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Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

I was having this debate/argument with someone which he claims that trance music can only be achieved by using only certain chord progressions.And my take was that basically any chord progression you use you can still make trance music pretty much in any key,a lot of producers may use one key over and over understood ,but does anyone know for sure about progressions when writing leads and motifs.

Re: Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

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Originally posted by crazedonee I was having this debate/argument with someone which he claims that trance music can only be achieved by using only certain chord progressions.

He's wrong. There are no "forbidden" chord progressions in trance.

Of course, lots of producers use simple chords and progressions because they're easier to figure out and even the most musically ignorant person will have an immediate response to them. But there aren't any "rules" about what chord progression a track has to use in order for it to be trance.

Re: Re: Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Of course, lots of producers use simple chords and progressions because they're easier to figure out and even the most musically ignorant person will have an immediate response to them.

By "immediate response" I assume you mean it will sound good to them? As in, you don't have to be a pretentious ass who listens to music for the complexity/scale/chord progession instead of how it sounds to appreciate it? Yeah, that is why people use those chords/progessions. Spot on.

Re: Re: Re: Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

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Originally posted by mysticalninja By "immediate response" I assume you mean it will sound good to them?

Yeah, basically.

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As in, you don't have to be a pretentious ass who listens to music for the complexity/scale/chord progession instead of how it sounds to appreciate it?

Nope. I'm not talking about Schoenberg or microtones here, or dissonance for the sake of being "avant-garde."

Sometimes young kids don't eat anything other than sugary cereal for breakfast. As they grow older, most of them grow out of eating nothing but sugary cereal because they learn to appreciate other foods as well. But some don't.

Music is like that, too. A piece of music doesn't need to be comprehensible or enjoyable to an average four year old in order to be "authentic," and the fact that one isn't comprehensible to a four year old doesn't necessarily make it "pompous" or "pretentious."

It's funny how readily that idea (that only uneducated, inexperienced appreciation is "real") gets bandied about and taken seriously in discussion of music, whereas people would laugh at anyone who suggested that Shakespeare would have done better had he written like Dr. Seuss.

I hear a lot of the same chord progressions in Trance. There are certain ones that sound good, but they get used too much IMO. It's silly to say that one can only use certain chord progressions for Trance, or any style of music for that fact. I can't even imagine trying to compose using a certain set of chord progressions. You've just limited yourself if you do that, might as well throw creativity and innovation out the window. Not only that, you're tracks are going to sound like everybody else's.

Minor chords are common, majors for the more uplifting sound, but gets a bit cheesetastic if overused.

I've been playing with sustained2 and sustained4 chords a bit, they seem to integrate well.

5th's work out nicely too

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Originally posted by MERiDiAN5i2 Minor chords are common, majors for the more uplifting sound, but gets a bit cheesetastic if overused.

At least its the best if you combine them...

and i think the overall meaning is.. there are no rules it has to sound good. trust your ear.

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Originally posted by MERiDiAN5i2 Minor chords are common, majors for the more uplifting sound, but gets a bit cheesetastic if overused. I've been playing with sustained2 and sustained4 chords a bit, they seem to integrate well. 5th's work out nicely too

Using suspended chords (i gather that's what you mean by sustained) doesn't make a chord not major or minor. Generally, almost every trance song (and a huge number of songs in popular music, i'd even wager to say most) is making use of major and the parallel minor chords in their progressions. Suspending the third just adds a bit of variance to the progression and is also fairly common.

gah yes, suspended. i think i've been playing with ADSR envelopes too long tonight. sus2 drops the middle note 2 halftones, sus4 raises the middle note 1 halftone, indeed a nice variance

agreed, go with what sounds the best.

neat little chord/scale viewing utility: http://nfo.net/MFILE/

Some chord progressions are not used in trance. Diminished chords are examples of chords not frequently used, but theres no real reason why not...

is it allowed to use am am f g? and a horse bassline anymore?!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Yeah, basically. Nope. I'm not talking about Schoenberg or microtones here, or dissonance for the sake of being "avant-garde." Sometimes young kids don't eat anything other than sugary cereal for breakfast. As they grow older, most of them grow out of eating nothing but sugary cereal because they learn to appreciate other foods as well. But some don't. Music is like that, too. A piece of music doesn't need to be comprehensible or enjoyable to an average four year old in order to be "authentic," and the fact that one isn't comprehensible to a four year old doesn't necessarily make it "pompous" or "pretentious." It's funny how readily that idea (that only uneducated, inexperienced appreciation is "real") gets bandied about and taken seriously in discussion of music, whereas people would laugh at anyone who suggested that Shakespeare would have done better had he written like Dr. Seuss.

ur analogies are so bad...

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

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Originally posted by theognis1002 ur analogies are so bad...

Why?

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Originally posted by supernewbie is it allowed to use am am f g? and a horse bassline anymore?!

What's a horse bassline?

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Originally posted by supernewbie is it allowed to use am am f g? and a horse bassline anymore?!

wtf a horse bassline!! is this involving ketlar or something?

Horse Bassline = Oopma Oopma

Bad analogy = Bad.

Whatever. There will always be people who listen to music for how it sounds (me) and people who listen to it because of the technical complexity and the image of intelligence it portrays (you).

I'll take my candy sugar cereal. (even though that analogy was horrible and THE most pompous thing i've heard in my life) Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go get hyphy.

Yes i know a lot of people do use the same progression so it would be wise to think outside the box and come up with a progression that is not popular that sounds good of course.

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Originally posted by mysticalninja Whatever. There will always be people who listen to music for how it sounds (me) and people who listen to it because of the technical complexity and the image of intelligence it portrays (you).

Hey, if I wanted to listen to music for "the image of intelligence it portrays," then I wouldn't be listening to EDM at all, since most people think that dance music is simplistic kiddie music, which it is much of the time. But I don't much care what other people think of my musical tastes, so I listen to EDM anyway -- because it sounds cool, and it's fun. So I don't think there's anything wrong with listening to it, or to any kind of music.

Liking different foods doesn't mean that you have to stop eating or enjoying sugary cereal.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

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Originally posted by theognis1002 ur analogies are so bad...

Sounds like a perfect analogy to me...

Everyone knows the trance progression is A minor, F major 7.

Repeat 4 times.

Snare roll.

Banging bass drum.

You'll get signed in no time.

ZOMG!

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Originally posted by Derivative Everyone knows the trance progression is A minor, F major 7. Repeat 4 times. Snare roll. Banging bass drum. You'll get signed in no time. ZOMG!

zomg nu-nrg- natural think!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Trance Chord progressions? is there such a thing

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Originally posted by Sanguis Mortuum Sounds like a perfect analogy to me...

The analogy is horrible, god you're such a prentious fuck. Don't bother asking why I'm not wasting my time explaining.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Hey, if I wanted to listen to music for "the image of intelligence it portrays," then I wouldn't be listening to EDM at all, since most people think that dance music is simplistic kiddie

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I don't much care what other people think of my musical tastes, so I listen to EDM anyway

I suspect that may just be exactly reason why you do listen to it. Listen to you. You just love being a unique little snowflake don't you? I bet you won't listen to anything commercial just because it's commercial, automatically hate bands if they get a music video or start getting popular, disregard anything that's on mtv just because its on mtv, etc. That usually goes hand in hand with your kind of mentality. I'm sure I'll get shit for saying that here though, because I think ALOT of the people who listen to electronica are like that, same with any non main stream genre, they all have their pretentious fan boys who think their music is the only good stuff and everyone else eats sugary candy cereal.

LOL. Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails, New Order, and Depeche Mode are some of my favorite acts.

Now go on and tell me that I'm just an elitist who "doesn't listen to commercial music."

What no britney? Think you're too good for britney spears? Lol jk.

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