Reggae minor vamp progression on guitar
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.
Good music works like a good walk: you leave, get a little lost on purpose, and come back. The map of this one: F#m (vi, home) → E (V, time to come back). Press play and follow along — at the "time to come back" chord, notice the physical urge to hear F#m again — the home chord.
Guitar
On the acoustic guitar you hold the whole song in your hands: the low sixth string lays down a bass note while the higher strings build the chord above it. Folk, country and Celtic songs are built on the acoustic guitar; in reggae it chops the off-beat, and Hawaiian slack-key is its own gentle guitar tradition. 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 · see it 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 · open 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 · use it in Chord and Fret