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How to Write Chord Progressions, Rule #6, Part B: Make Structured Use of Chords of the Same Type
Another way to string together three or more chords of the same type is to progress along a scale of chord roots (up or down). For example, going up the scale of chord roots, like this:
C9♭5 – D9♭5 – E9♭5 – F9♭5 – G9♭5
or going down:
G9♭5 – F9♭5 – E9♭5 – D9♭5 – C9♭5
Yet another way to do this is to use a sequence of chords—one set of chords followed by a second, different set of the same chord type, repeated in the same pattern. Like this:
Cm7 – Dm7 – Fm7
followed by (in a parallel phrase or sub-phrase):
Bm7 – C♯m7 – Em7
When you string together three or more chords of the same type, the chord type itself doesn’t matter. You can even use extended chords such as 9th, 11th, or 13th chords, so long as you preserve the same chord type throughout the progression.