Ticket 43: Use The Fourths Luke!

For an extended playlist of this ticket go here

Give your songs a classy (and classical) feel by taking your chord progression backwards through the circle of fifths (which I guess really makes it a 'circle of fourths'). At somewhere near the halfway point skip a few chords to head back to your starting point - assuming you don't want to go through every single key.

For example:

Circle of Fifths

C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, C#/Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C

Circle of Fifths in Reverse (i.e. 'Circle of Fourths')

C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, C#/Db, F#/Gb, B, E, A, D, G, C 


You Never Give Me Your Money - verse

Am7 Dm9 G7 C Fmaj7 [skip] Bm7b5 E7 Am

Can’t Buy Me Love - bridge

Em Am Dm G

Rocky Racoon - verse

Am7 D7sus4 D7  G7 C

The Long And Winding Road

Cm Fm Bb Db/Eb Eb Ab

Also

Hello (Lionel Richie)

Dm G C F Bb [skip] Esus4 E Am Dm

All The Things You Are (Kern/Hammerstein)

Em7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7 Cmaj7 [skip] F#7 B7 Bm7 Em7 A7 Dmaj7 Gmaj7 [skip] C#m7-5 C#7 F#

I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)

Am Dm G Cmaj7 Fmaj7 [skip] Bm7b5 Esus4 E Am

Killing Me Softly With His Song (Roberta Flack) - chorus

Em Am D7 G [skip] Em A D

Killing Me Softly With His Song (Roberta Flack) - verse

Am7 D G C


See also

Ticket 25: Transplant Cliches From Other Genres
Ticket 28: Use At Least One Out Of Key Chord
Ticket 48: Static Melody/Changing Chords
Ticket 53: Write A 'Jazz-Style Intro' Verse
Ticket 60: Drop to the 7th Chord
Ticket 65: Build Up On The V Chord


See the full list of songwriting tips here - Tickets To Write

Further Reading:

Circle Of Fifths - wikipedia
Circle Progressions by Rich Scott