One of the prompts inside our current Songwriting Sprint is the “3 + 3 Chord Challenge.”
The idea is deceptively simple, and we want to share it with you so you can feel its immediate impact in your own writing!
The Challenge
We are focusing on chords – and I warmly invite you to take the immensely rewarding ‘3 + 3 CHORD CHALLENGE’
The 3 + 3 challenge is something I created whilst developing my own song craft, as a way of:
- Creating contrast between sections
- Experimenting with new and more interesting chord combinations
- Utilising a wider range of diatonic options
The challenge goes like this:
Step 1 – Pick a Key
Let’s say we are writing in the key of D
The chords in D are – D Em F#m G A Bm C#dim
You cab see the diatonic chords in each of the 12 keys here: https://countryguitaronline.com/chords-in-each-major-key/
Step 2 – Use the V-CH form
For this prompt I’m encouraging you to use the Verse / Chorus form – simply because it allows us to feel the full impact of the 3 + 3 method
As you develop your song, you’ll be focusing on creating two contrasting sections – a Verse and a Chorus
Step 3 – Pick your 3 + 3
The 3 + 3 challenge requires that you pick 3 chords for your Verse and 3 different chords for your Chorus
If we are in the key of D, we could do something like this:
Verse: Bm F#m G
Chorus: D A Em
Note, you must have 3 different chords for each section (no overlaps)
Step 4 – Experiment
The joy (and learning) of this method is experimenting with different chord combinations and different orderings of those combinations
- Try different 3 chord combos for each section
- Note down the sequence and the ‘mood’ it creates
- Try re-ordering those 3 chords
- Try substituting in one new chord at a time and continue re-ordering
Ultimately, this is a harmony game that allows you to rapidly test different chord combinations and feel the effects of those changes
Extra Challenge
If you’d like to stretch your harmonic options a little, try adding in one chord from outside of the key (non-diatonic)
An invitation
Songwriters in our Sprints share their ideas, drafts, and songs inside our private online community.
