For me, neo soul guitar chords are soft, lush colors like major 7 and minor 7 9, put in a loop with a backbeat. An easy way to write them is to pick one note, keep it on top of every chord, and try different chords underneath until you find four you like.
That one-note idea is the first of five simple devices I figured out through the years in New York, exploring, writing and collaborating with people. In the video and below, we go from one note on top to the chord options under it, then inversions, then rhythm and melody.
What makes a chord sound neo soul?
Softer colors in a loopy context. I’m talking about those lush sounds when you put them in a loop with a backbeat. That feels so good.
For this vibe I’m not going for super harsh colors. I use a lot of major 7 and minor 7 9, which are softer than something like a 7 flat 13. That’s what feels very neo soul and hip-hop to me. Of course it could be anything, but that’s the vibe I’m going for here.
Level 1: keep one note on top
Choose literally one note and keep it on top of every chord. The chords underneath can be a million different colors, but that top note stays.
I take F, because F sounds like such a beautiful sound to me. Then I try chords under it and look for a four-bar progression I like. Here’s where I landed:
- B flat major 7 9. Voiced with D in the bass, so it’s in first inversion, and F on top.
- D flat major 7. F on top again, where it’s the 3rd of the chord.
- G minor 7. Keeping that F on top, where it’s the 7th.
- A flat major 7. Literally the shell chord, but with F on top, so you get the 6th in there.
Harmonically, B flat to D flat are really far apart, but because the F is on top, it feels soft. There’s another reason, too: D flat major 7 works as an upper structure of B flat, so it’s almost like going from B flat major 7 to B flat minor 7 9.
What’s really cool is that you can hang in pentatonic world. F minor pentatonic works pretty well on all these chords, with that F clinging on top. Or go more chromatic and jazz it up with your ii-V vocabulary.
The second example comes from a song I wrote: F major 7 9, F minor 7 over E flat, B flat major 7 over D, then D flat. In jazz we often hear the 9th on top, but here it sits low and the major 7 is on top. The bass descends while the melody goes from E to F and stays there, almost like an F pedal point.
Level 2: what major 7 chords can go under one note?
Go down chromatically and put a major 7 chord under your note on every root. They’re all legit colors, soft or intense. With F on top:
- C major 7. F is the 4th, so you get a sus 4 sound. Quite intense, but it’s a vibe.
- B major 7. F is the flat 5.
- B flat major 7. F is the 5th. Legit and casual.
- A major 7. F is the sharp 5.
- A flat major 7. F is the 6th.
- G major 7. F is the flat 7, which is definitely a lot.
- F sharp major 7. F is the major 7. Great, just a casual major 7.
- E major 7. F is the flat 9. That would be a lot.
- E flat major 7. F is the 9th.
- D major 7. F is the sharp 9, and it’s harsh.
Not all of them work for me, but I like the D flat, the A flat, the F sharp and, honestly, the B flat too. Even switching between a few of those as plain shell chords, you can get so much. And if one is a little intense, maybe that’s your song.
Level 3: try minor chords under the same note
Do the same thing with minor chords. Keep F on top, start from C minor and walk down.
C minor gives you a sus 4 sound. Under B, it’s basically B half diminished. A minor with F on top almost sounds like F major in first inversion to my ear. F sharp minor brings some harshness, and C sharp minor, with F acting as a major 3rd over a minor chord, sounds pretty disastrous to me. Then again, sometimes that’s what you need.
From this set I like E flat minor, G minor and A flat minor, and in the video I mix B flat minor and A flat minor into E flat. Your song doesn’t have to keep one note on top the whole way. It’s a device to figure out sounds. The first couple of bars could work like that, then you go somewhere else.
Finding common tones between chords kind of makes the transition much softer and much nicer.
Rotem Sivan
Level 4: build the loop from inversions and triads
Take stuff you know, or stuff you want to know, like triads and their inversions, and ask which chords contain your note. This time I use G.
Which chords contain G? G major in first inversion does, C minor in first inversion does, and so does E flat. In the video I mix C minor with G on top, A flat major 7 and D minor 7 sus, and I love the move from G major in first inversion to G minor in first inversion. Then I play an A7, a dominant chord, which gives it a whole different flavor, because we hadn’t met any dominant 7 chords until then.
I cheated a little there and mixed ideas. Rules are there to be broken. You can build loops just from triads in their inversions, or mix them with seventh chords. If triads are still new to you, the guitar triads lesson is a good place to get them under your fingers.
A lot of people are afraid of writing. What I say is: just do it. Take the guitar, write four chords and try them, maybe in a different order.
Level 5: bring the progression to life with rhythm and melody
Once you have a progression you like, groove with it. Try some rhythmic things, nothing crazy, and once in a while move the melody instead of keeping the same note on top.
Going back to the first progression, I take the same shape I used for B flat major 7 over D and move it to D flat major 7 over F. Same voicing, but I get a different melody. Then G minor, then A flat.
When I record for people, and when I record my own songs, I’ll often do a bunch of guitar layers: a really simple one, one more in another area of the neck, and then I start exploring melodic things that make your ear go “oh, this is a little different,” still inside the chord. You don’t need tapping. Sometimes it’s just three notes from an inversion.
If you want to keep going with this sound, the Lofi Guitar Masterclass covers the lush chords and layered loops behind lofi and neo-soul guitar. And if your seventh chords feel shaky, Jazz Chord Essentials rebuilds them from the ground up, including every inversion on the 4th, 5th and 6th string sets.
A neo soul chord exercise for today
Here’s Level 2 as a short writing session.
- Pick one note. F is a great start, or any note you love.
- Walk down chromatically. Put a major 7 shell chord under that note on each root and listen to every color.
- Keep the ones you like. Some will be soft, some intense. Not all of them will work for you, and that’s fine.
- Write four bars. Put four of your favorites in an order, loop it, then try a different order.
Frequently asked questions
What chords are used in neo soul?
For this soft vibe I use a lot of major 7 and minor 7 9, rather than harsher sounds like 7 flat 13. The first progression in this lesson is B flat major 7 9, D flat major 7, G minor 7 and A flat major 7, all with F on top.
What scale can I play over neo soul chords?
Look for the common ingredient. Over the B flat major 7, D flat major 7, G minor 7, A flat major 7 progression in this lesson, I just hang on F minor pentatonic, and it works pretty well on all these chords. You can also go more chromatic and use your ii-V vocabulary around the chords.
How do you write a neo soul chord progression on guitar?
Choose one note and keep it on top while you try different chords underneath. Common tones make the transitions softer and nicer. Pick four chords you like, loop them, try a different order, then add rhythm and let the melody move.
Do neo soul chords have to keep the same top note?
No. Keeping one note on top is a device to find sounds, not a rule. Your first couple of bars could work that way and then go somewhere else, and in Level 5 the melody starts moving by shifting the same voicing to a new chord.
Pick your note, grab your guitar and write four chords today. For the minor 7 and major 7 shapes that make this kind of loop flow, the lofi guitar chords lesson is a great next step.
