Chord Progression Workbook

Build a Diatonic Chord Map

Materials needed: Staff paper or a blank page, pencil, your instrument, and a keyboard or chord chart if you need note help. Time required: 15-20 minutes. Expected outcome: You’ll build all seven triads and seventh chords in G major, then use them in a four-chord progression.

Your Turn

1. Write the G major scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, F♯. 2. Number the notes 1 through 7. 3. For each scale degree, write the root, third, and fifth by skipping one note each time. For degree 1, the notes are G, B, and D. 4. Label each triad as major, minor, or diminished. Use these clues: - Major triad: major third and perfect fifth above the root. - Minor triad: minor third and perfect fifth. - Diminished triad: minor third and diminished fifth. 5. Add the seventh note to each triad. Keep skipping scale notes until you have four chord tones. 6. Write the Roman numeral beside each chord. 7. Play or sing each chord slowly. Listen for the difference between the stable major chords, the darker minor chords, and the tense diminished chord. 8. Choose the progression I - V - vi - IV. Write its letter-name chords in G major. 9. Play the progression four times. On the second pass, say the Roman numerals aloud. On the third pass, say the chord names. On the fourth pass, listen for which chord feels most like home.

Use this completed example as a model for the first three degrees:

> G major scale: G - A - B - C - D - E - F♯ > I triad: G - B - D = G major > I seventh chord: G - B - D - F♯ = Gmaj7 > ii triad: A - C - E = A minor > ii seventh chord: A - C - E - G = Am7 > iii triad: B - D - F♯ = B minor > iii seventh chord: B - D - F♯ - A = Bm7

Finish the map yourself before checking your work:

| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord | |---|---|---| | I | ________ | ______ | | ii | ______ | ______ | | iii | ______ | ______ | | IV | ______ | ______ | | V | ______ | ______ | | vi | ______ | ______ | | vii° | ______ | ________ |

Check your result: You’re done when all seven rows contain a chord name, every chord uses only notes from G major, and your I - V - vi - IV progression reads G - D - Em - C. If one chord doesn’t fit, find the scale note that was accidentally raised or lowered.

Now make one controlled change. Replace the triads in your progression with seventh chords. Write the result:

Gmaj7 - ____ - __ - ____

Play both versions. The triads may sound clean and direct. The seventh chords add color and motion, especially when one note moves by step into the next chord. Mark the chord where you hear the strongest pull toward the next one: ______.

Turn Chord Maps into Progressions

Once you know the chord map, you can build progressions without guessing. A song in a major key often uses I, IV, V, and vi because those chords balance stability, movement, and emotional color. The ii chord is also useful before V, creating the familiar ii - V - I sound. The vii° chord is tense and often points strongly toward I.

For example, in C major, ii - V - I is Dm - G - C. In seventh-chord form, it’s Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7. The root movement descends by a fifth, while individual notes move by small steps. That combination gives the progression a clear sense of direction.

You can use this on an instrument, in a songwriting session, or while arranging a melody. If you’re writing in E major and want a four-chord loop, the scale-degree pattern I - V - vi - IV produces E - B - C♯m - A. The expected outcome is a progression that sounds familiar but is also easy to transpose. Move it to A major, and the same pattern becomes A - E - F♯m - D.

Apply It

Choose one real musical situation and complete the matching task:

• Playing: Take a song that uses a four-chord loop. Identify its likely Roman-numeral pattern, then write the same pattern in two other keys. - Songwriting: Start with I - V - vi - IV in a key you know. Replace one triad with its seventh-chord version. Record or play both versions and note which one better supports your melody. - Improvising: Play a ii - V - I progression in C major for three minutes. First use chord tones only. Then add passing scale notes. Your goal is to land on a chord tone when each chord changes. - Arranging: Take a melody containing the note B in C major. Test it over C, Am, Em, and G. Record which chord makes B sound like a stable chord tone and which makes it sound like a color or tension note.

Write your chosen situation here: ________________________________

Write the key and progression you used: ___________________________

Write the expected result before you play: _________________________

Afterward, record what happened: _________________________________

You’ve completed the application when you can name the key, write the Roman-numeral pattern, play the progression at least four times without stopping, and explain why each chord belongs to that key.

Reflect and Plan Your Next Progression

Which step was most reliable for you: numbering the scale, stacking alternate notes, identifying chord quality, or converting Roman numerals into chord names? Why did that step work better than the others?

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When you played the triad version and the seventh-chord version of the same progression, which chord changed the sound most clearly? Describe the change using one or two specific words, such as brighter, warmer, more tense, smoother, or less settled.

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Choose one key you don’t use often. Write its scale, build its seven triads, and create one progression using at least three different scale degrees. What will you practice first, and how will you know you’ve finished?

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A chord map turns harmony into something you can see, hear, and reuse. Once the scale degrees are clear, the progression stops feeling like a lucky guess and starts behaving like a set of choices. That’s the confidence you’re after: not memorizing every chord, but knowing how to build the next one.

End of chapter one. 4 more chapters in the full book.