Leading Chord Progressions

TDOT

New member
What up FP? What up Bandcoach?

Now I know this has probably been addressed one way or another so if you can just point me to the correct thread, thank you.

I wanted some help on getting my chord progression to lead into another section of the song.

People use many different techniques to transition from one part of a song to another, but in some cases the chords or notes played are leading your ear and telling them something is coming up or going to change.

What are some tips of rules of thumbs for a chord progression to give that sense that something is going to happen or change. Would that be just creating tension and resolving it in the new section of the song?

Here's an example of a song I've been listening to lately:

Vado - Look Me In My Eyes ft. Rick Ross & French Montana [Prod. by Scott Storch] - YouTube

produced by Scott Storch
 
typical progression might have you come home to roost at the tonic after 4|8 bars, repeat the progression but this time use dominant 7th built on the tonic as the last chord in the section to set up a move to the subdominant as a bridge or chorus which then works it's way back via a circle of 5ths or tritone substitution or elisive substitutions (using the upper and lower half of a triad to create a new triad), eventually ending up at the secondary dominant of V leading to V (or other reasonable substitutions drawn from the above)

I.E.

AI-V-vi-IV-I-V-IV-I
C-G-Am-F-C-G-F-C
A'I-V-vi-IV-I-V-IV-I7
C-G-Am-F-C-G-F-C7
BIV-iii-vi-ii-I/5-V7sus4-Isus4/5-V7
F-Em-Am-Dm-C/G-G7sus4-Csus4/G-G7
AI-V-vi-IV-I-V-IV-I
C-G-Am-F-C-G-F-C

the application of substitutes in the B section is left as an exercise - post your results for confirmation

for each chord in the B section the substitutes are:

ChordElisive aboveElisive belowTritone
FAmDmB
EmGCBb
AmCFEb
DmFBmb5Ab
C/GEmAmF#
G7sus4Bmb5EmDb
Csus4/GEmAmF#
G7Bmb5EmDb
 
Last edited:
Thanks bandcoach, I'm sitting here breaking my head over this trying to fully understand.

Key of C example like above:

-I understand the first part, you mentioned that a lot of progressions have you come home to the the tonic (C) after 4 to 8 bars.
-When leading into a bridge or chorus, instead of ending on the tonic lead into a dominant 7th built on the tonic (C7)
-This dominant 7th will lead into the bridge or chorus falling on the subdominant (F)

I'm just a bit lost after as to what's happening in that section B.

I understand I would or could use a circle of 5ths or tritone substitution or elisive substitutions, but I'm trying to figure out your example above.

I'll look at this some more though and keep testing and let you know how it goes.

Thanks again BC,
 
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