minor Progressions

How are the 'rules' for progressions in a minor key? Like, i-iv-v-i doesn't really resolve as well, a i-VI-v-i resolves well but the VI-v sounds weird, anyone know some common ones?

And as a side note, Do people not usually use other modes as keys, like C Mixolydian or something and does anyone know some common progressions for those?

-edit-

And sometimes I think I really play a vi-whatever of the Major scale..how do I not do that?

you rarly see minor v in minor its usualy always V because it resolves better harmonic minor raises the 7th and the the third of the v chord making it major melodic minor has a raised six and 7 making both the iv and the v major

harmoninc minor- i-iv-V-i

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/chord_progressions.php?scch=A&scchnam=Harmonic+minor+triad+i-ii*-III-iv-V-VI-vii*&get2=Get

melodic minor- i-IV-V-i

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/chord_progressions.php?scch=A&scchnam=Melodic+minor+triad+i-ii-III-IV-V-vi*-vii*&get2=Get


the links under are chords for all of the scale degrees in harmonic and melodic minor.

c mixolydian is just f maj starting on c

Well A minor is just C starting on A....so?

Well, i think that a i-iv-v-i in a minor key resolves perfectly.

Take A minor, that would be A minor, Dminor and Eminor. I think thats resolves pretty well. The other example you gave resolved pretty well too. If you wanna sound like Aminor and not Cmajor then you will take the i-iv-v chords of your Aminor progression (see above) if you want to sound like Cmajor you take the I-IV-V chords of Cmajor. Of course if you play a ii-iii-vi in Cmajor you will end up, sounding and resolving to Aminor (Dminor, Eminor, Aminor) So the I-IV-V chords are very strong chords. Otherwise you always have to listen to your inner ear to what note your progression resolves, to an A or to a C?

You can pretty much make up a chord progression with any scale or mode. However, the more complex the scale, the stranger the chord progression. Writing a chord progression in Ionian is surely "easier" then one in Locrian or hungarian minor. There are no "rules" as such.
Mixolydian progressions for example get used very rarely. I don't know a single song with such a progression. That doesn't mean that you can't write any good sounding progressions. I recently wrote quite a cool chord progression in harmonic minor, even though you have a lot of diminished chords and also an augmented chord.

while your minor progression question has been answered I will I'm just going to add to look into melodic minor ascending and descending theory.

A lot of this is classical music theory/thinking though. as modern ears(my self included) think it resolve fine. not saying your old fashioned but they hated it too(i would image other people do too so your not alone)

as for songs keyed in modes god there millions. Mixolydian is hugely popular.
Beatles's "Norwegian wood" just of the top of my head jam bands do it a lot.
flamenco is almost purely based of Phrygian
just look at modal jazz "so what" in Dorian
and i don't think Ionian is any easier just your not use to it/ don't know it's secrets

ah, what many musicians do is a thing called "modal interchange" basically using chords from modes. Say you are in Gmajor and play
Gmajor A#Major Aminor and Hminor then you are in the key of Gmajor but you used the A#major from the C Aeolian mode. It does often sound quite cool. Eric Clapton uses it a lot, for example in Rain and Layla.

Thanks for your replies, I guess the theory I learned is mostly classical, anyone know a good book/site specifically for more modern theory? I guess the answer to my question was really "Train your ear!" Which is something I need to work on, and then I will be able to tell better if it resolves in the expected key...

For clarification a song in D Mixolydian would still resolve to a D though? or have a D as the tonal center..be in D anyway?

And yeah, I know about borrowing chords, and thats what I was thinking since there is a relative minor(aeolian) then any relative mode should work the same.

sorry, i meant G Aeolian not C Aeolian