DavidBennettPiano Is Comfortably Numb not also an aeolian closed loop progression? Bm-A-G-(F#)-Em-Bm.

[@pabloignaciogonzalezsegura3167]

Hello, sorry, until when will the coupon be available?

[@judih.8754]

I love that David has the keyboard on the bottom of the screen. It makes it so much easier to understand.

[@robertharkins5737]

I enjoy music, but know next to nothing about it. These video are over my head really, but it makes me understand how the mood of the music is created and deepens my appreciation. Thanks so much.

[@highkage9535]

that piece at the end was awesome! now we need a full version lol.

[@GizzyDillespee]

The 1st 2 chord progressions are examples of majoring the IV chord, and then majoring the V chord. You can also minor or even major the II, when the melody and structure permits. Dim6 is like a tritone sub. All kinds of more possibilities, even staying strictly in "minor". The 3 chord loops in the video provide classic foundations for exploration in variations of minor hue.

[@prepcoin_nl4362]

"Minoring the ii or "Majoring the IV' is Dorian and "majoring the ii" is an example of a few different modes, the Lydian b3 (sometimes called "The Hungarian Minor" or "double harmonic minor") or Aeolian #4 being the most common. But more fundamentally, you can major literally any chord on a modal degree without much destabilization. That's because triads function pretty much identically being major or minor. And you do often see that in blues/rock harmony where every single chord might be a dominant 7th even though it doesn't "fit" into the mode.

[@syedbukhari6578]

The first progression sounded epic, and then you confirmed it by using Ecstasy of Gold as an example!

[@juhakivekas2175]

You are most likely the best teacher Ive ever experienced. Honestly, you are better than Rick Beato, who is very good too. I get more from your vids.

[@itopakfrppgng9764]

The second is surely my favourite chord progression, love the emotion in it

[@HIGHHOPES]

No Doubt "Don't Speak" is actually i, iv, bVII, V

[@javiereu]

I still can't believe these music lessons are free.

[@Srynan]

I could listen to the natural minor closed loop for hours...❤

[@barbaramilone2800]

I love your channel, and although I was trained in music theory -- decades ago in college -- I appreciate hearing about how younger bands and artists are still using these chord progressions to create new music and make it their own!

[@noello9740]

Words cannot describe how sad I was, when Funeral Derangements wasn't shown for the "welcome to the internet" progression

[@AdamKucharczyk]

David, can you pls do a video/note on the progression of La Folia? I'd appreciate it a lot, and maybe some other "ancient" progressions not heard often any more?

[@radiolocke]

The last progression was interesting because if you change the minor chords to major you have the classic rock mixolydian progression used for the start of Sweet Child of Mine and the start of Welcome to Paradise.

[@morgoniliessa]

I just wanted to state that Pink Floyd's Julia Dream has exactly the same chord sequence: Am Dm C E.

[@axlhyvonen461]

This video was extremely useful and helpful as to recognizing songs in A-minor scale☺️🥳💪

[@TigerRogers0660]

Thanks again David for giving me some more songwriting ideas!! Of course creating a truly great melody makes all the difference to a chord progression!!

[@a11pu1poj]

fire playing at the end my guy

[@MaeveFirstborn]

Love the videos, super useful! Also wanted to point out that I love that artists like MCR get a lot of love here, a lot of other music theory channels focus a lot more on the established canon from before the 90s

[@liquidsolids9415]

Really surprised that "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers wasn't an example for the last chord progression. Great video, as usual! Thanks!

[@JMaxfield09]

Oh my my, oh hell YES!! That's the only song that I would have guessed!

[@liquidsolids9415]

@@JMaxfield09 Nice! I see what you did there! 🤣

[@pifko87]

Didn't Tom Petty take RHCP to court over the similarities with Dani California? Edit - ah just checked and he didnt think there was any negative intent. Makes me like him even more.

[@alessandrosummer]

That's because Tom Petty uses the IV chord instead of the iv the RHCP used

[@dudeosu]

I would love to learn about chord progressions in other modes like (but not limited to) lydian or phrygian dominant.

[@laiyemoboys9255]

Same.

[@denistonicello1360]

Your ending songs are beautiful!

[@ToastedZergling]

Great video! Not sure how I got to it first, but I love the chord progression playlist!

[@parker9627]

I think it proves that chord progressions are just the building blocks. The true beauty of a song comes from the subtle variations and feel ❤️

[@violentzz]

Love your stuff. You probably won’t see this, but here are a few progressions to that I would love to hear you explain. (I don’t think you’ve covered these yet). While my Guitar Gently Weeps progression (Am, G, F#m, F) Songs: The Weeknd - Wicked Games, Two Feet - I Feel Like I’m Drowning, The Beatles - While my Guitar Gently Weeps, Portishead - Glory Box Sweater Weather progression (C, Am, Em, G) Songs: The Neighbourhood - Sweater Weather, Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse, Beach Weather - Sex Drugs Etc.

[@Vrit-ada]

@@padeprenomis am am/g D F ?

[@jesusalejandrogutierrezsul9625]

Another brilliant explanation, Bro. You're making me a better musician video by video

[@dustinsearle4672]

I love minor keys and modes so much thank you for this video its perfect and lots of good ideas for practice

[@zschokks5583]

Amazing and smooth impro in the end!

[@mathumphreys]

Another great video - and 40k views in 18hrs! So glad to see your channel doing so well.

[@ProjectHMF]

I definetly wasnt expecting Give It Up there, wow 🤩

[@cakemartyr5794]

Very good. But in all of these chord progression videos, what I am missing is how important is the inversion of each chord in the progression in order to each the required ascent/descent? If I play along with the root chords in each case, I don't necessarily achieve the same result (or am I mistaken?) Anyway, very happy to see Talk Talk featured. A very creative band under the stewardship of the late under-rated Mark Hollis. Would love to see some more videos on key changes, as I sense that they were particularly good at this.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I'm not sure if I understand the question correctly, but generally speaking you can use whatever sounds, best, or is easier to play. It's better to go with what sounds best, and luckily that means less jumping around. But if you're ever in doubt, just try them all. For triads that's just 2 inversions (beyond root position), and only 3 inversions for a 7th chord.

[@prepcoin_nl4362]

I don't think it's possible to teach voice leading as a science. There are objective mathematical ways to determine parsimonious voice leading and degrees of 'closeness' in chords, but that all goes out the window once you start writing real music and realize that smoothest possible voice leading is not always desirable. In pop music especially, it's not even the default way to play things. Which is all to say, you can't really explain the "importance of inversions" with much objectivity. As a general guideline: Root chords are the most stable, first inversions are the gentlest and often sound kind of dark (they can sometimes be heard as minor b6 chords without the 5th for major inversions, and major 6th chords for minor inversions), and second inversion are the most forceful and least stable. Smoother voice leading is desirable when you want the chord changes to be less noticeable, and less smooth voice leading when you want it to be more noticeable. You just have to develop a 'feel' for all of this through time, trial, and error

[@tommorton7211]

I really loved the outro piece for this!

[@ljdobles8104]

Great final with your piano 👌🏻

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@frankzelazko]

Cheers David

[@MaTTheWish]

This was great lesson . Thanks

[@robbiehorn7690]

Putting a Twenty One Pilots deep cut right next to an MCR deep cut. You’re really out here appealing to the specific demographic of emos who love music theory. And I appreciate it very much

[@keenanmathias]

Wow the song you play at the end of this is UNREAL

[@felixtkm]

check out fiona apple, she would make a good music theory vid:)

[@DavidBennettPiano]

She's great!!

[@danielkoschalka3955]

⁠@@DavidBennettPianoIf you ever do make a video about her, it needs to have a ridiculously long title, like some of her albums do.

[@ArmanBaig]

her cover of why try to change me now is by far one of her best vocal performances imo. so subtle and so intimate. she’s really fantastic

[@felixtkm]

@@danielkoschalka3955 yesss that's such a good idea

[@andrewbfrost7021]

Tidal is one of the best albums ever.

[@frankjuggaloheathen1035]

Another good example of the "Rising Sun" progression is "Traust" by Heilung. However, the IV chord feels more minor, so it would be i-bIII-iv-bVI. The Aeolian closed loop actually moves in identical motion to the Mixolydian vamp you mentioned in an earlier video. Only difference is the tonic and subdominant chords are minor instead of major.

[@UandMisterG]

Grand Merci pour tout ce travail et ces partages David.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 🙏

[@A_I]

amazing!

[@composer7325]

Excellent video, thank you, David.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@davef21370]

Learned a thing or two and beautiful piece at the end.

[@andrewstillwell1191]

Awesome 🎹💛

[@johnyortiz2417]

i love how you’ve been including EDM examples lately

[@slicksalmon6948]

Love this! I would like to have seen the "Still got The Blues" progression, which is a full cycle of 5ths (or 4ths, if you prefer) ending with a harmonic minor substitution. It's an ideal practice sequence.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@baileyshep1644]

Was not expecting Bo Burnham and Knife Party as examples but I’m happy about it. Great vid, m8!

[@christopherfryda]

Love this channel!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@zacvee7255]

Great video! What makes you choose ‘bIII’ over ‘iii’? Also kind of keyboard do you use?

[@DavidBennettPiano]

I’m using the system where you always refer your Roman numerals back to the major scale, even when talking about a minor key chord progression. Sorry for any confusion. And the keyboard is a Nord Grand 😊

[@mr.lambon1674]

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO MY MUSIC LIFE

[@whatever2045]

Great video. Would love to see you cover the chord progression in Viva la Gloria! by Green Day.

[@weeeBloom]

thanks for your video lessons, these are great!!

[@mixolyde]

Thanks for making this one, it's really interesting to see the mixing of modes in popular music. I think a video about closed loop (i learned them as in the loop instead of on the loop) songs could be good. Stand By Me, What's Goin' On, and You Ain't Goin' Nowhere come to mind.

[@naferemix]

Mowgli’s Road is Marina’s best song! Surprised to see that Knife Party track too 😅🙌🏻

[@fenderman1984]

thank you for existing

[@kentbrooks3227]

Hi, David. I've enjoyed your vids for a long time. Just one observation. The progression for Toni Braxton's "Un-break My Heart" should actually be Bm, Em7, A (instead of D), F#7.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Well spotted! My mistake. I will get that cut out of the video. Thanks for bringing it to my attention

[@kentbrooks3227]

Cheers! @@DavidBennettPiano

[@pedrob7066]

Hey great video!!! I also use hooktheory, the trend system. Could you do a video on the minor progression VI-vi-i-III???

[@ShaharHarshuv]

I went from "all pop songs use the same pregressions" to "actually there are more progressions than I can hope to remember" thanks to your videos. Better start memorizing 😅

[@denis-yb7mw]

i would really love if you analyzed some weird music theorical songs like jonathan or left alone by fiona apple and explain how it works

[@ScottLoiselle]

Your channel is great and I quite enjoy it. That said, I have a thought for you to ponder. I've referred some students (not music students but college students who could use a basic knowledge of music theory) to your channel. When I sent a link to this vid, I also made a quick vid capture for the student where I explained that (for someone at his level), not to get confused or intimidated by things like you showing chords in inversions and with extra root notes in the bass. So maybe (again, just a thought), for some of the simple videos like this, perhaps you could first show the simplest 1-3-5 versions of each chord without the extra bass roots and then explain that "and here is the same chord in 1st or 2nd inversion with bass notes". And even if you don't choose to do that, I'll still send out links to your vids because I really like your delivery and pacing (and the content of course - I have a couple of music degrees myself and it's clear you really know your stuff).

[@craigbrowning9448]

There's also the "Andalusia" Progression in this vein: Am-G-F-E.

[@SeventhSwell]

To me, A dorian always kinda sounds like when I greet my friend Dorian.

[@iamroberty]

Aeolian - fancy name for natural minor Aioli - fancy name for mayonnaise

[@betyuhvoamiuz3223]

I'd like to hear your thoughts about Am - Dm - G - C and its equivalent in other keys.

[@danreichart4829]

Great videoI think the chord prog for the chorus of Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" is the same as the last progression example.

[@frankwaterstheory]

For the last one a good example is Gyöngyhajú lány, a Hungarian classic rock song

[@jwelsje]

In one of your other chord progression video's, you showed a progression I call the Santana Progression, i / IV, or i(7) / IV. Santana uses this a lot, like in Evil Ways, Oye Como mVa, Jingo, Soul Sacrifice etc. In, for example Am, it becomes Am / D and surely enough, when I take a solo, I use f sharp, in stead of g sharp, wich gives the solo a nice soft "dorian" feeling. To spice things up, you can switch to A-Blues (a c d d sharp e g a). I do the same in House Of The Rising Sun.

[@husssamo]

I love your videos, I love hook theory, you’re awesome …you’re him!

[@JMaxfield09]

The F minor chorus of "Don't Speak" by No Doubt doesn't QUITE fit in with the other examples of the natural minor-harmonic minor mix, as its third chord is clearly Eb (bVII), not Ab (bIII), like the following song "Isle of Flightless Birds" by twenty one pilots.

[@Henrix1998]

Couple days ago I had an idea for a video: Songs that use all the notes. I think that would have enough examples even with excluding blatant key changes

[@xshayahyawzi3666]

The i VII VI V progression, the second one shown here, is called Andalusian cadence. It is very popular and used extensively in Flamenco music. As noted it mixes the natural and harmonic minor modes Edit: I have only very recently found your channel and I find it brilliant. :)

[@satan3304]

That is my favorite

[@xshayahyawzi3666]

@@satan3304 I too love it, it is indeed spectacular

[@alessandrosummer]

The Andalusian Cadence is actually i-bVII-bVI-V

[@xshayahyawzi3666]

@@alessandrosummer If you consider via minor scale it is I VII VI V. But if you consider it via major scale you are correct. :)

[@alessandrosummer]

@@xshayahyawzi3666 yeah I use this way to name the chords so that It’s always clear what chord should be played

[@rome8180]

Another minor chord progressions I see a lot is i-bIII-bVII-bVI (e.g. A minor, C major, G major, F major).

[@UkuleleAversion]

Elliott Smith's "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free" uses the minor climb progression (I bIII IV bVI).

[@victorwilburn8588]

So the House progression also produces a descending line A, G, F#, F, with a nice chromatic finish.

[@angeldiaz762]

I knew someone who "Begins and ends in A minor." Some of you guys might know too. His name was R. Kelly.

[@user-xd1ku4pf5f]

Thanks

[@colywolygaming4643]

I'm a simple man. I see Green Day, I click.

[@johnbadamsjr]

Those are all nice minor chord progressions. What I would like to learn is, if you are using a minor chord progression like one of these in a song's verse, what are the best chord progressions to modulate from these minor progressions to a major chord progression in the chorus, to go from a darker somber mood to a brighter majestic mood. Is that something you could share? Thanks.

[@vascosanchez]

I suggest modulating to the relative major and use common modal mixture (exemple using the chords from C Minor when you move to the C Major)

[@GarethDaviesNZ]

I could hear the third progression in Moby's 'Extreme Ways' (the song that introduces the credits in The Bourne Ultimatum).

[@jumdas1049]

Added to youtube playlist

[@keirblank4870]

Any video that brings up both "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison" by MCR and "Isle of Flightless Birds" by TØP deserves my like.

[@marshallmcbride5254]

How about STEPPIN’ STONE for the first chord pattern?! There were lots of great examples in the video including ones I didn’t know, but this Monkee and Paul Revere & the Raiders rocker was an early and famous usage. The progression could almost be named after this song.

[@justspectator9963]

I want more chord progressions

[@lasanthiewewala2911]

Thank you very much

[@burntsider8457]

I see that progression as vi I V of V IV. Often it's a IV7. am C D F. Played it a hundred times or more on House OTRS. I enjoy your videos. Thanks for the lessons.

[@musicbymark]

I listened in a hurry today while I was exercising, sorry if I missed it David, but did you include Eric Clapton/Cream, White Room? I play that (whether correct or not), Am / C / D / F G

[@Zipperscarr]

Very nice outro.

[@huaynaX]

minor climb progression is my favorite chord progression

[@francissreckofabian01]

Talk Talk? Loved their first album. I also loved their later "weird" albums. Very underrated. Am Dm C zE sounds really familiar but I can't remember?

[@mcwulf25]

Thanks for this. Surely the most common is i, bVII, bVI, V.

[@user-yv5bz4qn4t]

great stuff thanks

[@weepingscorpion8739]

Two chord progressions from Jean-Michel Jarre songs: i - bVI - iv - V from the refrain of Équinoxe 4 I - V - ii - IV from the refrain of Chronologie 4 I don't remember if you talked about the latter in one of your earlier videos and I don't think the former was in this one.

[@cakemartyr5794]

Thanks for mentioning JMJ. He should get more recognition

[@weepingscorpion8739]

@@cakemartyr5794 Oh, I am trying to mention JMJ on every music channel I follow. People need to start talking about him more! :)

[@noscrubbubblez6515]

I looked up early Beach Boys album; Little Deuce Coupe which I haven't heard since my older brother used to play it. It has some pop/surf/car songs but also some that may be considered 5 voice harmonies. In particular a vocal piece called 'A Young Man is gone'. Is it considered 5 voice harmony? Was this a 1940's vocal style? I think it's brilliant early Brian Wilson.

[@jamesernst5278]

2:34 The trombones in my college pep band have that melody, and that's the instrument I play.

[@thegothaunt]

on this day, in the year 2023 I was not ready to see MCR's AOL Live session again, LMAO! I was instantly brought back to another lifetime

[@isaacvila2518]

heyy, i have a doubt. Why do some notes have the flat sign (♭), when they are the same chords without it? (for example, in the last chord progression, ♭VII is G, when VII is G already)

[@Maxechard13]

I’m struggling with the same thing!!! Someone please answer!

[@tylerhackner9731]

Very interesting

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@Spectre0799]

Travis Scott is an artist that employs a surprising amount of music theory techniques, plus about a fifth of his songs are in Phrygian

[@Whitestripe71]

As I was watching this I was thinking that there are some really cool bands included in this video - Talk Talk, The Cure - and then at that exact moment Olly Murs popped up on screen, shattering that thought into a million pieces! Rage on omnipotent...