Synthwave Chord Progressions and Melodies

By Rogue VHS · Video starts at the chord section · All tutorials

Chords are where my tracks start. Get the progression right and the bass, arp and melody almost write themselves. Below is the method I use, step by step, with the chord section of the video queued up so you can hear each change as I make it.

Start with the cadence

Before anything else, decide how the progression resolves. Common cadences to build from:

• Four to one (IV–I)
• Five to one (V–I)
• Seven to one (VII–I)

Get the cadence chords in first, then fill in the blanks. In the video I start in C minor, put the one chord first and end on the four, so the progression lands back on the one each time it loops.

Remember that in the minor scale the one, four and five chords are minor.

Balance minor and major chords

To fill the middle I use the six and the seven, which are major chords in the minor scale. That gives:

i – VI – VII – iv (in C minor: Cm – A♭ – B♭ – Fm)

Two minor chords handle the cadence (the one and the four) and two major chords sit in the middle (the six and the seven). I find that three minors and one major, or three majors and one minor, pigeonhole you into sounding either minor or major. Two and two gives a slightly more interesting colour.

Invert so the chords sit close together

Next, think about inversions. I invert chords down so the notes stay clustered together from one chord to the next. It makes the progression sound more pleasant and more stable, and less like it's jumping around.

Add sevenths

We all like sevenths. To find one, count one scale degree down from the chord's root. You'll need to rethink this for any chords you've inverted, because the bottom note is no longer the root.

Extend notes across the progression

Look for chances to hold a note across the whole progression, like a pedal tone. In the video I end up extending the seventh of the scale across every chord, which I don't normally do but it sounded great. I let that idea of tone leading decide where the extended notes go.

This works especially well for an intro, where you're not in the verse or chorus yet. You want as many similarities between the chords as possible while it's still clearly a chord progression.

Try a new key and a borrowed chord

Once the progression works, you can transpose the whole thing (right-click → transpose in FL Studio). In the video I move it up a semitone to C♯ minor.

Then try borrowing a chord. Take one of the major chords and make it minor by lowering its third by a semitone. That borrows the chord from the parallel key: it still does the same harmonic job, but with a different colour. In the video it makes the progression slightly darker, which I love. If you're not sold on it yet, keep going; you can always change it back later.

Build the bass from the chords

Copy the lowest notes of each chord into a bass part for instant texture. Keep the bass in a contained range, neither too high nor too low. If it climbs too high it loses its power and body, so invert down when that happens.

Two more tips from my arrangement video help here. Low cut your pads at around 150 Hz so they don't clash with the bass. And try inverting the lowest chord notes up out of the bass's way; it clears the low end, and because different notes end up on top, the same progression gets a distinctly different feeling.

Write the lead melody

It doesn't matter much which note you start the lead on. I usually feel it out, but starting on the fifth is a fine default. Write it in the same pattern as your chords, then copy it out across the track. If you've used a borrowed chord, check the melody against it, because a note that worked over the original chord may clash with the borrowed one.

Embellish the melody and arp

Arpeggios that follow the chords can start to feel regimented and formulaic. Embellishment is how I pivot back to thinking melodically. Three quick techniques from the video:

• Swap two notes. At the end of bar two and bar six, swap the order of the last two notes. It takes no thinking and instantly breaks the pattern.
• Give the top notes their own melody on the offbeat. This introduces a new rhythmic idea to the arpeggio.
• Introduce a new note into the progression.

The top of your chords is also a great place to write extra melody. In my arrangement video I use the top notes of the chords in the B section, combining stepping notes with a few higher notes, which add real drama.

Finish with subtle pitch bends

Automate the pitch on your lead and draw bends in by hand. Over eight bars, pick two notes to bend. Overdo it and it stops working; what you want is subtle variation throughout.

Keep going

• See where these chords fit in the full workflow: How to make synthwave.
• Turn your progression into a full song: How to arrange synthwave and build a B section.