Guitar Chord Progressions Explained
A chord progression is the sequence of chords in a song. Most use chords from one key, and they're written with Roman numerals so the same progression can be played in any key: I–IV–V is G, C and D in G major, or A, D and E in A. Learn the seven chords in a key and the common progressions follow.
What a chord progression is
Every song moves through a set of chords: G for four beats, then C, then D, and back to G. That sequence is its chord progression. Some songs use three chords, some use a dozen, and a huge number share the same handful of patterns. Once you can recognise those patterns, new songs stop being a list of shapes to memorise and start being variations on something you know.
This guide is part of the triad lessons, because the chords in a key are triads, and it builds on the triads in a key section of the triads guide.
How chord progressions work
A key is a set of seven notes — a major scale. Build a triad on each note of that scale, using only the scale's own notes, and you get the seven chords that belong to the key. In every major key they follow the same pattern of qualities: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished.
Musicians number those chords with Roman numerals: capitals for major, lower case for minor, a small circle for diminished. The numeral tells you a chord's position in the key, not its letter name, which is why it's so useful. “I–IV–V” means the same thing in every key, and if you know the numerals you can move any progression to any key.
The chords pull towards each other in predictable ways. The I chord is home. The V chord creates the strongest pull back to it. The IV moves away from home without much tension. The vi is the relative minor, the same notes as I with a darker centre. Most progressions are a journey away from I and back, using those pulls.
The chords in each key
Here are the seven chords in the five most guitar-friendly major keys. The I, IV, V and vi chords are the ones you'll use most.
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | B° |
| G major | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F° |
| D major | D | Em | Fm | G | A | Bm | C° |
| A major | A | Bm | Cm | D | E | Fm | G° |
| E major | E | Fm | Gm | A | B | Cm | D° |
Minor keys use the same seven chords as their relative major, starting from the vi. A minor's chords are Am, B°, C, Dm, Em, F and G, the same as C major's, and its common progressions centre on Am instead of C.
Minor-key progressions are numbered from the minor chord, so in A minor Am is i, C is ♭III, F is ♭VI and G is ♭VII. Three you'll hear often are i–iv–v (Am, Dm, Em), i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII (Am, F, C, G), and i–♭VII–♭VI, covered below. The i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII uses the same four chords as the pop progression I–V–vi–IV in C, which is why the two sound related: one starts on the minor chord, the other on the major.
Common progressions
These five cover a remarkable amount of popular music. The table shows each one in three keys.
| Progression | In C | In G | In A | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I–IV–V | C – F – G | G – C – D | A – D – E | The backbone of rock'n'roll, blues and folk |
| I–V–vi–IV | C – G – Am – F | G – D – Em – C | A – E – Fm – D | The most common pop progression |
| vi–IV–I–V | Am – F – C – G | Em – C – G – D | Fm – D – A – E | The same chords started on the minor; more wistful |
| I–vi–IV–V | C – Am – F – G | G – Em – C – D | A – Fm – D – E | The 1950s doo-wop progression |
| ii–V–I | Dm – G – C | Am – D – G | Bm – E – A | The core of jazz harmony |
Two more you'll meet constantly
The 12-bar blues uses the I, IV and V chords over twelve bars, usually as dominant sevenths: in A, that's A7, D7 and E7. A common form is four bars of I, two of IV, two of I, then one each of V, IV, I and V.
The minor i–♭VII–♭VI — Am, G, F in A minor — is a staple of rock. Add E major at the end (Am, G, F, E) and you have a progression that borrows from the harmonic minor scale, whose raised seventh turns the minor-key E minor chord into E major.
Playing progressions up the neck
Most guitarists learn progressions as open chords, which keeps them near the nut. To play them anywhere, use smaller shapes and choose the nearest one for each chord. Here is I–V–vi–IV in G (G, D, Em, C) as triads on the top three strings, all within the 2nd to 5th frets:
G: 1st inversion, frets 4-3-3 on the G, B and high e strings
D: 2nd inversion, frets 2-3-2 on the G, B and high e strings
Em: 2nd inversion, frets 4-5-3 on the G, B and high e strings
C: root position, frets 5-5-3 on the G, B and high e strings
The hand barely moves, and the top note forms its own small melody: G, F, G, G. That's voice leading, and it's the same idea in the triads guide. The CAGED system does the same for full chords: for any progression, pick one area of the neck and find the nearest CAGED shape for each chord.
How to write your own
Writing a progression is choosing a route through the key. A few starting points:
- Start and end on I. It sounds like home. End on V instead and the progression feels like it wants to repeat.
- Use V to lead back. Putting V just before I gives the strongest sense of arrival.
- Swap I for vi. Same chords, different mood: start on the vi and the same progression turns wistful.
- Borrow one chord. A chord from the parallel minor, such as ♭VII (F in G major), adds colour without losing the key.
- Change the rhythm before the chords. Two bars of one chord and half a bar of another changes a progression more than you'd expect.
Soloing over progressions
If every chord comes from one key, the scale of that key fits over the whole progression. The major or minor pentatonic is the easiest place to start. To make the solo follow the chords, aim for each chord's notes as it arrives, especially its third. That's covered step by step in how to solo over chord changes.
How to practise them
Ten to fifteen minutes a day.
- Week 1 — one key. Play the seven chords of G major in order, saying each Roman numeral. Then play the five common progressions in G.
- Week 2 — transpose. Play the same progressions in C and A without looking at the table: work out each chord from its numeral.
- Week 3 — up the neck. Play I–V–vi–IV in G as top-string triads, then in another area of the neck.
- Week 4 — by ear. Take a song you know, find its key, and name its chords as numerals. Most will fit one of the patterns above.
Chord progression FAQs
What are the most common chord progressions on guitar?
I–IV–V, I–V–vi–IV, vi–IV–I–V, I–vi–IV–V and ii–V–I cover a huge amount of popular music, along with the 12-bar blues. In G major the first two are G, C, D and G, D, Em, C.
How do chord progressions work?
Most songs use the seven chords built from one major scale, and those chords pull towards each other in predictable ways: the V chord leads strongly back to the I, and the IV moves gently away from it. A progression is a route away from home and back again.
What do the Roman numerals in chord progressions mean?
Each numeral is a chord's position in the key: I is built on the first note of the scale, IV on the fourth, and so on. Capitals mean major, lower case minor, and a small circle diminished. Because they describe position rather than letter names, the same numerals work in every key.
How many chords are in a chord progression?
Any number, but most songs use three or four, repeated. Three-chord progressions such as I–IV–V are the basis of a lot of rock and folk; four-chord loops like I–V–vi–IV dominate pop.
How do I change a chord progression to a different key?
Write it as Roman numerals, then find those chords in the new key. I–V–vi–IV is G, D, Em and C in G major, and A, E, F sharp minor and D in A major. A capo does a similar job without new shapes, raising the whole progression a semitone for every fret.