307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.
In F minor, the Andalusian cadence is Fm – E♭ – D♭ – C. Four chords stepping down to the major V: the sound of flamenco, also everywhere in pop, rock and film music.
The library above is set to Andalusian Cadence in F minor. Press Play to hear it with strummed guitar, bass and drums in a bollywood (dholak) groove, tap any chord to hear it on its own, or pick another key or a capo.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm minor | F A♭ C | tonic (home) |
| ♭VII | E♭ major | E♭ G B♭ | dominant (pulling home) |
| ♭VI | D♭ major | D♭ F A♭ | predominant (moving away) |
| V | C major | C E G | dominant (pulling home) |
Chords that share notes slide into each other; a change with no common notes sounds like a bigger step. Here is what each change keeps:
The easiest shape for each chord, with finger numbers. All of them are open-position shapes.
With the capo on the 3rd fret you can play F minor with Dm shapes, Dm, C, B♭, A, and leave out three full barre chords. Each row shows the shapes you play and how easy they are (capo positions above the 7th fret are left out: the guitar sounds thin up there).
| Capo | Shapes you play | How easy |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd fret | Dm C B♭ A | Easy |
| 1st fret | Em D C B | Hard |
| 5th fret | Cm B♭ A♭ G | Hard |
| No capo | Fm E♭ D♭ C | Hard |
Fm, E♭, D♭ and C, one bar each, in that order.
Capo on the 3rd fret and play Dm, C, B♭, A: the easiest shapes for this key.
Keep the numerals (i, ♭VII, ♭VI, V) and build each chord from the new key, or tap another key in the library above and the chords change for you.
A♭ major. It has the same notes, which is why A♭ (the ♭III chord) sounds at home in F minor progressions.