Minor ShuttleChord progression · i – ♭VII – ♭VI – ♭VII
Dark shuttle with a Watchtower vibe — bVII pulls back each time.
In A minor
Why the Minor Shuttle progression works
The bVII steps down from home and the bVI continues, then the bVII swings back. Without a V there is no pull to resolve, so it rocks back and forth and stays dark.
Songs built on it, each in its own key:
- All Along the Watchtower
Heard in: Classic rockHard rockBlues rockIndie rockFolk
How to play Minor Shuttle 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.
Minor Shuttle 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 Minor Shuttle
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 |
| ♭VII · G | G Mixolydian |
| ♭VI · F | F Lydian |
Minor Shuttle questions
What are the chords of the Minor Shuttle progression?
i – ♭VII – ♭VI – ♭VII. In A minor that is Am, G, F, G; in E minor it is Em, D, C, D.
Which songs use the Minor Shuttle progression?
All Along the Watchtower, each in its own key.
What scale do you play over the Minor Shuttle progression?
A Natural minor and A Minor pentatonic fit the whole progression in A minor. Chord by chord: A Natural minor over Am, G Mixolydian over G, F Lydian over F.
How do you play the Minor Shuttle 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.