Know the chords - substitute chord? passing chord?

Getting bored of repeating Major and minor chords? Let's try to substitute the chords and add some colour and flavour by arrange in passing chord!!

Before you start, make sure:

• you have some basic understanding about interval. For turorial about interval please visit here.
• grab a guitar and play the chord, I want you to remember the "sound, texture and colour" of the chord instead of the dull theory

* I only show 1 chord for your example (but not showing all of the different position) so you can capture the colour and sound of the chord, so please do feel free to check othe material such as chord dictionary to find various combination and position of chords.

** The chords I listed here are mostly suitable for strumming, if you are more likely to play them in a plucking way, I will made another article discussing about the pattern and tips for plucking, which will comes more complicate because of walking melody. Anyway, you just have to get the idea of the structure of chord progression.

Are you ready?

只会弹奏大调和小调和弦？来看看替换和弦和经过和弦吧！！用得好的话它能为单调的编曲加上色彩还能够减轻手指的负担哦！！这篇文章要告诉你，其实我们平时弹流行曲遇到的好像很复杂的和弦，其实都是经过加工的大调和小调和弦而已哦！！

开始之前，确保你对“音程度数”有些微的了解（想温习的童鞋们请到这里）；并随手抱着一把吉他，即刻试弹来感受被替换后的和弦的色彩！！

Phase 1: the basics

There are only 2 common kind of chord we will see in our daily playing, amongst all these hassle, there are only 2 kind of "root" chord to be "process", which is the "Major" and the "minor" (ignore diminished and augmented).

I listed some of the most common chord progression in pop music, with only Major and minor chords:

在众多复杂的和弦中其实只有两大家族，就是大调和小调。也就是说，所有“被加工”的和弦都是以这两个大家族为根的。 我们再复习一下流行音乐较常出现的和弦进行：

1. I - V - VIm - IIIm - IV - I - IV - V
2. I - V - VIm - IIIm - IV - IIIm - IIm - V
3. I - IV
4. I - V
5. VIm - IV - I - V
6. I - IIIm - IV - V
7. I - IIIm - IV - IVm
8. IIm - IV - V - V
9. VIm - IIIm - IV - V
10. VIm - V - IIIm - IV
11. IV - V - VIm
12. IV - I - V - VIm

Why not add some colour and different feeling to the song to escape from the boredom of only Major and minor? Let's try to re-arrange the chords by replacing them with other chords!!

只有大调和小调？现在们就来试试为这些大小调加上些不一样的感觉！！


Phase 2: the substituted and passing chords

once you have already know the basics, I will list down some example for the "timing" of these chord to appear in a song.

• substituted chord is an option for you to switch or change between the chord. It can be use alone.
• passing chord work as a "bridge" between 2 chords to give colours and texture to the song. It must be place between two chord, to act as a "bridge", or under most of the circumstances it might seem awkward.

基本的概念有了，我在这里列出各别种类的和弦出现的“时机”。（显然，不会有一首歌从I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII都是大调或都是小调的吧？）

• 替换和弦指的是该和弦能被替代的选择，是可以单独使用的。
• 经过和弦就好像连接两个和弦的“桥梁”，能给单调重复的和弦加上一些色彩。经过和弦就必须放在两个和弦中间才能显出“桥梁”的作用，单独使用的话大多时候都很奇怪。

Major chord (1-3-5)

usually appear in 1, 4, 5, example in a C key song: C, F, G
大调和弦通常出现在1、4、5

minor chord (1-3b-5)

usually appear in 2m, 3m, 6m, example in a C key song: Dm, Em, Am
小调和弦通常出现在2m、3m、6m

OK after we explain the Major and minor, let's see their variant:
好了解释了大、小调和弦出现的时机，我们来看看他们的变化。


dominant 7th chord (1-3-5-7b)

dominant 7th act as passing chord in 1 and 5 under these circumstances:
the dominant 7th in "1" will appear when the next part of the song start with 4, example in a C key song: substitute from C > F to C7 > F
the dominant 7th in "5" will appear in the end of a part and the next chord start with 1, example in a C key song: subtitute from G > C to G7 > C
not suitable for ending a song.
属七和弦其实是一个经过和弦。他们可被置放在1和5和弦。而1属七和弦通常出现在当下一个和弦是4和弦的时候；5属七和弦则出现在下一个和弦是1和弦的时候。

Major 7th chord (1-3-5-7)

oh indie music looooooves this chord, this chord usually can be substitute to 1 and 4 Major chord (not really work with 5 Major becos the 5 Major 7th will comes in a note outside the playing key). example in a C key song: Cmaj7, Fmaj7
* This chord comes in handy because it requires less left hand finger to press and sometime it deliver a rather subtle and emotional feel to the song. If you wish to just add it into a song without ruining the original energetic and lively feeling of the song, try add it into bridge, interlude or as the ending chord of the song.
噢非主流音乐爱死这个和弦了（尤其是陈绮贞和苏打绿）。大调七和弦可被当成替换和弦，当做经过和弦来用的话效果则不明显。可与1和弦和4和弦替换（与5和弦则行不通）通常大调七和弦需要的指法会比较简单，但却能给出不一样的色彩让曲子更丰富。如果你觉得曲子的感觉还是应该以活力、愉快为主调，可试试把大调七和弦放进过门或独奏的部分。

minor 7th chord (1 - 3b - 5 - 7b)

minor chords can be substitute with minor 7th, the result didn't come too obvious, we don't even notice the difference most of the time. These replacement only add a bit of colour, to me, the more important reason to do this replacement is: IT IS EASIER TO PRESS.
小调七和弦可与小调对换，它们对换后的差别其实不怎么明显，但对我来说小调与小调七和弦对换后在指法上却可省很多麻烦。

 

Switching minor chord (1 - 3b - 5) to Major chord (1 - 3 - 5)

Actually this works like you've "sharpen" the minor chord, it deliver some sort of "unique and changing" feeling. It kinda work most of the time if you wish to season your minor chords a bit.Works in the 6m and 3m.
这个换法给人的感觉就有点像你把小调和弦“提高”了，能给人一种“吊诡”的感觉。通常用在6小调和3小调和弦。

Going from Major (1 - 3 - 5) to minor (1 - 3b - 5)

This is not a substituted option, it is a pattern and work as passing chord. Sometime I apply it when the 4 Major chord run more than one bar.
其实这不算是一个替换的选项，如果4大调和弦出现超过一个小节，我就会在接下来的小节放上4小调和弦来让曲子更丰富。

Substitution between IV and iim

The IV Major chord can be substitute with ii minor chord, this will come in handy during fingerstyle arrangement when either one of the chord comes in very difficult fingering. You will find them deliver slightly different feeling but doesn't affect the flow of the song!!

4大调和弦可与2小调和弦对换。当你编曲时遇到很“尅手”的4大调和弦时（比如手指跨距太大）可用2小调和弦替代之，反之亦然。它们之间的感情色彩有些差别但却不会影响曲子的进行。

Suspended (1 - 2 or 9 - 5) / (1 - 4 or 11 - 5) & add9 (1 - 3 - 5 - 9) chord

Most of the suspended and add9 chord sounds neutral, which mean it doesn't have very strong Major nor minor expression, so it can be substitute with both Major and minor chord. Of course there must be some theory rules but do experiment yourself with these!! You might come our with some very unique of your own combination of chords!!

ex: try to change A Major or A minor into Asus2, and find if it sounds weird, or probably better!!

I also listed some 5th Chord (Chord doesn't have iiim or III to express Major or minor) and some chord in different fingering which deliver harmonic melody:

悬挂和弦的色彩通常听起来都是中庸的，没有很明显的大调色彩，听起来也不像小调。所以不管是大调或小调都可与之对换。乐理的规范固然有，但大家应该抱持试验的精神多多尝试！！如当你遇到A大调或A小调和弦时，不妨试试把它换成Asus2和弦，也许它听起来会很奇怪，又或者听起来更好听！！


Due to different scales applied to different playing key, I didn't list these chords in proper playing key order. To understand the pros and cons of different playing key, please stay tuned for my upcoming article!!

由于不同的曲调在弹奏上各有优缺，所以这里的替换和弦就不是用曲调来分了。我会在之后的篇章解释不同曲调在弹奏上的优缺点，尽请收看咯！！

Hope in the end of this article, you will be able to:

• Understand these weird-fancy-dodgy chord name are nothing but substituted chord, which mean if you don't understand that chord, just play it with normal Major or minor chord!! (ignore any fancy stuff after the Major or minor)
• Improvise with substituted Chord
• Find out more interesting chord progression!!!

 希望看完这篇文章：

• 当面对那些看似复杂的和弦时，你能够了解其实他们都是以大调或小调和弦为基建构出来的。
• 能够即兴的替换和弦。
• 编配出各种各样的和弦进行！！