Reggae minor vamp progression on cavaquinho
What is the Reggae minor vamp progression?
The Reggae minor vamp progression is F#mF#mF#mF#m and E (vi–V), in the key of A major. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → dominant, arriving home on a cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Four chords, a whole story: F#m (vi, home) → E (V, time to come back). Hit play. First pass, just listen. Second pass, follow with your finger on the names — and notice that by the second-to-last chord, your body already knows F#m — home — is coming.
Cavaquinho
The cavaquinho is a small, bright four-string with no low bass, so it fills the upper-middle range and leaves the deep notes to others. Outside Brazil the cavaquinho is a newcomer to these styles, but its short, percussive strums fit reggae's off-beat chop nicely and add a thin, bright layer. Its home chord F#m keeps its lowest note on F#.
Cadences: Harmony comes to rest here: hear cadences on the neck, 9 free and another one each week · open in Chord and Fret
Save this progression in Chord and FretReharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of F#m. In the app, every chord in this progression comes with its other shapes and audio, free. Open in Chord and Fret →
Metronome: Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · try it in Chord and Fret