C Am F G

Déjame, an old Spanish pop song (from the early eighties) use the same progression.

The funny thing here is they use it twice: firstly in F and then in G. It is at the very beginning. This is a recent cover by the same band (Los Secretos) without the original singer, guitarist and composer (Enrique Urquijo):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8yKzRSpT2s

My band has a song called Graveyard Baby that uses that progression. It's starts out sounding like a 60's pop tune (like Last Kiss) and then kicks into high gear.

I just started strumming a bit of this progression and came up with Unchained Melody pretty quickly. I looked in my 60's and earlier folder and found it, but it was in the progression Vic mentioned.

Good call, Roy.

If you 'arpeggiate' the chords (in 3/4 time) that melody kind of comes out.
C Am F G
e-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------1-----|-----------3----
b--1----------1---|--1----------1---|--1----------1---|--0----------0--
g--------0------0-|--------2------2-|--------2------2-|--------0------0
d-----2-----------|-----2-----------|-----3-----------|-----0----------
a--3--------------|--0--------------|--3--------------|----------------
e-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|--3-------------


The monster mash David?...... you really are as old as me. :D

Old? How about . . .

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (Pete Seeger)
Hadn't been born in 61......but great song!

Dogbite knows I'm going to post this one . . .

I e-mailed him to get the chord progression:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Fun song to play along with . . . and sing.
Ken, thank you very much for the link! Awesome!

I was also watching other videos and reading their blog (Playing for Change). It seems they were in Madrid three months ago... I missed them. :(

Thanks!

I've played Dion and the Belmont's " A Teenager in Love" with that progression, along with "The Last Kiss", and if I play both songs in the same evening, people think I'm being lazy or trying to fool them with the same song, changing words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNYdcwunG7g

Good 'ol Ritchie Valens wrote "Oh Donna" with those chords, but uhh... I guess he was very young. :cry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mKHkz6A3Fk

Now again, who came first, Ritchie boy or Ottawa's Paul Anka with "Diana"? There's also Neil Sedaka and a somewhat similar "Oh Carol". Once you get hooked up with youtube on those pieces, so many are similar. I think that Buddy Holly used them too - they are so 50's era and super fun to do. :D

There's ton's more, I don't know if "My Boyfriend's Back" and "Leader of the Pack" follow the same mold, maybe some Elvis, Ricky Nelson, Frankie Valli, Gary and the Playboys could be James Taylor, Turtles, John Sebastian; dunno, I'm just throwing out some names and so many seem like that on Youtube - it's a classic progression that can show up anywhere.

There's an entire world of Progressive Christian Rock music using those chord progressions or variations of them, as well.

There's an entire world of Progressive Christian Rock music using those chord progressions or variations of them, as well.

Indeed there is. First one that springs to mind is Happy Day - Tim Hughes, so fun to play. And if your wanting to practice sensetivity, layers and a song that builds up a lot from beginning then cuts close to the end, check out God Of This City - Bluetree. Some really good worship and christian music that can improve your skills.

This is great guys and gals. Is there a list of these songs and maybe with D,E and A. These are perfect for around the campfire. This magic moment, Donna and Teenager in love, I will be a guitar hero. Thanks.

This is great guys and gals. Is there a list of these songs and maybe with D,E and A. These are perfect for around the campfire. This magic moment, Donna and Teenager in love, I will be a guitar hero. Thanks.

There probably is. Just a couple off the top of my hear are E-D-A ones. Sympathy For The Devil by the Stones and Wild Thing by Hendrix (and earlier, the Troggs)

I always though that The Ballad of Curtis Low was centered around that, but there are a few more chords in it. Only reason that I bring it up is because it's a nice one to step up into. It has a bit of a bluesy vibe to it. Anyone can play a single F# chord 5 times in 5 minutes. The B7 can be a challenge. Maybe a short cut or two will help one out.

I find it very interesting. these chord changes work so well together.
why is that? is it part of the circle? C and Am are made in heaven. I can solo in C major using the Am penta.
etc.

good stuff.
Well, Am is the relative minor of C major, it is, for all intents and purposes, the C6 chord. And a 6 chord is a good substitute for a major chord in just about any context. This really is just a I IV V progression, which is a really common and great sounding progression for a lot of reasons.

A theorists named Hugo Riemann also noted that a IV chord is acts as a dominant preparation in a chord progression. In other words, it leads naturally to a V chord. That is what our ears expect when we hear that chord in the context of a progression. Likewise the V leads to the I chord, and is so common and so strong a resolution that it's given its own special name: an authentic cadence (sometimes called a perfect cadence, thought that term is frequently used more precisely for a perfect authentic cadence where each chord is in root form.)

Additionally, these chords line up very well to create simple melodic patterns and to change very little as they are played in various voices. Simply put, when very little changes, there tends to be a great deal of consonance in the progression.

Take a look at not only how little changes if you flip the voicings around a bit, particularly when playing 7ths.


CMaj7 Am7 F7 G7 CMaj7
B A A B B
E E E F# E
C C C D C
G G F G G


excellent post.

This is great guys and gals. Is there a list of these songs and maybe with D,E and A. These are perfect for around the campfire. This magic moment, Donna and Teenager in love, I will be a guitar hero. Thanks.

There probably is. Just a couple off the top of my hear are E-D-A ones. Sympathy For The Devil by the Stones and Wild Thing by Hendrix (and earlier, the Troggs)

A-D-E = Summertime Blues; Louie, Louie and Blitzkrieg Bop. Add a few Cs and Gs in there and you have The Seeker.

A-D-E = Summertime Blues; Louie, Louie and Blitzkrieg Bop. Add a few Cs and Gs in there and you have The Seeker.

I've always been under the impression that "Louie, Louie" was G , C , D ?