Common chord progressions: the patterns behind thousands of songs

A small number of chord progressions account for a huge share of popular music. The most famous is I–V–vi–IV, which in C major is C, G, Am, F. Others include the 1950s I–vi–IV–V, the jazz ii–V–I and the 12-bar blues. Each is written in Roman numerals so it works in any key, and the chord progression generator spells out and plays each one in whatever key you choose.

Roman numerals and the chords in a key

Build a triad on each note of a major scale, using only notes from that scale, and you get seven chords with a fixed pattern of qualities: I, IV and V are major; ii, iii and vi are minor; vii° is diminished. Upper-case numerals mean major, lower-case minor. In C major the chords are:

• I = C, ii = Dm, iii = Em, IV = F, V = G, vi = Am, vii° = Bdim

In G major the same numerals give G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F♯dim. That is why numerals are useful: learn a progression once and you know it in every key. Changing key is covered in How to transpose chords to another key.

I–V–vi–IV and its relatives

I–V–vi–IV is C, G, Am, F in C, or G, D, Em, C in G. It underpins a remarkable number of pop and rock songs from the past few decades. Rotate the same four chords and you get vi–IV–I–V (Am, F, C, G), which starts on the minor chord and sounds more wistful. The older I–vi–IV–V (C, Am, F, G) is the 1950s doo-wop progression. I–IV–V (C, F, G) is the core of rock and roll, folk and country. Pachelbel's Canon follows a longer pattern, I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V, which in D major is D, A, Bm, F♯m, G, D, G, A.

ii–V–I

The ii–V–I is the basic building block of jazz harmony. In C it is Dm, G, C; jazz players usually add sevenths, giving Dm7, G7 and Cmaj7. The bass moves down by fifths, D to G to C, and the dominant seventh on G pulls strongly towards C. Jazz standards chain ii–V–I progressions through many keys, so learning to hear and play this one pattern opens up a large part of the repertoire. In a minor key the equivalent is ii°–V–i, such as Bm7♭5, E7 and Am in A minor.

The 12-bar blues

The 12-bar blues uses I, IV and V over twelve bars. In A it runs:

• Bars 1 to 4: A, A, A, A
• Bars 5 to 8: D, D, A, A
• Bars 9 to 12: E, D, A, E

The E in the last bar is a turnaround that leads back to the start. Blues players usually make every chord a dominant seventh (A7, D7, E7), and a common variation, the quick change, moves to IV in bar 2. The same form runs through rock and roll and much jazz.

Minor key progressions

In a natural minor key the chord qualities shift: i, iv and v are minor, ii° is diminished, and III, VI and VII are major. Two popular patterns in A minor are i–VI–III–VII, Am, F, C, G, a dramatic sound common in film and rock, and the Andalusian cadence, i–VII–VI–V, Am, G, F, E, heard in flamenco and much pop. The Andalusian cadence ends on a major E chord rather than E minor; raising the third of the V chord is standard in minor keys because it creates a stronger pull back to the tonic.

Using progressions

Chord progressions on their own are generally not protected by copyright, so they are a free starting point for songwriting. Pick one, choose a key that suits your voice, and change the rhythm, the chord voicings or the length of each chord to make it yours. The generator plays basic triads; real songs add sevenths, inversions and rhythm, so treat its output as a skeleton. Find the fingerings with the guitar chord chart, see how keys relate on the circle of fifths, and train yourself to recognise these patterns by ear with Ear training for beginners: how to learn intervals by ear.