Chromatic Lament Bass
The Chromatic lament bass is the chord progression i-V/7-i/b7-IV/6-bVI-V. In the key of C minor it is Cm G/B Cm/Bb F/A Ab G, and in the Nashville Number System it is written 1m 5/7 1m/b7 4/6 b6 5.
It is also known as chromatic fourth.
Chords from outside the key of C minor: G/B, F/A, G.
Jump to the chords and audio in C, G, D, A and E
Why it works
The bass falls by half steps from tonic to dominant, filling in the natural minor line with chromatic passing notes. Wikipedia describes this as the chromatic form of the lament bass, long associated with grief in opera. Each chord is only a step on the way down, so the bass line is the identity and the upper chords can vary.
Songs that use it
These are the chords as played in each song, in the song's own key.
| Song | Artist | Section | Chords | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dido's Lament | Henry Purcell | ground bass | bass G F# F E Eb D | G minor |
| Stairway to Heaven | Led Zeppelin | intro | Am G#aug C/G D/F# Fmaj7 G Am | A minor |
| Babe I'm Gonna Leave You | Led Zeppelin | intro and verse | Am C/G D/F# F E | A minor |
| While My Guitar Gently Weeps | The Beatles | verse | Am Am/G F#m7b5 Fmaj7 | A minor |
Chromatic Lament Bass: Chords and Audio in C, G, D, A and E
Press play to hear each key. The diagrams show the shapes used in the audio, and every chord links to its full page.
More progressions like this one
- Picardy third ending: Cm Fm G C
- Minor circle of fifths: Cm Fm Bb Eb Ab Dm7b5 G Cm
- Minor i-iv-bVII: Cm Fm Bb
- Minor i-bIII-bVI-bVII: Cm Eb Ab Bb
All guitar chord progressions →
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What are the chords of the Chromatic lament bass in each key?
In C minor: Cm G/B Cm/Bb F/A Ab G. In G minor: Gm D/F# Gm/F C/E Eb D. In D minor: Dm A/C# Dm/C G/B Bb A. In A minor: Am E/G# Am/G D/F# F E. In E minor: Em B/D# Em/D A/C# C B.
Which songs use the Chromatic lament bass?
Songs that use it include Dido's Lament by Henry Purcell, Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You by Led Zeppelin.
