Below you'll learn how to play 3 different chord progressions featuring delicious jazz-inspired lofi guitar chords. These chord progressions are suitable for anyone who already has a bit of experience with guitar and is comfortable with a varied range of chords and scales.
This post also accompanies a tutorial video on my YouTube channel - scroll down to the end to watch!
Lofi Guitar Chord Progression #1
Our first lofi chord progression is a sweet, warming and fairly easy 4-chord progression in G♯ minor.
Bmaj7 - C♯min7 - G♯min7
Bmaj7 - C♯min7 - G♯m
We’re starting out with a Bmaj7 chord and staying there for one bar:
![Guitar notation and tab of B major 7 chord](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Lofi_guitar_chord_1_-_Bmaj7_600x600.png?v=1680795685)
Next, we’re going up to a C♯min7 chord, which looks like this:
![guitar](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Lofi_guitar_chord_2_-_C_min7_600x600.png?v=1680795808)
To make the G♯min7, we just move the same shape as our previous chord down to the fourth fret, like so:
![Guitar notation and tab of G sharp minor 7 chord](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Lofi_guitar_chord_3_-_G_min7_600x600.png?v=1680798273)
The second time we play this chord progression, we take away the 7th note to make a regular G♯m chord:
![Guitar notation and tab of G sharp minor chord](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Lofi_guitar_chord_4_-_G_m_600x600.png?v=1680798474)
It all comes together with this simple and relaxed picking pattern:
![Guitar notation and tab of picked chord progression](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Lofi_guitar_chord_progression_1_2048x2048.png?v=1680798593)
I especially like to play this chord progression alongside a melody with the G♯ minor pentatonic scale, which you can learn more about here on Applied Guitar Theory.
Lofi Guitar Chord Progression #2
This next lofi chord progression is a little more jazzy and upbeat - a neo-soul inspired sound which is perfect for chillhop or jazzhop.
F♯min7 - G♯min7 - A6sus2 - C♯min7
![Guitar notation and tab of 4-chord progression](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Screenshot_2023-04-06_at_2.06.20_PM_600x600.png?v=1680798833)
I quite like to play the first three of these chords with the thumb over the top of the lowest string, which makes it much easier to mute the A string and leaves the first finger free to barre over the other strings.
The second time this progression loops around, I like to swap the C♯min7 for a different voicing with the same shape as the first two chords, sliding into it from the fret below.
![Guitar notation and tab of sliding chord](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Screenshot_2023-04-06_at_2.24.11_PM_600x600.png?v=1680798929)
Putting it all together and we have this pattern, played with a swung rhythm:
![Guitar notation and tab of picked guitar chords](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Screenshot_2023-04-06_at_4.07.40_PM_2048x2048.png?v=1680798964)
This chord progression is in the key of C♯ minor, and works very nicely with a few different types of minor scales such as the pentatonic and natural minor.
Lofi Guitar Chord Progression #3
This final chord progression is a nice and jazzy 2-5-1 progression in D major, again perfect for chillhop or jazzhop.
Em9 - A13 - Dmaj9 - D6/9
![Guitar notation and tab of 4-chord progression](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Screenshot_2023-04-06_at_3.52.04_PM_600x600.png?v=1680799194)
I’m pairing these chords with a groovy rhythm, strum-picking the chord and then alternating between the root note and the rest of the notes. I also palm-mute the strings after each chord to create a percussive feel.
I add a couple decorations: a slide down into the A chord, an extra note before the first D chord and a hammer-on with the pinkie.
Much like the previous one, this pattern is played with a swung rhythm and looks something like this:
![Guitar notation and tab of picked guitar chords](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3114/5937/files/Screenshot_2023-04-06_at_4.18.30_PM_2048x2048.png?v=1680799264)
I solo-ed over this one with the B natural minor scale, which gives it a bit of a moodier feel compared to the regular pentatonic scale.
That’s all three chord sequences, I hope you enjoyed! Click below to watch the tutorial video which goes along with this post.