What 4 guitar chords are in every song?

These four chords are the magic I, IV, V and vi.

classicfm.com - These four chords are at the heart of every pop song - Classic FM

What percentage of people have taken piano lessons?

An estimated 46 percent of Americans have taken music lessons, with piano lessons the most popular choice, followed by voice instruction, according...

Last updated Nov 2, 2020

What is the difference between a sunk key and a saddle key?

Compared to sunk keys, saddle keys are not sunk into the shaft and hub instead they are only sunk into the hub. They either sit on a flat or...

Last updated Oct 25, 2020

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

These four chords are at the heart of every pop song

By Victoria Longdon

Almost every song in the pop charts is built around the same four chords. And it's nothing new – they're the same three chords that Pachelbel used in his famous Canon. But why do we keep coming back to this exact structure?

We’ve all heard them – those people who complain that ‘all modern music sounds the same’... Well, in one way they’re absolutely right.

Quiz: what percentage music geek are you?

The mind-boggling reality is that a huge proportion of the world’s hit songs are built upon the same four chords. Don’t believe me? Just listen to this medley by comedy rock band, ‘Axis Of Awesome’:

And it’s not just modern music. The ‘four chord song’ has been around since Pachelbel’s Canon around the turn of the 18th century. These four chords are the magic I, IV, V and vi. But why are these four chords so universal? Coincidence ... or science?

via GIPHY

What’s with the Numerals?

We use Roman Numerals to name chords so we can identify which note of the scale they’re built upon. Chord I is built upon the first note of an eight note scale, and chord V upon the fifth.

Why are these chords so special?

At it’s most basic level, music is based on maths. Each pitch vibrates at a certain frequency, and the ratios between these frequencies make the interval sound consonant or dissonant. The most consonant interval (if you can call it an interval) is the unison, which has a ratio of (1:1). After that it’s the octave, (2:1) an interval which sounds so consonant to the human ear that we even give both notes the same name. The reasons that the progression of I, IV, V is so pleasing to the human ear is that those chords are built upon the three most consonant intervals with the tonic:

I (1:1)

V (3:2)

IV (4:3)

In fact, another reason this is such a stable trio is that chords IV and V are actually both a fifth away from the tonic – in opposite directions!

So where does chord vi come into it?

Well, if you look back at the circle of fifths above, you’ll see that every major chord has a minor reflection, (shown in the inner circle) which contains all the same notes as its major counterpart. Chord vi is the minor reflection, or ‘relative minor’ of Chord I, and this similarity means that it still feels comfortably related to both Chord IV and Chord V.

Find out more about the Circle of Fifths >

There’s no doubt that the human ear is hooked on this repetitive chord progression, and it turns out there’s a scientific reason why these particular chords interact so strongly with the tonic. The concoction of different frequencies of the pitches within these magic chords create a whole load of ‘consonant’ frequency ratios, setting up the strongest memory of the tonic in the ear of the listener, and making them (rather poetically) long for a return to ‘home’ – to hear the tonic again. Over the centuries writers have been able to exploit the magnetic appeal of these four chords in endlessly innovative ways to create hit after hit song.

But not everyone's a fan…

Why is C major 7 called?

The name comes from the fact that the flat seventh occurs naturally in the scale built upon the root when it functions as the dominant (i.e., the...

Last updated Aug 16, 2019

What do you call a person who loves playing guitar?

A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical...

Last updated Apr 25, 2020

Promotion

Is Maple Leaf Rag Grade 8?

Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin is Grade 9.

forum.pianoworld.com - what grade is maple leaf rag plz? - Piano Forums

Re: what grade is maple leaf rag plz? 1140046 06:49 AM Joined: Posts: 116 Ireland R Rob O'D Full Member Rob O'D Full Member R Joined: Posts: 116 Ireland

Rockschool (

EDIT: In response the following post, you're right. The Rockschool version is in Bb, not Ab, and it skips the C section (section??!). Not sure why because the C section is no harder than the A, B and D. Thanks for pointing out that there are different versions of this tune floating around. Rob. Hello,Rockschool ( www.rockschool.co.uk ) have it in their Grade 5 syllabus.EDIT: In response the following post, you're right. The Rockschool version is in Bb, not Ab, and it skips the C section (section??!). Not sure why because the C section is no harder than the A, B and D. Thanks for pointing out that there are different versions of this tune floating around.Rob.

What does GMK mean keyboard?

Gunther, Meinhardt, and Kredler What is GMK? GMK is a German company that focuses on the design of luxury keycaps for mechanical keyboards. GMK...

Last updated Feb 25, 2022

Is a keyboard the same thing as a piano?

The main differences between a piano and a keyboard are: A 'piano' is an acoustic instrument with weighted keys whereas a 'keyboard' is an electric...

Last updated Jun 3, 2018

Promotion

How is rock n Roll different to blues?

Rhythm and blues soon sparked its own variant in the mid-1950s: rock 'n' roll. This style was like rhythm and blues, only louder, more sexualized,...

Last updated Mar 14, 2022

Promotion

What is the saddest sounding minor key?

From there it's an easy skip to D, the root of today's subject, the “saddest key,” D minor. That the key of D minor is the key of true sorrow is...

Last updated Sep 26, 2022