A major key has seven chords, and most songs use four of them. The three major chords, I, IV and V, carry the weight; the minor chords ii, iii and vi add shade; the diminished vii° is rare outside jazz. The progressions below are the ones that keep coming back, each written in C major so the shapes are easy to see, and each playable in any key with a MIDI download. The minor-key family is on minor chord progressions.
The chords of a major key
In C major: C (I), Dm (ii), Em (iii), F (IV), G (V), Am (vi), B° (vii°). Build a chord on each note of the scale using only the scale's notes, and these seven are what you get. The Roman numerals stay the same in every key; only the letters change, which is why a progression learned in C can be moved anywhere.
The seven chords of C major. G is sounding, the V chord: G, B and D.
How to use them
- Pick by mood, not by number. The first four cover most pop; 5, 8 and 9 are the jazz and soul moves; 10 and 12 are for drama.
- Change one chord. Swap IV for ii, or vi for iii, and a familiar loop becomes yours.
- Change the key. The same progression sits differently for a voice and a guitar; the key picker spells each one in all twelve keys, and the per-key pages (C major, G major, D major, A major, E major, F major) list ten each.
- Borrow from minor. The ♭VII, the minor iv (Fm in C) and the ♭VI (A♭) are the usual guests; one of them in a major loop is enough.
Related
Piano sounds by the Salamander Grand Piano (Alexander Holm), CC BY 3.0.
