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 F♯m – 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 | F♯m 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 4th fret you can play F♯ minor with Dm shapes, Dm, C, B♭, A, and leave out two 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 4th fret | Dm C B♭ A | Easy |
| No capo | F♯m E D C♯ | Hard |
| 2nd fret | Em D C B | Hard |
| 6th fret | Cm B♭ A♭ G | Hard |
F♯m, E, D and C♯, one bar each, in that order.
Capo on the 4th 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.