4 Chord Progression Pairs for Verse and Chorus

It can sometimes be an exciting aspect of music, when the chorus dramatically changes the mood that’s been set up by the verse. A good classic example is The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” which uses a dreamy psychedelic verse, followed by a much stronger, quicker chorus.

But those songs are the exception. Most of the time, you’ll want your verse to set the stage for your chorus. One of the elements of music that needs to do this is the chord progression. How do you pair up a verse and chorus progression?

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These days in the world of pop music, it’s becoming more and more common to use the same progression in the chorus as in the verse. But if you’re looking for solid progression pairs, here’s a few you can experiment with. They should work in practically any genre, at any tempo, and in any time signature.

Progression 1

VERSE

C    Am   Bb   F    C    Am   Bb   F|
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////
Dm   Em   F    G    Dm   Em   F    G
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////

CHORUS

C    F    Am   G    C    F    Am    G
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////
Am   F    Dm   G    C    F    Am   G
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////

Progression 2

VERSE

Bb   C    Bb   C    (repeat as needed)
//// //// //// ////

CHORUS

Dm G  C    Dm G  C
// // //// // // ////
Am  Dm  G  Am  F  G  C  (repeat as needed)
// //  // //   // // ////

Progression 3

VERSE

Am   Em   G    Dm   Am   Em   G    Dm
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////
Am   Em   F    C    F    D    G
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////

CHORUS

C    G    F    C    C    G    F    C
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////
Am   Em   F    G    C    G    F    C
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////

Progression 4

VERSE

Em   G    Am   F    Em   G    Am   F
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////
Em   Dm   F    C    Dm   Bb   F    G
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////

CHORUS

Am   F    C    G    Am   F    C    G
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////
Am   Bb   F    G    C    F    G    C
//// //// //// //// //// //// //// ////

It’s hard to say specifically what makes two progressions sound like a good pairing. In the ones above, you’ll notice that the choruses often feature adjacent chords whose roots are a 4th or 5th apart, like C to F or C to G. That strengthens a progression structurally, and makes it a good partner to the verse.

Progression 3 shows a common trait of using mainly minor-sounding progressions in the verse, switching to mainly major for a chorus. Progression 4, though in C major, shows how both the verse and chorus can start in minor, but ultimately sound like C major.

Written by Gary Ewer. Follow Gary on Twitter