1. Theoretical Foundation & Acoustic Motion
Voice leading and tension-resolution mechanics
A lush iim7 - V13 - Imaj7 - VI7#9 progression with dominant 13th and altered 7#9 chords. Suited to late-night study beats and cozy neo-soul grooves, with harmonic richness that resolves smoothly.
Listen to Lo-Fi Chillhop & Neo-Soul twice through
- Dm7
- G13
- Cmaj7
- A7#9
- Dm7
- G13
- Cmaj7
- A7#9
2. The progression, step by step
| Position | Chord | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dm7 | iim7 |
| 2 | G13 | V13 |
| 3 | Cmaj7 | Imaj7 |
| 4 | A7#9 | VI7#9 |
3. Chord tones and interval structure
| Chord | Chord tones | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Dm7 | D – F – A – C | 1 - ♭3 - 5 - ♭7 |
| G13 | G – B – D – F – A – E | 1 - 3 - 5 - ♭7 - 9 - 13 |
| Cmaj7 | C – E – G – B | 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 |
| A7#9 | A – C# – E – G – B# | 1 - 3 - 5 - ♭7 - ♯9 |
Check it with your ear
Two short questions to solidify what you've just read. There's no grade or record, so if you get it wrong, you can listen again and try again.
Which chord does Lo-Fi Chillhop & Neo-Soul start on and settle into?
Listen to both orders. Which one is the progression on this page?
Try it on your guitar
Play , , and with four beats per chord, slowly at first and then close to 82 BPM. Once you can play it without stopping, sing one long note over every chord and hear how its color changes even though you do not move it.
Acoustic Chords:
What you can check on the guitar
This reading uses Dm7, G13, Cmaj7 and A7#9, the progression CifraLab proposes for a “Lo-Fi Chillhop & Neo-Soul” feel. What follows can be checked by playing.
From Dm7 to G13, D, F and A stay, but no fretted position repeats. G13 and Cmaj7 share G, B and E, though the hand changes shape. From Cmaj7 to A7#9, B#, E and G stay, but no fretted position repeats. A7#9 and Dm7 share A and C, though the hand changes shape.
“Lo-Fi Chillhop & Neo-Soul” runs at 82 beats per minute, so each beat lasts 732 milliseconds. If each chord takes one bar of four beats, the full cycle lasts 11.7 seconds. Read in C major, its degrees are iim7, V13, Imaj7 and VI7#9.
In Dm7 you hear D, F, A and C. G13 holds G, B, D, F, A and E. In Cmaj7 you hear C, E, G and B. A7#9 holds A, C#, E, G and B#.