The Ultimate Post Rock Chord Progression

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This is what I consider to be the Ultimate Post-Rock Chord Progression.
It has been used in countless of songs and for a good reason: it is very effective and addictive.
The progression is in a minor key:
bVI - bVII - i - bIII
(example in C minor: Ab - Bb - Cm - Eb)
There is something in this progression that makes it addictive: the neverending tension-resolution cycle.
This is fascinating to me when a chord progression is so well crafted, you can't stop hearing it.
Enjoy!
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This is the Ambient Guitar youtube channel of Canadian multi-instrumentist Antoine Michaud. Through original ambient music, chordal guitar lessons and tips on guitar pedals, Antoine is looking to educate and inspire aspiring ambient musicians to learn everything about the world of ambient guitar and chordal voicings on guitar.

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

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[@Anon_Anon]

that's also the chord progression for Suger for the Pill by Slowdive

[@paulweyer4339]

Amazing lesson! subscribed

[@user-rw3vq9tv5j]

thanks, it makes great feeling!

[@mondostrat]

VI VII i III is how I would spell it.

[@lazarazal6539]

Realy nice thank you !

[@Zilmayjaink]

Omg!! I have a song with that exact same progression xD but a semitone lower in Bm. This is amazing! I knew I got it from my subconscious because I'm a sucker for post rock and ambient. Amazing as always Antoine!

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

So cool!

[@vibeinc3444]

This the one!!

[@oO5Dynasty]

First hell yeah! Ty for upload!

[@hmzis9]

great work Antoine can you analyze Kroback-Its snowing like its the end of the world im addicted to it and want to make similar sounds

[@muhammadrezahaghiri]

Take this progression, add some triplet riffs and tremolo picking to it, play root notes using an EBow or a Cello, then you have a decent post-rock song. This works! A lot of great bands as well as April Rain (Russia) and Crows in The Rain (Iran) use the same formula and their music is really really cool.

[@markguitarman]

You could call this a IV V vi I progression. V to vi would be a deceptive cadence. Then it resolves at I. The way you describe things at around 5 minutes really describes a deceptive cadence where you go to vi instead of I. If you make your V chord a dominant 7, you can hear it better.

[@j.tsessions3132]

Santeria from sublime uses the same chords

[@lawboss]

Ab Lydian works

[@JohnDoe-xx8yw]

I was thinking the same. Also quite common in lydian music to go from the I to the II, as it highlights the difference between it, major and mixolydian. The other two both have a ii as they have a P4 versus lydian's #4. Lydian is also just a fantastic mode for post rock, as well as other subsets of experimental/progressive music. I really enjoy playing I | II | iii | vi in lydian with whatever assorted extensions I feel fit. To add, what he's describing about it never feeling fully resolved, that's often seen as a trait of lydian mode. People often describe lydian as dreamy and floating, partly because it's somewhat directionless and ambiguous compared to the other major modes (especially ionian and aeolian, major and minor). I feel it can still be effectively resolved, but maybe I just broke my ears so to speak from playing to much lydian

[@stopdroprewind]

Why aren't you analyzing this in Eb Major? ie: IV - V - vi - I It's less convoluted than the way you have it, and also when you extrapolate a scale out of it, you get Eb Major. Yes, c minor is the relative minor of Eb, but this progression has no dominant (G7) to strongly define this as major. Unless you solo/write a melody with a bunch of B naturals, this will tend to sound like Eb to most listeners. Note- the 2 bars of Cminor example is more strongly minor. You're emphasizing Cmin as the tonic with the harmonic rhythm.

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

This is a strong argument. Happy to discuss! To me, ''vi - I'' is a very weak cadence to feel this progression being in Eb . In my opinion, ''bVI - bVII - i'' is a much stronger cadence to justify a Cm key. There is no strong attraction to Eb anywhere, not before or after the chord. The Bb chord really doesn't feel like a V dominant chord where it's placed in the progression. But we could also argue that, concerning relative Major/minors, it could always feel ambiguous and be either one or an other when there's no strong tonal movement towards a clear root chord. For me, ''bVI - bVII - i'' is that strong movement. But maybe some people don't feel it that way, and that's ok. No one is totally right or wrong in that case, it's a question of perception.

[@slurpeexyza17]

@@AntoineMichaudGuitar I think the IV-V-vi-I progression is meant to be ambiguous due to it being repeated ad nauseum in most common popular music. The vi also acts as a tonic substitute for I until its eventual resolution into I so the V chord still serves its dominant purpose. It only sounds ambiguous because we omit the dominant 7th and only maintain its main tonality (major). Still I agree, it's a question of perspective. However, I believe the easiest interpretation is always the best when it comes to communicating musical information.

[@LoftyAssertions]

I definitely agree with the perspective that this is a 4 - 5 - 6m - 1 I've never thought of it otherwise, really interesting perspective! I think a version of the videos interpretation that has even less cognitive friction is to simply say the chord progression is in Lydian, hence that dreamy, endless post rock sound

[@DeusNosSalvet]

@@LoftyAssertions I was hearing Lydian the whole time.

[@dontmentionit1596]

Can you apply this to acoustic guitar too?

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Yeah totally

[@dontmentionit1596]

@@AntoineMichaudGuitar Could you do the analysis of Black Hill ? I really love his albums.

[@RomainDelmaire]

I think you could apply it to any instrument you like really. Correct me if I'm wrong though, I'm just a peasant learning guitar and music theory and I'm really beginner at both...but if I had another instrument I would try for sure ^^

[@drowranger3398]

Standart tuning?

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Yes!

[@nick_laze4930]

Why don't you make some other post rock tutorial? That would be great

[@AntoineMichaudGuitar]

Yeah, do you have any songs or artists you'd want me to analyse?

[@nick_laze4930]

@@AntoineMichaudGuitar I think Ashes in the snow by Mono is a wonderful piece. I would like to know what kind of structure or progressions they used. Thanks a lot for you attention

[@solarpumpkin9709]

@@AntoineMichaudGuitar I´m glad you´re doing this as I would call Post Rock "My Blues" ; ). Returning to guitar this year after many years of abstinence I can only try to follow your tutorials, but I love your job, and if your analyzes would include some kind of evoulution of chord progressions I would strongly recommend to give the song collection "Ephemera" by TARENTEL (Singles 99-2000) a close listening. Thanks again and greets from Germany

[@jessieplaysmusic8530]

Antoine Michaud tides of man?

[@neilstaehle2546]

Sounds like sonic youth

[@user-cb2wg1dm4y]

This video is so gay