17 Chord Progressions for Every Mood (+ Step-By-Step Video Tutorials)
Every guitarist hits the same wall eventually. You know your open chords, you know a few bar chords, and everything you play is starting to sound the same.
The fastest way out of that rut isn’t just running more scales, it’s better chord progressions.
We’ve been posting a Chord Progression of the Week inside our community for a while now, and this post showcases 17 of them that you should practice with.
Each one comes with a video where Ben walks you through the fingerings, plus the mood it creates.
So that’s how we sorted them for this post; find the mood you’re looking for, learn the chords, and use it for your next jam.
A heads up before you dive in: One of these chord progressions is in drop D. That’s taking your low E string and tuning it down a whole step to D (our free tuner will get you there in about ten seconds). We’ll flag that as it comes up!
#1: The Gritty One
Mood: Gritty, bluesy, a little mean
Tuning: Drop D (use our free tuner)
Play over it: D minor pentatonic (throw a little Dorian in to spice things up)
This one lives in drop D, so drop that low E string down a whole step before you start.
Your first chord is the pinky on the 7th fret of the G string, ring finger on the 6th fret of the B string. Leave the high E open, and let that low open D ring underneath it all.
From there, take your root note on the 5th fret and drop it down to the 3rd fret. It’s a little bit of a stretch, and it turns the chord into a C. The pad of your fretting finger should mute the D string here. If you hit it anyway, it’s okay; it’s not the end of the world, but try not to.
Then move the root down to the G, that’s the 5th fret of the low D string. Nothing changes up top.
The best part is the finish.. A good bluesy pull-off on the 3rd fret of the low D string. Bend it slightly out of tune and pull off. That little move gives the progression attitude.
#2: The Sunny One
Mood: Bright, jangly, front porch
Chords: A7, G6sus2(#11), D, Dsus2
This is an A Mixolydian progression, and you only need three chords, so it shouldn’t be too bad.
First chord is an A dominant 7. Take your regular A chord, then take the 2nd fret of the G string and drop it to the open string. That’s it. A7.
The next chord is complicated in name but super simple in practice. It’s called a G6sus2 sharp 11. Take your rock G, drop the 2nd fret on the A string to open, drop your pinky note on the 3rd fret of the high E to open, and then move the 3rd fret on the B string down to the 2nd fret with your index finger. Then hammer back onto that 3rd fret, which turns it into a plain G6sus2.
That hammer-on is the hook of the whole progression, so don’t skip it.
From there, back to the A7, over to a D, then a Dsus2 (drop the 2nd fret of your high E to open), and back to that G6sus2 sharp 11 with the hammer-on.
#3: The Smoky One
Mood: Smooth, jazzy, dim lighting
Chords: Cm7, Ebmaj9, F
A Dorian progression in C minor. It’s three chords, and each one sounds like it belongs in a jazz club.
Your first chord is a C minor 7. Bar the entire 3rd fret, put your ring finger on the 5th fret of the D string, and your middle finger on the 4th fret of the B string.
Next up is an E flat major 9. Middle finger on the 6th fret of the A string, index on the 5th fret of the D string, pinky on the 7th fret of the G string, ring finger on the 6th fret of the B string. Since it’s E flat, make sure you don’t hit the open E strings. It’s just those four strings.
The last chord is just an F, and here’s where you get a free pass. Use the cheater F. Skip the full bar entirely: ring finger on the 3rd fret of the A, pinky on the 3rd fret of the D, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G, and your index barring just the 1st fret of the B and high E strings.
Nobody will know. And it sounds better in this context anyway.
#4: The Funky One
Mood: Funky, strutting, a little showoff-y
Chords: F#7, A, B, E
An F sharp Mixolydian progression that’s a little on the funky side.
Your first chord is an F sharp dominant 7. From there you’ll move to an A major, and the trick is to leave the open B and high E strings ringing behind it for the extra chime. Do the same thing with the B major. Then it’s back to that F sharp dominant sound, over to the A, down to an E major, and home to the F#7.
And now for the bonus move.. Ben is a huge fan of sneaking diminished runs inside chord progressions, and this one has a diminished arpeggio fill built in.
Here it is: 6th fret on your low E, 7th fret on the A string, 8th fret on the D string, 4th fret on the G string, slide up to the 9th fret of the G, and then walk back down the way you came.
#5: The Mysterious One
Mood: Mysterious, cinematic, slightly haunted
Chords: Bmaj6, Am13(b5), Gmaj7
This one is an excerpt from a song Ben wrote a few years back, and it’s got some modal interchange in it.
That means it borrows chords from outside its home key, which is why it sounds so mysterious.
First chord is a B major 6. Build a B major triad down low: pinky on the 7th fret of the low E, ring finger on the 6th fret of the A string, index on the 4th fret of the D string. Then grab the open G string on top of it.
The next chord is technically an A minor 13 with a flat five. Sounds terrifying. In reality, all you’re doing is moving your bass note from the B down to the A, the 5th fret of the low E string. That’s it.
Last chord is a G major 7: index on the 3rd fret of the low E, ring finger on the 5th fret of the A, middle finger on the 4th fret of the D, open G string on top. To keep it in the spirit of the tune, walk that bass note down to the 2nd fret and back up.
If you solo over this, the map is B Phrygian dominant over the Bmaj6, then B natural minor as soon as you hit the Gmaj7.
#6: The Trippy One
Mood: Trippy, floating, off the map
Chords: Cmaj7, G#maj7, Fmaj7
Here’s a fun one with a good origin story.
Ben started out building a Locrian progression in B, beginning with a B diminished chord. But when he moved to the major 2, that chord became the one in his ear. So he threw the Locrian idea out entirely and just followed the modal interchange where it wanted to go.
The result is C major 7, down to a G sharp major 7, down to an F major 7, then a slide back up to the G sharp major 7.
Three major 7 chords that technically don’t belong in the same key, which is why it sounds like it’s floating.
#7: The Bittersweet One
Mood: Bittersweet, hopeful and sad at the same time
Chords: Am7, Amaj7, Cmaj7
This one is really cool because it switches between major and minor keys, which is where that bittersweet feeling comes from. It’s the same root note, but two different emotions.
Start with an A minor 7. Fully bar the 5th fret with your index finger, then use your pinky (or ring finger, dealer’s choice) on the 7th fret of the A string.
Using that same shape, you need an A major 7. Just add your middle and index fingers on the 6th fret of the D and G strings. Feel that? Same bar, whole different mood.
Now take that exact major 7 shape and slide the whole thing up so your bar sits on the 8th fret. That’s your C major 7. Then it returns back to the A major 7.
The theory nugget: C major and A minor are relative scales. Every major key has a minor twin hiding inside it, and you can see how they pair up on our free interactive Circle of Fifths tool.
So over the Am7 you’re playing A natural minor, over the Amaj7 you switch to A major, and the second you hit that C you’re back in A minor.
#8: The Dark One
Mood: Dark, tense, storm rolling in
Chords: Em(add9), Am9, Gmaj7, B7(sus)
There are four chords in this one, and it ends with a dramatic move: a harmonic minor.
Your first chord is an E minor add 9. Pinky on the 7th fret of the A string, index finger on the 4th fret of the D string. Everything else stays open, and you can play it all.
Next is an A minor 9. Middle finger on the 5th fret of the low E string, which handily mutes the A string for you. Ring finger on the 5th fret of the D, pinky on the 5th fret of the G, and leave the B and high E open.
Then a G major 7: index on the 3rd fret of the low E, ring on the 5th fret of the A, middle on the 4th fret of the D. Play everything except the high E. Skip him.
The last chord is a B dominant 7 and its suspension. Bar the 2nd fret all the way down, ring finger on the 4th fret of the D string, pinky on the 4th fret of the B string. For the suspension, just slide that pinky up a half step and back.
The solo map is E natural minor over everything, then shift to E harmonic minor over the B7.
#9: The Nostalgic One
Mood: Nostalgic, wistful, driving home at dusk
Chords: C#m7, G#m7, Amaj7, F#maj11
This one’s in one of Ben’s personal favorite keys, C sharp minor, and it’s easy to hear why.
Your chords are C sharp minor 7, to a G sharp minor 7, and an A major 7. Play through that a few times and let it settle in.
Then comes the payoff chord.. an F sharp major 11. Don’t let the name scare you. It’s just an F sharp major with the open B and E strings added. Those two open strings do all the heavy lifting.
Over the main progression, you’re in C sharp minor. Minor pentatonic works if you want to keep it simple, or go pure natural minor for something prettier. Once you hit that F sharp major 11, swap into the Dorian mode.
Love this one but hate the key? Our Transpose and Capo tool will move it anywhere.
#10: The Dreamy One
Mood: Dreamy, floaty, eyes closed
Chords: Am9, Dmaj9, Cmaj7, D6/9
This one is a Dorian progression in the key of A.
The first chord is A minor 9. Middle finger on the 5th fret of the low E string (it mutes the A string, which is a redundant note anyway). Ring finger on the 5th fret of the D, pinky on the 5th fret of the G, index on the 3rd fret of the B. Leave the high E open behind it.
Next is a D major 9. Ring finger on the 5th fret of the A string, middle on the 4th fret of the D, pinky on the 5th fret of the G, index on the 3rd fret of the B.
Then grab a simple C major triad down low: pinky on the 8th fret of the low E, ring on the 7th fret of the A, index on the 5th fret of the D, leaving the G, B, and E strings open. Technically that makes it a C major 7.
Take that exact shape and slide it forward a whole step. Technically it’s a D6/9/11. But don’t think about that, just think of it as a D major with open grace notes ringing around it.
Play A Dorian over the whole thing and float away.
#11: The Late-Night One
Mood: Smooth, R&B, after midnight
Chords: Dmaj7(sus2), Cmaj7(sus2), Amaj7(sus2)
Your first chord is a D major 7 sus 2. Take a regular D major 7, find the third (that’s the pinky note at the top), and drop it down a whole step. That gives you the sus 2 sound.
Now take that exact shape and move it down a whole step. Congratulations, that’s a C major 7 sus 2. Move it down another step and a half (three frets), and you’ve got an A major 7 sus 2.
The thing that makes this one special is that since these are major 7 chords, you can do a little of that R&B thing to add some zest. What I mean is, on the D chord, use your pinky to tap the 7th fret of the high E, the 7th fret of the B, and the 7th fret of the G. You can do it on the C, and of course on the A.
That pinky flourish is 90% of what makes neo-soul guitarists sound like neo-soul guitarists, and now you can do it too.
Soloing-wise, this starts in A major and then moves into A Dorian.
#12: The Woozy One
Mood: Woozy, slippery, jazz cigarette
Chords: Emaj7, Ebm7, Dmaj7, Dbm7, Cmaj7
This is a chromatic walk-down pattern, and it’s as slippery as it sounds.
E major 7, to an E flat minor 7, to a D major 7, to a D flat minor 7, landing on a C major 7. Then walk it back up through the D major 7, which loops the whole thing back around to the E major 7.
The wild thing is this progression changes keys three times or so along the way, and your ear barely notices. Each chord is only a half step from its neighbor, so the whole thing just melts downward.
There’s no deep theory homework here. It’s just a really fun one to play, and it makes you sound like you know a lot more jazz than you might.
#13: The Uplifting One
Mood: Uplifting, anthemic, windows down
Chords: C/G, D/A, Em/B, G/D (all second inversions)
This one is full of chord inversions, which is a fancy way of saying we’re stacking the same old chords in a new order so they sound fresh.
Your first chord is a second inversion of C major. Take the bottom portion of your C chord and add the fifth underneath it. Then a second inversion of D, a second inversion of E minor, run those again, and climb up to a G major, also in its second inversion.
Because every chord has its fifth in the bass, the whole progression sounds like it’s constantly lifting; that’s the anthem feeling.
Now the neat part for soloing: that E minor is a relative scale of G major, and you’ll hear how that works sonically the moment you land on the G. You can use the same scale the entire time. The notes don’t change, just your thinking when you get there.
If you want to see which chords live together like this in any key, that’s exactly what our Chords in a Key tool does. Pick a key, get every chord that belongs.
#14: The Exotic One
Mood: Exotic, dramatic, somewhere far from home
Chords: D/F#, F, Gm(b6)
Time to take things in a more exotic direction. This progression is built on the Phrygian dominant mode, which is the sound you hear in flamenco, metal, and film scores about deserts. You only need three chords for this vamp.
First chord is a D over F sharp. Make your regular D chord up top, then reach your thumb over the neck and grab the F sharp on the 2nd fret of the low E string. Ben skips the high E string on this one, even though it’s another F sharp and totally correct. Leaving it out gets you more of that five-chord sound, and a little more ambiguity for the rest of the progression to play with.
Your next chord is just a standard F.
The last chord is the secret weapon: a G minor flat 6. Pinky on the 3rd fret of the low E, index on the 1st fret of the A string, middle finger on the 1st fret of the D string, and grab the open G string behind it.
That flat 6 chord is what throws it into Phrygian dominant. Without it, this is a normal progression, but with it, you’re scoring a movie.
#15: The Warm One
Mood: Warm, golden hour, content
Chords: E, Cadd9, Cmaj7/G, A13, A9
One Ben’s been messing around with, and it sounds like the last hour of a good day.
Start with an E major. Just a standard E major, nothing fancy. Then move to a C add 9. Back to the E major, then to a C major 7 over G.
The next chord is technically an A13, but here’s a better way to think about it: it’s a D chord in its second inversion. That’s how Ben thinks about it, because your brain grabbing a familiar shape beats your brain doing math mid-song.
The whole thing resolves on an A9, which you can treat as just an A major triad with the open strings ringing beside it.
Notice the pattern with this one.. half of these chords have scary names, and every one of them is a shape you already know with an open string or a small tweak. So, the fancy chord vocabulary is usually simpler than it sounds.
#16: The Floating One
Mood: Ethereal, weightless, staring at the ceiling
Chords: C#m9, Amaj9
This one is really special. It’s just a two-chord vamp, but it has a really cool secret inside of it.
First chord: C sharp minor 9. Index finger on the 4th fret of the A string, middle finger on the 6th fret of the D string, pinky on the 8th fret of the G string, and leave the B and high E strings open behind it. Don’t play the low E string.
Second chord: A major 9. Open A string, ring finger on the 9th fret of the D string, index on the 6th fret of the G, pinky on the 9th fret of the B, high E open. Don’t play the low E here either.
And that’s the whole progression, just two chords.
Over this you’ll be playing C sharp natural minor. But once you move to that A major 9, you’ll just so happen to also be playing in A Lydian, using the same exact scale shape. You don’t change a single note, the chord underneath you changes what those notes MEAN.
Really, really cool.
#17: The Epic One
Mood: Epic, cinematic, end credits Tuning: Drop D Chords: Am9, C/F, D/G, F, G, Dmaj9
We saved the big one for last. Back to drop D for this: low E down a whole step, so you’re tuned D, A, D, G, B, E.
First chord is an A minor 9. Use your ring finger to bar the 7th fret of the low E, A, and D strings, fret the 5th fret of the G string, and leave the B and high E open.
Then a chord that’s technically a C over F. Why F? Because that low string is now a D, so the 3rd fret gives you an F under your C shape. Next is the same shape moved up: a D over G.
The nice thing with these chords is you can absolutely leave the open strings on top. The G, B, and E strings all work, and they’re what make this sound huge.
After that you need an F (skip the low D string on this one), then a G, and finally a D major 9: ring finger on the 5th fret of the A string, middle on the 4th fret of the D, pinky on the 6th fret of the G, index on the 3rd fret of the B, high E open.
Ben likes to play the first sequence four times before moving on, and sometimes adds a hammer-on coming out of that D over G. Take your time with this one; it’s meant to build.
Where to Go From Here
We just chord progression dumped on you, so here are a few tips:
- Don’t try to learn all 17 this week.
Pick the two or three moods you reach for when you sit down to play, and get those under your fingers first. Slowly, with a metronome, you know the drill.
- Almost every progression here is built from shapes you already know, moved somewhere new or played with an open string left ringing.
The gap between “sounds like practice” and “sounds like a record” is usually one borrowed chord, one open string, or one bass note in a weird place.
It’s worth remembering next time you’re stuck playing the same four chords. You don’t need new chords, you need new neighbors for the ones you’ve got.
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