There are tons of chromatic variations of the 6-2-5-1 chord progression that every keyboardist must not be without.
The 6-2-5-1- chord progression is also known as the turnaround chord progression because it is usually played at the end of a song to cycle us back to the beginning of a song and that’s what makes it very important across a variety of music styles.
A Short Note On The Basic 6-2-5-1 Chord Progression
The 6-2-5-1 chord progression is based on the number system and the numbers (6, 2, 5, and 1) are associated with chords in the major key:
The 6-chord
The 2-chord
The 5-chord
The 1-chord
The Basic 6-2-5-1 Chord Progression In The Key Of C Major
In the key of C major:
…here’s a basic 6-2-5-1 chord progression using ninth chords in the key:
The 6-chord:
The 2-chord:
The 5-chord:
The 1-chord:
Playing the scale tone chords above in any key on the keyboard produces the 6-2-5-1 chord progression.
Chromatic Variations Of The 6-2-5-1 Chord Progression
The term chromatic is used to describe any idea (be it a note, scale, chord, progression, etc.) that is foreign to a given key.
Chromatic variations of the 6-2-5-1 chord progression are basically chord progressions with one or more chords that are foreign to the key we’re currently in (which is the key of C major.)
We’ll be looking at six variations of the 6-2-5-1 chord progression with chromatic chords in this segment and all the examples would be given in the key of C major. However, it is recommended that you learn how to transpose to other keys eventually.
Variation #1 – “The b3-2-5-1 Chord Progression”
In this chord progression, we’re substituting the 6-chord with the b3-chord and the theory behind this substitution is the tritone substitution.
So, instead of the 6th tone of the scale (which is A):
…we’re going down a tritone below A (to Eb):
…which is the b3-tone.
“Here’s The Chord Progression…”
The b3-chord:
The 2-chord:
The 5-chord:
The 1-chord:
Variation #2 – “The b3-b6-5-1 Chord Progression”
The b3-chord:
The b6-chord:
The 5-chord:
The 1-chord:
Variation #3 – “The b3-b6-b2-1 Chord Progression”
The b3-chord:
The b6-chord:
The b2-chord:
The 1-chord:
Variation #4 – “The b3-2-b2-1 Chord Progression”
The b3-chord:
The 2-chord:
The b2-chord:
The 1-chord:
Variation #5 – “The 6-b6-5-1 Chord Progression”
The 6-chord:
The b6-chord:
The 5-chord:
The 1-chord:
Variation #6 – “The 6-b6-b2-1 Chord Progression”
The 6-chord:
The b6-chord:
The b2-chord:
The 1-chord:
Final Words
These chromatic variations of the 6-2-5-1 chord progression are useful turnaround progressions that you can connect the end of a song to its beginning with.
Attention: Feel free to make your own variations of the 6-2-5-1 using the chords given.
For most songs, there are four counts in-between the ending and the beginning section. It is recommended that you play the chord progression in this manner:
The 6-chord (1st count)
The 2-chord (2nd count)
The 5-chord (3rd count)
The 1-chord (4th count)
I hope you’ll find the extra information on how the chords should be played helpful.
All the best.
Chuku Onyemachi
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