Dark chord progressions anyone?

[lateralus778]

I find D minor is the saddest of all keys. When a musician begins to play in D minor, everyone instantly starts weeping.

Ok, sorry, someone had to say it.

-Kim.

Haha. I was JUST waiting for it.

"wow... it's beautiful...what's it called?"
"oh, this one's called 'Lick my love pump'"

[Jazzyspoon]

Has anyone considered the psychological reasons for why these chords or instrumentations are popularly viewed as dark or depressing? What brain functions have preprogrammed this? Why does it have to be dark/etc. due to the math thats being played out on an instrument? Help me here.

edit: sorry, just thought I would throw fuel on the fire, no need to go heavy.

[Z1202]

I think the same chord progression can sound bright/dark/happy/sad etc depending on lots of other factors. Of course some might have a generally more dark tendency, but the progression itself is not a deciding factor. The scale is probably a somewhat stronger factor here, it's commonly "known" that locrian scale is the "darkest" and "lydian" is brightest among the modes of the major scale. Back to the chord progressions, e.g. a rather standard major scale chord progression (basicly a circle of fifths with one break) I-vi-ii-V by itself doesn't sound exceptionally dark or sad. Still probably almost everyone would agree that "The winner takes it all", using this progression (with added secondary dominants) is a sad song. Besides the lyrics, very strong factors would be the melody and the instrumental texture. One could probably make a different instrumentation and drop the lyrics and the same song would sound very happy.

On the opposite, the diminished scale is usually considered to have dark sound. Still in the beginning of "Red" by "King Crimson" the sound is rather happy, probably particularly due to the major chords used for harmonisation.

Regards,
{Z}

[89]

Try this one, very slow:

E-, B-, C-, G-

It's the intro to my death metal concerts, this thing played by orchestra is darker than a black hole.
I'm not sure this is the right way to write them down, but it should be easy to understand.

[Toxikator]

That's i, v, vi*, iii

It's a) a regression, b) all minor, c) employs the raised leading tone, and d) employs a chromatic mediant.

I'd say the only way to make it darker would be to throw in a few diminished chords.

*technically, this chord wouldn't be C Eb G but C D# G since you'd be in e harmonic minor. It's a weird chord, they used it in "One Winged Angel" a lot and I have no idea what it is but it's great.

[martian]

edit

[anti--hero]

Check out " phillip glass - the hours album " for inspiration. Depressing but does that thing where it sucks you in and actually takes away your sadness. its one of my faves.

him and leonard cohen...

[duncanparsons]

That's i, v, vi*, iii

It's a) a regression, b) all minor, c) employs the raised leading tone, and d) employs a chromatic mediant.

I'd say the only way to make it darker would be to throw in a few diminished chords.

*technically, this chord wouldn't be C Eb G but C D# G since you'd be in e harmonic minor. It's a weird chord, they used it in "One Winged Angel" a lot and I have no idea what it is but it's great.

That would be vi sus2#...

Also the Bb in the iii isn't a chromatic mediant, but a chord based on the mediant, which happens to contain a flattened dominant. However, it could be a sharpened subdominant, which would pull it into line with the chord on the submediant, giving

i, v, visus2#, iiisus2#

nice - gives a very freaky scale of E F# G A# B C D# E, kinda badboy altered diminished blues scale...

DSP

[Z1202]

That's i, v, vi*, iii

It's a) a regression, b) all minor, c) employs the raised leading tone, and d) employs a chromatic mediant.

I'd say the only way to make it darker would be to throw in a few diminished chords.

*technically, this chord wouldn't be C Eb G but C D# G since you'd be in e harmonic minor. It's a weird chord, they used it in "One Winged Angel" a lot and I have no idea what it is but it's great.

That would be vi sus2#...

This would've been the case if the leading tone resolved to the tonic, but since it doesn't, I think this notation is arguable, although it ensures staying in the scale you mentioned. But then does one really hear the piece in this scale depends on other factors we don't know.

Also the Bb in the iii isn't a chromatic mediant, but a chord based on the mediant, which happens to contain a flattened dominant. However, it could be a sharpened subdominant, which would pull it into line with the chord on the submediant, giving

i, v, visus2#, iiisus2#

In this case I would rather consider Cm as the tonic of the new tonality the sequence modulates to. So we have i-v in Em, then i-v in Cm. The Cm then would be chromatic submediant in the minor mode to which the sequence modulates. At least, that's how I hear it unless further details (like the melody or subsequent chords) are submitted.

Regards,
{Z}

[guitargeek9]

probably "Get Down" by Oz Noy. even though he is a funk musician, he made mad dissonance with the minor ninth intervals.

[theenlightened_06]

Okay, for "dark" sounds use this scale:

A B C D E F G# A (NOTE: you can transpose this scale wherever you like. I did it this way since it's much easier to understand than trying to explain it in terms of whole steps and half-steps.)

The chords are made from every OTHER note, so ACE, BDF, CEG#, DFA, EG#B, FAC, G#BD.

For "sad" sounds use this scale:

A B C D E F G A (again, transposable, but would you really want me to say whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, etc.?)

The chords are exactly the same as the other form, except the G# is now G.

So ACE, BDF, CEG, DFA, EGB, FAC, GBD.

if you write a progression you really like in one you can lower the G#s and hear the diff. Of course, the real skill in using the minor is selectively interchangeing the forms; a common trick is to NEVER use the G# except in the EG#B or G#BD(F) chords; it avoids the particularly dark sound of the CEG# augmented chord, and makes the melody more natural sounding, while still creating strength and harmonic tension in the V-I motion (V-I means moving from EG#B to ACE, which is much more powerful than EGB to ACE... not that power is everything, but there you go).

hmm just wanted to say...this sounds like an indian classical scale....if u really want deep depressing n "not so happy sounds"really go in2 a lil bit of india classical

[MoreDread]

Okay, for "dark" sounds use this scale:

A B C D E F G# A (NOTE: you can transpose this scale wherever you like. I did it this way since it's much easier to understand than trying to explain it in terms of whole steps and half-steps.)

The chords are made from every OTHER note, so ACE, BDF, CEG#, DFA, EG#B, FAC, G#BD.

For "sad" sounds use this scale:

A B C D E F G A (again, transposable, but would you really want me to say whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, etc.?)

The chords are exactly the same as the other form, except the G# is now G.

So ACE, BDF, CEG, DFA, EGB, FAC, GBD.

if you write a progression you really like in one you can lower the G#s and hear the diff. Of course, the real skill in using the minor is selectively interchangeing the forms; a common trick is to NEVER use the G# except in the EG#B or G#BD(F) chords; it avoids the particularly dark sound of the CEG# augmented chord, and makes the melody more natural sounding, while still creating strength and harmonic tension in the V-I motion (V-I means moving from EG#B to ACE, which is much more powerful than EGB to ACE... not that power is everything, but there you go).

hmm just wanted to say...this sounds like an indian classical scale....if u really want deep depressing n "not so happy sounds"really go in2 a lil bit of india classical

A B C D E F G# A simply is harmonic minor - what has harmonic minor to do with india? I dont get it. I thought harmonic minor is nothing exotic?

[Shane Sanders]

Okay, for "dark" sounds use this scale:

A B C D E F G# A (NOTE: you can transpose this scale wherever you like. I did it this way since it's much easier to understand than trying to explain it in terms of whole steps and half-steps.)

The chords are made from every OTHER note, so ACE, BDF, CEG#, DFA, EG#B, FAC, G#BD.

For "sad" sounds use this scale:

A B C D E F G A (again, transposable, but would you really want me to say whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, etc.?)

The chords are exactly the same as the other form, except the G# is now G.

So ACE, BDF, CEG, DFA, EGB, FAC, GBD.

if you write a progression you really like in one you can lower the G#s and hear the diff. Of course, the real skill in using the minor is selectively interchangeing the forms; a common trick is to NEVER use the G# except in the EG#B or G#BD(F) chords; it avoids the particularly dark sound of the CEG# augmented chord, and makes the melody more natural sounding, while still creating strength and harmonic tension in the V-I motion (V-I means moving from EG#B to ACE, which is much more powerful than EGB to ACE... not that power is everything, but there you go).

hmm just wanted to say...this sounds like an indian classical scale....if u really want deep depressing n "not so happy sounds"really go in2 a lil bit of india classical

A B C D E F G# A simply is harmonic minor - what has harmonic minor to do with india? I dont get it. I thought harmonic minor is nothing exotic?

I think there are several scales that sound exotic to a Western ear if you phrase things in a certain way, especially if you take advantage of any natural half-step trills and also choose to bend the half-step notes a certain way at a certain segment of a phrase. I know that sounds vague, but if you take a normal Phrygian mode, and simply raise the third from a minor to a major and play over an E to F vamp, you'll see what I mean. You can make that scale sound Gypsy-ish or Moorish and its all in the way you phrase and pick. Staccato notes make it lean toward the Gypsy side of things, the way Al Di Meola makes a regular Phrygian mode quite the Gypsy mistress in a lot of pieces.

I don't know theory for crap, but I think the scale I've describe is the fifth mode of harmonic minor. I could be very wrong, though. I only know enough actual theory to be dangerous. I trust my gut and my rhythms. The rest is just old guys in a fit of nostalgia to me.

[JumpingJackFlash]

if you take a normal Phrygian mode, and simply raise the third from a minor to a major
...I think the scale I've describe is the fifth mode of harmonic minor. I could be very wrong, though. I only know enough actual theory to be dangerous. I trust my gut and my rhythms. The rest is just old guys in a fit of nostalgia to me.

That is correct.

Your post also raises the point that it is not the scale itself that determines the mood or associations of the piece, it is what you do with it, and what other devices you employ.

Trusting your gut is a good way to go, but I wouldn't consider myself an "old guy in a fit of nostalgia" though!

[Shane Sanders]

if you take a normal Phrygian mode, and simply raise the third from a minor to a major
...I think the scale I've describe is the fifth mode of harmonic minor. I could be very wrong, though. I only know enough actual theory to be dangerous. I trust my gut and my rhythms. The rest is just old guys in a fit of nostalgia to me.

That is correct.

Your post also raises the point that it is not the scale itself that determines the mood or associations of the piece, it is what you do with it, and what other devices you employ.

Trusting your gut is a good way to go, but I wouldn't consider myself an "old guy in a fit of nostalgia" though!

I was kiddin'. I absorb all the theory I can, knowing that its just like any other kind of knowledge. It can never hurt a musician to know more about what's under the hood from a system's point of view. I am lame at theory, though. I simply have a horrible technical memory and can barely remember anything unless I do it every day.