Chord Progressions Your First Four Patterns

Learning chord progressions transforms you from someone who knows individual chords into someone who can play actual music. These four essential progressions represent the harmonic backbone of thousands of songs across every genre, from pop hits to folk classics to rock anthems. Each progression demonstrates a different aspect of how chords create musical movement and emotional impact—major progressions that lift and resolve, minor progressions that brood and reflect, and the magical relationships that make certain chord sequences feel inevitable and satisfying. By mastering these fundamental patterns, you'll develop an intuitive understanding of how Western music works at its core while gaining the ability to play countless songs immediately. These progressions use only the open chords you've already learned, proving that musical sophistication comes not from complex techniques, but from understanding how simple elements work together to create powerful emotional experiences.

Progression 1: I-V-vi-IV in G Major  

G Major

G Major
The tonic chord that establishes the key and provides the stable home base for this progression. G Major's bright, open sound makes it perfect for beginning this endlessly popular sequence that appears in thousands of modern songs.

D Major

D Major
The dominant chord that creates forward motion and harmonic tension, naturally wanting to resolve back to the tonic. D Major's position as the V chord gives this progression its driving energy and sense of musical inevitability.

E Minor

E Minor
The relative minor that adds emotional depth and complexity without leaving the key center. Em provides the darker color that makes this progression more interesting than simple major chord sequences.

C Major

C Major
The subdominant that creates a sense of departure from home before the cycle repeats. C Major's role as IV gives this progression its characteristic lift and prepares the ear for the return to G Major.

Progression 2: vi-IV-I-V in C Major  

A Minor

A Minor
The relative minor that begins this progression in darker territory, creating immediate emotional contrast to major-key openings. Am establishes the melancholic character that defines this "pop-punk" progression.

F Major

F Major
The subdominant that provides harmonic support while moving away from the minor opening. F Major begins the journey from darkness toward the resolution that makes this progression so satisfying.

C Major

C Major
The tonic that represents the arrival at stability and brightness after the minor beginning. C Major's appearance as the third chord creates the emotional payoff that defines this progression's character.

G Major

G Major
The dominant that creates tension and drives the progression back to Am for another cycle. G Major's pull toward C creates the harmonic momentum that makes this sequence endlessly repeatable.

Progression 3: i-VII-VI-VII in A Minor  

A Minor

A Minor
The minor tonic that establishes the darker, more introspective character of this progression. Am serves as the emotional anchor for this quintessential minor-key sequence found throughout rock and folk music.

G Major

G Major
The seventh that creates the distinctive sound of minor-key harmony while maintaining a major chord quality. G Major's bright sound against the minor key creates the unique tension that defines this progression.

F Major

F Major
The sixth that reinforces the minor tonality while providing harmonic contrast to the surrounding chords. F Major adds richness and depth to this progression's brooding character.

G Major

G Major
The return to the seventh that creates forward motion back to the minor tonic. This repeated G Major emphasizes the unresolved quality that makes minor progressions so compelling and emotionally powerful.

Progression 4: I-vi-ii-V in C Major  

C Major

C Major
The tonic that establishes the key with bright, stable major harmony. C Major begins this foundational progression that teaches the essential ii-V movement found throughout all sophisticated music.

A Minor

A Minor
The relative minor that adds emotional depth while staying within the key center. Am provides contrast to the major opening while setting up the harmonic motion toward the ii chord.

D Minor

D Minor
The ii chord that creates the crucial pre-dominant function, naturally wanting to move toward the dominant. Dm introduces the forward momentum that makes the ii-V movement so fundamental to Western harmony.

G Major

G Major
The dominant that completes the essential ii-V cadence and drives back toward the tonic. G Major's resolution to C Major teaches the most important harmonic relationship in music.

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