Community Challenge 12 | Write a I vi ii V chord progression (Patreon)

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Hi Everyone,

What is the weekly community challenge?
It is a chance for my Patrons to apply what they've been learning by writing some music. You're invited to participate in whatever capacity you're able - wether you're a beginning or advanced player. Just make sure to follow the rules! I sometimes go live to do my version of the challenge or give some examples but you DON'T have to join live. You can always watch later or skip the video and submit your homework.

This week, the challenge is: Write something using only I vi ii V (in order) in a Major Key.

If you don't know what this means, that's ok! Once you get through the first few Music Theory Monday lessons, you'll have a good grasp of the concept and you'll have an even better grasp as you keep going! If you're new here, check out Scott's Recommended Lesson Plan. I'll also have a little refresher at the bottom of the page.

Submit your creations, sketches, explorations, etc to the community forum. And yes, this is a very strict and specific challenge! I want you all to see how much variation there can be from person to person when we all only play the exact same chord progression. You can choose the key, the tempo, the rhythm, the spacing between chords, the tonal complexity (7ths, sus chords, 9ths, etc,) the chord voicings, the melody, the arrangement of instruments, etc. There is so much variation even when adhering to just one specific chord progression. See what happens!

The Rules:

1. You must write something NEW! That means, something you wrote after reading this post. This is a new rule, but I think it will stimulate more
2. You must make an effort to write within the confines of the challenge - in this case, writing something ONLY using I vi ii V. If you think you did it right, but you're not sure, please post what you've written! This is a place for learning, and the community is all about encouraging and helping people, so if you're not sure you did it right, just post anyway and we'll help you figure it out!
3. Your submissions are welcome to be in the form of a simple chord progression recorded on a cell phone, a rough multitrack recording in your daw, or even a polished song that you recorded worked on inspired by this challenge. Whatever you have available, as long as you perform the music, is acceptable! It does not need to be a complete thought or a finished song. It's just about creating something!

What is a "I vi ii V" chord progression?

Check out the lessons I mentioned above for more details, but the nutshell is this:

A major scale is WWHWWWH

The Major Scale pattern is always the same no matter what starting note you choose. This means the order of chords in a major key will always be the same:

I - Major
ii -Minor
iii - Minor
IV - Major
V - Major
vi - Minor
vii° - Diminished

In the key of G, a I vi ii V progression would be

I - G
vi - Em
ii - Am
V - D

In the key of F Major

I - F
vi - Dm
ii - Gm
V - C

Have fun with it! Explore! Have a blast!

Check out the Lesson Archive for more Community Challenges