Common chord progressions
Twenty progressions every songwriter uses — pop, sad and jazz — written in Roman numerals so you can play them in any key. Press play to hear them on piano.
Common chord progressions
The loops behind most pop, rock and folk songs. Learn these first.
Pop / Axis I – V – vi – IV
C – G – Am – F
Home, lift, a touch of sadness, then back toward home. Countless pop choruses use it.
50s progression I – vi – IV – V
C – Am – F – G
The doo-wop loop; the V at the end throws you back to the start.
Three-chord I – IV – V – I
C – F – G – C
Folk, country, early rock: the three primary chords contain every note of the scale.
Pop-punk / I–V–IV I – V – IV – I
C – G – F – C
A plain rock movement; IV after V softens the cadence.
Pachelbel I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V
C – G – Am – Em – F – C – F – G
From the Canon in D: the bass walks down by step.
ii–V–I ii – V – I – I
Dm – G – C – C
The strongest cadence in tonal harmony; predominant → dominant → tonic.
Plagal loop I – IV – I – IV
C – F – C – F
The “amen” movement — gentle, gospel and anthem rock.
Sad chord progressions
Minor chords, falling bass lines and borrowed chords create melancholy. Start on vi, use minor iv, or move to a minor key.
Sad pop vi – IV – I – V
Am – F – C – G
The pop loop started on the minor vi chord: same chords, darker feel.
Minor iv I – IV – iv – I
C – F – Fm – C
Turning IV minor (borrowed from the parallel minor) adds a bittersweet sigh.
Epic minor i – ♭VI – ♭III – ♭VII
Am – F – C – G
Film and anthem territory; serious rather than gloomy.
Minor descent i – ♭VII – ♭VI – ♭VII
Am – G – F – G
A slow fall and rise, common in ballads and indie rock.
Andalusian cadence i – ♭VII – ♭VI – V
Am – G – F – E
A stepwise descent to a major V; flamenco and countless rock songs.
Minor with iv i – iv – i – V
Am – Dm – Am – E
Plain and mournful; the major V gives a strong pull home.
vi–iii–IV–I vi – iii – IV – I
Am – Em – F – C
Two minor chords up front, then a warm resolution.
Jazz chord progressions
Jazz harmony uses 7th chords and moves by fifths. Turn on 7ths to hear the real colour.
ii–V–I (major) ii7 – V7 – Imaj7 – Imaj7
Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7
The backbone of jazz: m7 → 7 → maj7.
ii–V–i (minor) iiø7 – V7 – i7 – i7
Bm7♭5 – E7 – Am7 – Am7
Half-diminished → dominant 7 → minor: the minor-key cadence.
Turnaround I–vi–ii–V Imaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7
Cmaj7 – Am7 – Dm7 – G7
Rhythm changes and countless standards end each section with it.
iii–vi–ii–V iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7
Em7 – Am7 – Dm7 – G7
A longer chain of fifths leading back to I.
Secondary dominant Imaj7 – V7/vi – vi7 – V7/V – V7 – Imaj7
Cmaj7 – E7 – Am7 – D7 – G7 – Cmaj7
Each target chord gets its own dominant 7th.
12-bar blues Imaj7 – Imaj7 – Imaj7 – Imaj7 – IVmaj7 – IVmaj7 – Imaj7 – Imaj7 – V7 – IVmaj7 – Imaj7 – V7
Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Fmaj7 – Fmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 – G7 – Fmaj7 – Cmaj7 – G7
Dominant 7ths on I, IV and V — jazz and blues share this form.
Why these progressions work
Almost every progression above moves between three jobs: tonic (home — I, vi, iii), predominant (moving away — IV, ii) and dominant (tension — V, vii°). The dominant chord contains the leading tone, a half step below the tonic, and our ears expect it to rise. Sad progressions delay or soften that resolution; jazz progressions chain several dominants together by fifths.
To write your own, start from one of these, then substitute: swap I for vi, IV for ii, or borrow iv and ♭VII from the parallel minor. The chord progression generator does all of this with voice-leading and MIDI export, and every key’s chords are listed on chords in a key.
Questions
What are the most common chord progressions?
I–V–vi–IV, I–vi–IV–V, I–IV–V and vi–IV–I–V in pop and rock; ii–V–I in jazz; the 12-bar blues (I–IV–V with dominant 7ths); and i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII or the Andalusian cadence i–♭VII–♭VI–V in minor keys.
What makes a chord progression sound sad?
Minor chords in strong positions (starting on vi or i), a falling bass line, and borrowed chords such as the minor iv in a major key. Slower tempos and leaving the progression unresolved add to the effect.
What chord progressions are used in jazz?
Mostly chains of 7th chords moving by fifths: ii7–V7–Imaj7, the I–vi–ii–V turnaround, iii–vi–ii–V, secondary dominants and the 12-bar blues. Jazz players also substitute chords, for example a tritone substitution for V7.
How do I play these progressions in another key?
Choose a key above: every progression is written in Roman numerals, so the chord names update automatically. Use “Open in generator” to loop it, change the voicing, add 7ths and export MIDI.