4-Chord LOOPS in each MODE

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]In this video, we're going to look at some of the very best four chord loops across the different modes. And because you are more curious and clever than most people, you won't just learn to play them like a performance monkey. We will embrace our humanity to see the actual music theory behind these patterns to see why they work so well.

[00:00:18]Since the 1950s, standard pop songs have gradually been refined to short repeating progressions that cycle through only a few chords, often just four chords. some on the bright end of the modal spectrum and others that reach into the darker and more brooding modes.

[00:00:33]And to really see how these modes shape the mood of the music, we'll use the chord map to trace the path that each one follows within harmonic space. We'll start with a couple of progressions in the spacey sounding Lydian mode, which is the brightest on the spectrum. The seven chords of Lydian [music] in C for example are major 1, major 2, minor 3, sharp diminished 4, major 5, minor [music] 6, and minor 7. Because this mode is a permutation of G major, these harmonies naturally want to resolve to this major 5 chord, which is the tonic or major 1 in the key of G. So you'll generally want to avoid this chord in Lydian while also emphasizing the distinctive [music] sharp four note in this pattern which gives the mode its dreamy sound. The most popular progression in Lydian centers around the major 1 and [music] major 2 chords since the major 2 includes that characteristic sharp four note of Lydian like in this pattern.

[00:01:34]>> [music] >> This [music] one major 7 chord has an open ethereal sound which is perfect for Lydian. Again, the major 2 [music] includes the distinctive sharp four note. This minor 3 adds variety. And then the [music] major 2 again reinforces the spacey feel of this mode before the loop repeats. A slight variation on this is to alternate between the major one and major [music] 2, but incorporating their relative minor chords to keep it interesting.

[00:02:18][music] Minor 7 is just the relative minor of major 2. [music] So minor 7 and major 2 sound very similar.

[00:02:30][music] And the minor 6 chord is the relative minor of major 1. So these two chords are nearly identical as well.

[00:02:39]But they're different [music] enough to keep the progression interesting as it cycles forward. And you can get a PDF with these progressions in the video notes. Check it out. Next, let's look at some chords in the Ionian [music] mode, which is a notch darker on the spectrum.

[00:02:52]This mode sounds bright like Lydian, but not dreamy. so much as it sounds more sweet and stable. The seven [music] chords of this mode in C are major 1, minor 2, minor 3, major 4, major 5, minor 6, [music] and diminished 7.

[00:03:08]Because this is the most popular mode in music, you can make a lot of loops from these chords, like the infamous 1 5 6 4.

[00:03:28]I say [music] infamous because the access of awesome has spoofed the heavy use of this pattern. I also have a deep dive into this progression in the video notes, but the reason it's used so often is because it sounds amazing, lending itself to some very cool melodies.

[00:03:42]Another great loop in Ionian is the classic doo-op progression of 1 6 4 5.

[00:03:55][music] It's basically just a rearrangement of the first pattern.

[00:04:03]But this [music] new sequence creates a different flow that inspires other melodies. The 1 3 4 2 is another good progression that draws on the bright and happy sound of this mode.

[00:04:26]And [music] the simple 1 54 41 has a nice rock country vibe that you can use to create some great sounds.

[00:04:40][music] Again, you'll find a PDF with these progressions in the video notes. Also, you can get your own chord map and fretboard labels in my shop where each is designed to show you the framework of music theory to gain a kind of X-ray vision so you have superpowers as a songwriter. All right, so there are many more chord loops possible in Ionian, but jumping into mixelyian, you can play some cool progressions in [music] this darker and more epic mode as well. The seven chords to choose from here are major 1, [music] minor 2, diminished three, major 4, minor 5, minor 6, and flat major 7. [music] And the distinctive interval in mixelyian is the flat 7 note, which in the key of C is B flat. So to really emphasize this flat 7, you can play chords that include it, like the minor 5 and [music] flat major 7. For example, this first loop includes the minor 5 chord. 1 5 4 1.

[00:05:46]As usual, the pattern reinforces the tonic [music] chord, in this case C major, the major one, to keep our ears fixed to C as the tonal center. And with this minor 5 chord, the pattern has a brooding quality.

[00:06:02][music] Very mixelyian. It's great. Another pattern that captures this mode's vibe is major 1 flat major 7 minor 2 major 1.

[00:06:13][music] [music] It's similar to the first loop, but takes the music in a slightly different direction. And of course, you can combine and mix and match these progressions to expand your songs, adding more variety. But again, using these four chord loops as the basic building blocks, you can get the ideas flowing as you play with these sounds.

[00:06:38]Next along the modal spectrum is the Dorian mode, which sounds even darker and more mellow than the [music] last with chords minor 1, minor 2, flat major 3, major [music] 4, minor 5, diminished 6, and flat major 7. where this minor 1 brings [music] us into the minor modes section of the spectrum. The characteristic note of Dorian is the natural six. So you can play [music] with this interval to emphasize the mode's relaxed and mellow vibe like in the 14 pattern which is the most common Dorian progression.

[00:07:13][music] >> [music] >> Granted, we're stretching the definition of a four chord loop here by repeating only two chords across four measures, but this sequence, which is sometimes called the Dorian vamp, is a great one for creating a distinctly Dorian sound in your music. Another loop you might try in Dorian goes like this.

[00:07:43][music] [music] Together, these chords give the progression Dorian's bright yet minor sound that feels nice and mellow. Where you might swap out the major 4 for its relative minor [music] 2 on occasion for variety. Shifting into the next mode of Eolian, [music] sometimes pronounced aolon and also known as the minor key.

[00:08:10]Many loops are possible with these chords which include the minor 1, [music] diminished 2, flat major 3, minor 4, minor 5, flat major [music] 6, and flat major 7. Definitely one of the most popular is 1 6 3 7.

[00:08:30]>> [music] [music] >> The reason you hear it so often in songs and why it sounds so good is because this progression is basically the same as the famous 1 5 64 in Ionian, but where the loop starts on this minor chord instead. [music] For example, if we rotate the numerals layer here to highlight E flat Ionian chords E flat, [music] B flat, C minor, and A flat are the major 1, major 5, minor 6, and major 4 [music] respectively. But when we rotate the numerals back into Colon, the same chords are used, but the roles change based on the numerals. So the progression of C [music] minor, A flat, E flat, B flat becomes minor 1, flat major 6, flat major 3, flat major 7 with the cycle resolving to the minor one chord instead. [music] And since this minor chord is now the tonic or point of resolution, the whole loop takes on the more melancholy somber feeling of Eolan.

[00:09:32]It's very cool. Okay, another pattern you can play in this mode is 1 4 73, which sounds really nice.

[00:09:42]>> [music] [music] >> And for one more example, try playing the 1 7 6 5 which creates a feeling of perpetually falling.

[00:10:04][music] >> [music] >> Or to create a stronger resolution to the minor one tonic, you can cheat a little by swapping out this minor 5 [music] of Eolan with the major 5 chord borrowed from Ionian over here, [music] which arguably sounds even better. In fact, this loop is so popular that it has its own name called the Andalusian cadence, which I explain in another video. There's a link to that in the notes as well. All right, there are two more modes to go as we shift into the darkest section of the spectrum, where the next after Eolan is the friian mode with chords minor 1, flat major 2, [music] flat major 3, minor 4, diminished 5, flat major 6, and flat minor 7. The signature note of this mode [music] is the flat 2. So using the flat major 2 chord sounds especially frigian like in this progression [music] [music] by emphasizing this chord here. [music] The loop definitely takes on the edgy feeling of this mode. As another example, try playing this loop.

[00:11:31]>> [music] [music] >> The flat major 3 and flat minor 7 chords [music] add some interesting harmonic movement before hitting the distinctive flat major 2 minor 1 of [music] friian.

[00:11:50]It's nice. And finally, let's play a couple of loops in Loran, the most dissonant [music] mode at the far end of the spectrum with chords diminished 1, flat major 2, flat minor 3, minor 4, flat major 5, flat major 6, [music] flat minor 7. With its diminished tonic, the diminished one, Lorian has an especially unstable sound because a diminished chord like this doesn't provide a strong harmony to resolve to.

[00:12:16]In fact, it's so unstable that songs in this mode are fairly rare. But you can still make some cool music with these chords. Like with this loop for example.

[00:12:30][music] >> [music] >> Or as another example, you might try this.

[00:12:41][music] [music] Of all the modes, Lorian may be the least satisfying, but as you can see, you have a lot of options to write cool chord progressions across the modal spectrum using the comparatively bright major modes on this end through the progressively darker minor modes and even in the most dissonant diminished mode down here. Let me know in the comments of other good four chord loops.

[00:13:10]For your own chord map, fretboard labels, and other tools, check out my shop, and I'll see you in the next video.