Common chord progressions
A handful of chord progressions carry an enormous number of songs. Knowing them by number — I, IV, V — means you can play them in any key and talk about them with your band.
Reading the numbers
Each chord is named by its place in the key. In C major: I = C, ii = Dm, iii = Em, IV = F, V = G, vi = Am, vii° = Bdim. Uppercase is major, lowercase is minor. Learn a progression as numbers and you can move it to any key.
| Progression | In C | In G | In D | In A | In E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I–V–vi–IV | C G Am F | G D Em C | D A Bm G | A E F#m D | E B C#m A |
| vi–IV–I–V | Am F C G | Em C G D | Bm G D A | F#m D A E | C#m A E B |
| I–vi–IV–V | C Am F G | G Em C D | D Bm G A | A F#m D E | E C#m A B |
| I–IV–V | C F G | G C D | D G A | A D E | E A B |
| ii–V–I | Dm G C | Am D G | Em A D | Bm E A | F#m B E |
| I–♭VII–IV | C B♭ F | G F C | D C G | A G D | E D A |
I–V–vi–IV — the workhorse
Bright, open and endlessly reusable. Start it on a different chord and it changes mood: vi–IV–I–V is the same four chords starting on the minor, and sounds darker and more urgent. Pop-punk lives on both, usually as power chords.
I–vi–IV–V — the doo-wop loop
The sound of the 1950s, still everywhere in ballads and indie songs. The V at the end pulls hard back to I.
I–IV–V — three chords and the truth
Rock and roll, country, punk and the blues. Three chords give you every note of the major scale, so almost any melody fits over them.
The 12-bar blues
I I I I · IV IV I I · V IV I V — in A: A A A A · D D A A · E D A E. Play the chords as dominant 7ths (A7, D7, E7) for the classic blues sound. See song structure templates for how verses and solos fit in.
ii–V–I — the jazz cadence
The strongest way to land on the home chord. Works as a turnaround at the end of a section in any style.
I–♭VII–IV — the rock borrow
The ♭VII chord is borrowed from outside the major key, and it gives classic and hard rock its swagger. In D: D–C–G.
Minor-key loops
- i–VI–III–VII — Am F C G. Epic and driving.
- i–VII–VI–VII — Am G F G. Heavy, rocking back and forth.
- i–iv–V — Am Dm E. The major V (E instead of Em) is borrowed from harmonic minor and makes the return home dramatic.
Making a common progression your own
Change the rhythm (push a chord early, hold one for two bars), change the bass note under a chord (C/E instead of C), swap one chord (IV for ii), or play the progression as a riff instead of strummed chords. The progression is the skeleton; the song is everything you hang on it. Not sure what key you ended up in? Use the key finder.
Write it with the whole band
Cobander is free songwriting and recording software that keeps your band on the same song: everyone records and writes from their own computer through the folder you already share, with chords, lyrics and structure on one timeline — and the band levels up as you go.
Free — the whole app, every song, forever. Windows and Mac. More about Cobander.
Questions
What is the most common chord progression?
I–V–vi–IV (C–G–Am–F in C) and its rotations are among the most used progressions in popular music.
Can I use a chord progression someone else used?
Yes. Chord progressions on their own are common building blocks; the melody, lyrics and arrangement are what make a song yours.
What does ♭VII mean?
A major chord built a whole step below the key's home chord — C in the key of D. It comes from outside the key and is common in rock.