Sunday Strum: Episode 7 Harmonic Progression in Threes

In episode 7 of Sunday Strum, we’re going to cover something a little different.

Instead of focusing on rhythm and right hand technique, I thought I’d demonstrate a simple example regarding chord progressions.

More often than not, we tend to write music in even numbers of measures; for instance, a progression that spans four bars or even a 12-bar blues.

However, working in odd numbers like three can put a unique spin on your writing.

In the following video I use a basic harmonic progression to demonstrate this, but feel free to use any chords, time signatures, or odd groupings that you see fit!

Justin Horenstein is a guitar instructor and musician in the Washington, DC metro area who graduated (cum laude) from the Berklee College of Music in 2006. He plays in Black Clouds, a 3-piece atmospheric/experimental band. Their debut album was recorded by J Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). Justin’s 18 years of musical experience also includes touring the U.S., a record deal under Sony, starting his own teaching business, recording several albums, and playing club shows with national acts including Circa Survive, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Biffy Clyro, United Nations, Caspian, and more.

More about Justin at 29thCenturyGuitar.com and BlackCloudsDC.bandcamp.com