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Hi, I'm new to this site and just started playing piano 5 weeks ago. I've already learned quite a bit, but I want to learn accompaniments for songs that have interesting/unusual/complex chord progressions. Playing C-F-G can become stale very quickly. For example, Barry Manilow has some interesting progressions in his songs utilizing 7ths, sus, and other atonal changes. I would prefer if the suggestions were in the pop/rock/jazz genres. Not that I dislike other genres, these just happen to be my preferences. Also, nothing too terribly difficult please
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Hmm, "interesting/unusual/complex chord progressions" can mean a lot of things.
For song structure David Bowie's Space Oddity is quite unusual. His Life on Mars has more chords/variants than most other songs I know.
The Beatles are a great source for unusual. I Want To Hold your Hand has an interesting take on the I-vi-IV-V structure. They took the I-vi-iii-V turnaround they introduced in She Loves You then turned it into I-V-vi-III, finishing on B7. For the middle eight they moved to the subdominant key, not the usual subdominant chord, but instead of the normal I-vi-IV-V they used IV-V-I-vi, again not finishing on the dominant and had to carefully craft the return to tonic for both turnarounds. All Beatles songs end with a well written finish rather than simple fade outs. They were a live performing band and that helped but they were masters of the craft - of course!
When I Get Home and If I Fell both have unusual chords in the progressions.
The Eagles Hotel California has more than the three chord trick and Elton John's Your Song is another mainstream example of his art.
Against All Odds extends beyond a four chord turnaround. The Rolling Stones' Angie or Wild Horses both offer the opportunity to extend beyond chords and introduce some well-known licks.
Is that the sort of thing you're looking for?
Richard
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I love it, thank you. Not sure what a subdominant key is, but sounds complex, so I like it. If you have any others let me know.
Current music, its just so difficult to find stuff that doesn't deviate from the usual I-IV-vi-V progression or other similar ones. Its nice to hear refreshing takes on progressions.
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The Beatles song Penny Lane has a bunch of key changes, and various instruments.
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Chords (and tune), literally terrifying: Frankenstein by Grachan Moncur : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=535VLRlqcN8 - from 0:54
Last edited by Nahum; 01/18/16 12:04 AM.
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And why not some Latin music? Jobim wrote many interesting Bossanova and Samba numbers.
Will do some R&B for a while. Give the classical a break. You can spend the rest of your life looking for music on a sheet of paper. You'll never find it, because it just ain't there. - Me Myself
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You might check out some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's work on youtube.
Rerun "Seat of the pants piano player" DMD
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You asked about some unusual complex progressions, like sustained ones, but don't want some that are too difficult. I'm guessing maybe our opinions of "difficult" are a little different. Anyway, these aren't really unusual, but if you're interested in chord progressions and jazz you may like the "I Got Rhythm" changes, or as jazz cats call them, "Rhythm changes." There's a whole explanation with common substitutions here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_changes and here: http://www.jazzguitar.be/rhythm_changes.html . Another very popular progression, especially in popular music, is based on Pachabel's Canon in D: I / V / vi / iii / IV / I / IV / V (So D / A / b / f# / G / D / G / D in the original, but it's often used in any key. Also, given how you phrased the question I'm assuming you know the roman numeral standards and that caps are typically major and lower case minor). Actually, I was going to list the "All of Me" / "All the Things You Are" progression, but found this jazz guitar page has a few good jazz progressions and explanations: http://www.jazzguitar.be/jazz_chord_progressions.htmlSo, not too unusual but a bit of a departure from the I-IV-V7 in a lot of the Alfred's Book 1 (at least that I've noticed).
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I love it, thank you. Not sure what a subdominant key is, but sounds complex, so I like it. If you have any others let me know.
Current music, its just so difficult to find stuff that doesn't deviate from the usual I-IV-vi-V progression or other similar ones. Its nice to hear refreshing takes on progressions. Not too complex! Subdominant is the chord built on the 4th note of the scale/key you are playing in. Tonic (1st) Dominant (5th) Sub Dominant -- one under the dominant... (4th) So, if you are talking keys, and playing in C, subdominant would be a modulation to F. (i think... it's been years since I took theory!)
Last edited by neciebugs; 01/18/16 01:49 PM.
Denise 2005 Schulze Pollmann 126/e Classico Upright (Maple with Sunburst inlay) 1965 Baldwin Model L 6'3" Grand (Satin Black) 2020 Yamaha Clavinova CLP 735
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Thank you all so much, ill be sure to check out some of these! I really like the positive energy this forum has
Yamaha P-45
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I love it, thank you. Not sure what a subdominant key is, but sounds complex, so I like it. If you have any others let me know.
Current music, its just so difficult to find stuff that doesn't deviate from the usual I-IV-vi-V progression or other similar ones. Its nice to hear refreshing takes on progressions. So, if you are talking keys, and playing in C, subdominant would be a modulation to F. (i think... it's been years since I took theory!) I don't think that by only moving to the IV chord (F) is considered to be a modulation though. It's just a different chord in the same key. Unless it's part of a chord progression that actually does modulate to a different key, even if it's just temporary.
Will do some R&B for a while. Give the classical a break. You can spend the rest of your life looking for music on a sheet of paper. You'll never find it, because it just ain't there. - Me Myself
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I don't think that by only moving to the IV chord (F) is considered to be a modulation though. The normal practise at that time was to move to the subdominant chord for the middle eight and move, typically, between IV and V. Compare, for example, (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame or Teenager In Love. What The Beatles did in I Want To Hold Your Hand is move from G (G-D-Em-B7) to C (Dm7 G7 C F) for the middle eight. The surprise at the end of the middle eight was the repeat, instead of going a second time to F, moved to D major, the dominant of the home key and not diatonic to C major. They repeated the C-D move and lingered on the D, alternating with D6, keeping us waiting before returning to tonic on the verse. It was so good they used it for the intro as well.
Richard
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I feel the progressions in Imagine are quite interesting. It has C - Cmaj7 - F throughout the song, though it adds a ninth (D) to the C chord, except in the beginning.
The imagine all the people part has different chords, Am, Dm7, F, G, C, G7, and then back to the C-Cmaj7-F. The part between You may say I'm a dreamer, and not the only one, always catches me, C - E7 - F. The E7 is the only chord that's not a home chord in the key of C major, which is the song's key signature.
Me on YouTubeCasio PX-5S. Garritan CFX, Production Grand 2 Gold, Concert Grand LE, AcousticSamples C7, some Sampletekks. Pianoteq 8 Std (Blüthner, SteinGraeber, NY/HB Steinway D).
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The best chord progressions of all come from Billy Strayhorn. Here's a bit of LUSH LIFE - Db Cb7 Dbmaj7 Cb7 Dbmaj7 Cb7 Dbmaj7 Ebm7 Fbmaj7 Gbm7 Abm7 D9 Db6 D9 Db6, and that just gets you started.
And then there's 'ROUND MIDNIGHT by Cootie Williams and Thelonious Monk.
Edit: The chords above look complicated, but just transpose them up a half step and you've got D C7 Dmaj7 C7 Dmaj7 Em7 and so on.
Last edited by prout; 01/19/16 12:40 PM.
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I'll be sure to check him out, I do love me some 7th chords. They always have a great sound to them
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