Common progressions
Recognise and play the most common chord progressions in any key.
Most songs are built from a small set of chord sequences. Learn to recognise them by numeral and you will often know where a song goes before it gets there.
Progressions
A chord progression is the sequence of chords under a song, “the changes”. It usually repeats for each verse or chorus. These major-key progressions are very common:
| Progression | In C | In G | In D |
|---|---|---|---|
| I – IV – V – I | C – F – G – C | G – C – D – G | D – G – A – D |
| I – V – vi – IV | C – G – Am – F | G – D – Em – C | D – A – Bm – G |
| vi – IV – I – V | Am – F – C – G | Em – C – G – D | Bm – G – D – A |
| I – vi – IV – V | C – Am – F – G | G – Em – C – D | D – Bm – G – A |
| ii – V – I | Dm – G – C | Am – D – G | Em – A – D |
And these are common in minor keys:
| Progression | In A minor | In E minor | In D minor |
|---|---|---|---|
| i – iv – V – i | Am – Dm – E – Am | Em – Am – B – Em | Dm – Gm – A – Dm |
| i – VI – III – VII | Am – F – C – G | Em – C – G – D | Dm – B♭ – F – C |
| i – VII – VI – V | Am – G – F – E | Em – D – C – B | Dm – C – B♭ – A |
Why they matter for a bassist
Progressions are shared by thousands of songs. Recognising them by ear and by numeral is one of the most useful skills for a bassist. Many songs use only two or three chords: simple harmony leaves room for rhythm and bass line.
The Key Chords tool lists common progressions for every key.
Pick a key, play the roots of each progression in the tables, one per bar at 80 BPM, then play each chord’s root–5th–octave (a preview of Module 9).
New terms
Tools
- Key Chords: The chords of every major and minor key, chosen on the circle of fifths, with bass boxes and common progressions.