Aeolian DarkChord progression · i – ♭VI – ♭VII – i
Pure aeolian rock — dark and grounded with no dominant pull.
In A minor
Why the Aeolian Dark progression works
Pure natural minor with no dominant. With no leading tone nothing pulls up to the tonic, so it stays dark and grounded. bVI to bVII to i is the classic rock cadence in minor.
Heard in: Hard rockIndie rockProgressive rockPunkMetal
How to play Aeolian Dark in A minor
One voicing per chord, each the nearest to the chord before, so your hand stays in one spot. Open any chord in the chord library for every other way to play it.
Aeolian Dark chords in all 12 keys
The same numerals in every key. Each chord opens in the chord library, and each key plays in the progression builder.
What scale to play over Aeolian Dark
Over the whole progression in A minor: A Natural minor, A Minor pentatonic. To follow every chord, switch to the scale the progression builder picks for it.
| Chord | Scale over it |
|---|---|
| i · Am | A Natural minor |
| ♭VI · F | F Lydian |
| ♭VII · G | G Mixolydian |
Aeolian Dark questions
What are the chords of the Aeolian Dark progression?
i – ♭VI – ♭VII – i. In A minor that is Am, F, G, Am; in E minor it is Em, C, D, Em.
What scale do you play over the Aeolian Dark progression?
A Natural minor and A Minor pentatonic fit the whole progression in A minor. Chord by chord: A Natural minor over Am, F Lydian over F, G Mixolydian over G.
How do you play the Aeolian Dark progression in another key?
Keep the numerals and move every chord by the same distance. The table on this page spells it in all 12 keys, and each key opens in the progression builder.