The Faster the Tempo, the slower the Harmonic Rhythm

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website.

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There are very few “rules” in songwriting. As soon as you mention a rule, you’ve got a list of a dozen or more songs that don’t do that! Nonetheless, that’s not to say there aren’t some basic guidelines you should follow. And when it comes to chords, and the number of chords you should be using, remember this basic principle: The faster the tempo, the slower the harmonic rhythm.

Harmonic rhythm is a term used to describe how often how frequently the chords in a song change. And in general, this frequency of chord changes tends to be somewhat constant, particularly within a verse, or within a chorus. For example, a verse might use primarily a harmonic rhythm of changing chords every 4 beats, while a chorus might then switch it to changing chords every 2 beats, or 8 beats, etc.

It’s impossible to state a rule about this, but for most songs of moderate tempo, you’ll find that holding chords for 4 to 8 beats usually works well.

If the tempo of your song is faster, you should slow down the harmonic rhythm. In other words, the faster your tempo, the less frequent your chord changes should be. That’s because combining fast tempos with quick chord changes can add a frantic feel to your song. (No problem, if you’re looking for a frantic feel!) But if you’re simply wanting to build energy by way of a sizzling tempo, you’ll find that allowing more beats before actually changing to the next chord allows you to build energy without also making the music sound frenzied or panic-stricken.

Of course, you can turn that advice around: If you’re looking for ways to add a frantic, wild quality to your song, try changing the harmonic rhythm so that chords change more frequently. This works best with chords in root position (no slash chords, in other words.) By using slash chords (inversions), you smooth out the bass line, and this will remove some of the desired energy.

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If you’d like to learn more about how chord progressions work, Gary Ewer’s songwriting e-books give you the help you’re looking for, including “Essential Chord Progressions”, and “More Essential Chord Progressions”).