Last updated: 7/2009

How To Know Which Chords
To Use In a Song
BEFORE You Play The Song!Become a "Musical Mind Reader"

Can You Learn to Tell The Future Of a Song?

In one hour or so, you can learn how to be a "prophet" -- see into the future -- and tell all these things about almost any song:

What's the most likely chord for the song to start on¡­

What's the most likely chord for the song to end on¡­

What the three most likely chords in any song are¡­

What the second chord in a song will probably be¡­

What the 4th, 5th, and 6th most likely chords in any song are¡­

What chord follows a 7th chord 85% of the time¡­

Why a knowledge of "consecutive dominant 7ths" can revolutionize your understanding of what's happening in any given song¡­

Why a knowledge of the "circle of 4ths" gives you a huge edge about what chords are coming next¡­

Dear Friend:

Do you have any idea how valuable this knowledge is? Can you see how it could benefit you right away and give you a big edge in music? Let's take an example from another field:

What if you had the ability to predict what the price of a stock, let's say IBM, would be tomorrow morning? Would that give you ad edge in the stock market? Even if you were wrong 15% of the time, it would only be a matter of months until you were so rich you wouldn't be able to spend all the money you made. Right?

Of if you could predict what the price of pork bellies, or cattle, or soybeans, or corn¡­or anything -- you would soon own the world and most of the solar system.

In music, money isn't involved directly, but another kind of riches is -- satisfaction, enjoyment, mutual respect of other musicians, etc., and you have it within your power to gain the ability to accurately predict -- with accuracy ranging from 60% up to 85% -- what will happen next in a song in terms of chord progressions.

Will you ever be wrong? Of course. I still miss now and then. But you'll understand the framework of why chords progress the way they do, so your confidence level will soar.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could predict which chord would probably come next in a song?

I've got some good news for you.

It is possible. Not 100%, but somewhere on the order of 75% to 85% accurate.

That's because music has FORM -- like the skeleton that holds your flesh, muscles, and skin up. If you had no bones -- no skeleton -- your flesh and all the other parts of you would fall in a heap on the floor. Not a pretty picture. But because you DO have a skeleton, you are able to walk around and pretty accurately predict which way your next step will take you.

It's the same in music. Music has FORM -- a skeleton to hold it up, hold it together. And that skeleton is made out of chords -- harmony -- the tonal center of the song or piece.

You Can Predict Which Chord Comes Next. You Can Become a "Musical Mindreader"!

In any given key you can play in, there are PRIMARY CHORDS -- chords that occur way more than other chords. They are like family members of that particular key.

At your house, let's say you have 3 people in your family -- your spouse, your child, and you. On the same block, but down the street a few houses, lives your cousin and her family.

At any given moment, who are the most likely people to be in your house?

Obama?

Payton Manning?

Rush?

Barry Bonds?

I don't think so!

It's possible, of course, but not too likely. If I had to guess, I would say it would be either you, your spouse, or your child. It might be your cousin down the street ¨C there's a much better chance of that than, say, Hillary or George -- but my best odds would be to guess that the family members would be there.

It's the same way with chords. In any given key, there are 3 "family members" that are residents of that key -- the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord. They are far and away the most likely chords to occur in any given key.

What chord comes next?

So how could I tell whether it should be F or G?

If the melody is a "B", then the chord is probably a G chord. Why? Because "B" is in the G chord, but is not in the F chord.

If the melody is a "A", than I would guess that the chord is F. Why? Because "A" is in the F chord, but is not in the G chord.

Does that mean that there are always just 3 chords in a song? No, but there are literally hundreds of songs that are made of just 3 chords.

What if there are more than 3 chords in a song? What then?

That's what we'll take up in the course so you'll understand it clearly!

How will it help you to become a "musical mindreader"?

You'll amaze other musicians & friends who don't know what you know...

You will develop more confidence in your playing as a musician...

If you play for a living, there's a good chance it will increase your income!

If you teach piano or guitar or any instrument, you'll have a wealth of knowledge about music that you can share with your students.

Exciting things you'll learn...
Learn what chords will occur in any key...

Learn what chord to start on -- once you know the key of a song...

Learn what three chords are the most likely to be used in any song...

Learn what chords 7th chords "want" to progress to...

Learn "the family of chords" and never wonder who is in each family again.

Apply your new knowledge to any song in any key -- major or minor.

You'll learn about the "fam", the "cousins", and the "neighbors" -- enough chords to keep you going (and other guessing) for a long time.

You'll also learn all about the "Circle of 4ths" and how it reveals "family secrets" of key relationships, chord relationships, chord progressions, chord substitutions...

Do you see the power in this? Once you understand the Circle of 4ths and how it works, there's no key that can stump you -- you'll understand every single key that any song or piece could be written in. People who know and understand this circle are at a tremendous advantage over other musicians.

I could go on and on, but if you don't see the power of becoming a musical mindreader by now, there's nothing else I could say that would convince you.