![]() So what’s the difference between The Sound of Silence and The Sound of Music? You’ll find several of these progressions in upbeat, positive songs as well. In fact, I would argue that your chords are half of the equation at most. Making Dark Music from Chord ProgressionsĪ chord progression isn’t enough to make dark sounding music. This chord progression is front and center throughout. The song is called Etasthesie and it’s quite haunting. I pulled this dark chord progression from band I’d previously never heard of called Life’s Decay. While this doesn’t come directly from the song, this chord progression was found while I played along with Chop Suey by System of a Down. This chord progression can just as easily sound hopeful as depressing.Ĭhords from the song: E flat minor, A flat major, E flat minor, B major, G flat major, B major, G flat major 12. This song is a tribute to the fact that your tempo, voicing and style can have a huge impact on the feel of your songs. Perhaps the most well known dark songs ever written, this chord progression comes from Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence. My wife suggested this one since its one of her favorite songs from her past, and she assured me it’s definitely “dark.” The song is Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri. The soundtrack is full of textbook examples of how to create dissonance both through your notes and through how you play your instrument. Something is seriously wrong in that world, and Gustavo Santaolalla does a masterful job of conveying that in his music. This one comes from one of my favorite video games The Last of Us. I found this really unique chord progression hidden in the soundtrack for the show. I remembered watching the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House and thinking it was very creepy. This intro sets the tone for something that is very wrong in this world, “some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses.” 8. I couldn’t make a list of dark chord progressions without including the intro from Killing in the Name by Rage Against The Machine. This progression is taken from another very famous dark song, Metallica’s song about the mental terrors of war, One. It creates so much dissonance, but that’s what makes it feel truly dark. The real chiller in the NiN version is the flat 5 that gets thrown in the first minor chord. The song is Hurt, originally written by Nine Inch Nails and later made even more famous by Johnny Cash. This dark chord progression comes from another super famous dark song. i i III IV – B minor flat 5, D2, E minor 7 It uses just one chord for the majority of the song, but manages to stay interesting and create some feelings of dread. I also recommending checking out Devil’s Gonna Come by these same two artists. ![]() This set of chords comes from a song called Slow Farewell by Raphael Lake and Royal Baggs. It may come as a surprise, but even country music can be dark. I found this one while listening to a playlist on Spotify called “Dark Synthwave” and this dark chord progression comes from a song called Covenant by Electric Dragon. The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.” 3. “I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad. And this is the chord progression that makes it all work. Speaking of Donnie Darko, it’s the movie that made Mad World one of the most popular dark songs ever. And this progression, while very simple, maintains tension with three minor chords. In his instrumental tracks, Michael Andrews creates some incredibly haunting, dark sounds. I found this one while listening to the Donnie Darko soundtrack. I found dozens, but these 13 seemed to cover the most ground and provide the most diversity among the music I listened to while researching this article. And the best way to do that is to create some dissonance somewhere. Something in your chord progressions need to convey that there’s something very wrong in the world. There isn’t clear harmony, or if there is, then the harmony is disrupted by something else in the music. Music feels dark when something sounds off. The one thing that seems to be present in all dark sounding music is dissonance. I’ve listened to everything from Slayer, Pantera, and Metallica to the Dark Souls soundtrack. I listened for hours and hours to pull out 13 dark chord progressions from pop, country, instrumental, metal, electronic and video games.Īnd I’ve also tried to glean some of the most common characteristics of all the dark songs I’ve listened to in the past few weeks. You can find examples of tragic music across many genres and in many styles. ![]() The truth is that there’s no right way to write dark music.
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