How can chord progressions be used to create unexpected surprises in your song?

In song-writing I find direct experience tangibly explored and expounded visually in the narrative of poem lyric is a good way to start. Surprise in ones voice is really about introducing words and phrases and leaving a vision in the listeners mind that brings a smile. Carefully contemplated sentence creativity leads to all good outcomes. We share with words, for all we have is words, gentle respectful words. Probe tactfully to reach truths. For biodiversity conservation, I compose latin chant music of species names in their direct proximal contexts with full exposition of science abstraction into botany of plants and plant parts as visual subjects for song-writing can be profound. Singing something real is an excellent way to be original.

If your song uses a simple chord progression, like a Tonic, Sub-dominate, and Dominant (1-4-5) you might want to spice it up with surprising chord changes to keep listener’s attention.

One easy way to spice up a simple chord progression like a 1-4-5 is to modulate to another key. The most common is a half step up. One classic and clever example is Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” which modulates a half step up from A to Bb going from the verse/refrain to the bridge, which uses the same 1-4-5 chords but now in the new key. Without the surprising modulation, Miller’s signature song would probably not been the big hit it turned out to be for him.

Again using Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” as an example, he chose to use the same 1-4-5 chord progression in the bridge that he used in the verses, as well as a similar but slightly different cadence and higher notes in the melody. Without the surprise modulation where he chose to place it, the song would not have been as fresh and interesting.

Some surprises, like choosing to insert a pause in a song, should be used carefully and sparingly - especially if it’s a dance tune. Modulations should also be placed carefully and generally sparingly, although there are exceptions. In one of his biggest hits, Johnny Cash chose to modulate between each verse for a total of four times in “I Walk The Line”, ultimately landing on the same key that the song starts in (E) but with the melody sung a full octave lower. Rare indeed is the songwriter who could get away with such a feat, let alone the pipes to sing it. Use caution!