What is the best musical chord?

Top Ten I-V6-vi-V. ... I-V-vi-iii-IV. ... i-III-VII-VI. ... i-V-vi-IV. ... i-VII-III-VI. ... I-vi-IV-V. Nearly 150 hits use this epic progression, from Avril Lavigne to Leonard Cohen. ... I-IV-vi-V. Another combination of extremely popular chords. ... I-V-vi-IV. The 'Axis of Awesome' chord progression. More items...

mixedinkey.com - Best chord progressions - Mixed In Key

Is music a drug?

Now neurologists report that this human response to music -- which has existed for thousands of years, across cultures around the world -- involves...

Last updated May 11, 2020

What happens if you play piano too much?

A few telltale signs that you might be playing too much, or that your body needs time to recover before diving into an hour long practice are:...

Last updated Oct 25, 2022

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Promotion

Best chord progressions

How to play and compose with the ultimate progressions.

Time and again, throughout music history, the same few chord progressions crop up. Hit song after hit song, these progressions just sound ‘right’, and even though you’ve heard them before, they sound fresh in each song.

Recycling success

The same few chord progressions underpin thousands of songs. How aren’t we bored of them by now? The answer lies in the detail. Supporting harmonies, rhythms, instrument choice, and of course the melodies and hooks that ride the chords. These aspects all help shape a song and distract us from the familiarity of the chord progression. It’s a system that works time and time again. Captain Plugins’ chord generator tool Captain Chords helps you write your own chord progressions, and even ships with 68 of the best chord progressions ever as selectable presets! You can even transpose these progressions to different keys and scales.

Numerals

[the_ad id=”8174″]

You might have noticed that when chords are written down, they are often written as Roman numerals ie I-ii-IV-V. This looks curious to the untrained eye, but is very useful. Musicians and composers can transpose chords to different keys and scales, while retaining the nature of the chord progression. In Captain Chords, the 68 best chord progressions are all in numeral form, so whatever key and scale you’re in, you can use the chord progressions and know you’ve got a tried and trusted pattern to work with.

Top Ten

While all the preset progressions in Captain Chords are awesome, and have been taken from countless smash hit songs. we’ve whittled it down to the ten very best chord progressions. These are guaranteed to please, and have been used in hundreds of smash-hit songs! 10. vi-V-IV-V Starting on a vi is pretty unusual, but here it sounds great against the V-IV-V combination. Repeating the V chord reinforces the progression. 9. IV-I6-ii A 3 chord progression here, which starts on the IV and adds a 6th to the root, before closing on a ii. This is highly unusual compared to the other top progressions, and yet sounds great. Perfect for songs which need a little tension. 8. I-V6-vi-V The V6 chord adds a subtle tension to this otherwise natural sounding progression. It’s been used in over 200 hit songs!

What is the number 1 most played song of all time?

It was never a hit single and got almost no play on Top 40 radio. There's even a dispute over the exact title. Yet “It's a Small World,” also known...

Last updated Jun 6, 2019

How many chords are there?

Remember there are 4017 possible chords before we ever even get into voicing! There's so much variety that sometimes it's good to forget about...

Last updated Mar 27, 2021

Promotion

7. I-V-vi-iii-IV A twist on a classic. The addition of the iii chord slightly alters the character of this ‘awesome’ progression! 6. i-III-VII-VI Bold, uplifting and carrying tons of emotional potential. We love the way the minor i chord sets up a powerful major trio of chords with a delicate beginning. 5. i-V-vi-IV Another twist on a classic. Our number one progression, only this time it starts on a minor root chord. This lends it a familiar yet subtly different flavor. 4. i-VII-III-VI Three major chords after a minor 1 – the second time that trick has been used in our top ten. This time the III chord adds even more drama and sets up a tasty resolution! 3. I-vi-IV-V Nearly 150 hits use this epic progression, from Avril Lavigne to Leonard Cohen. It’s a progression that can be used in almost any style of song. 2. I-IV-vi-V Another combination of extremely popular chords. Notice how many of the most commonly used progressions use different combinations of 1, 4, 5 and 6. 1. I-V-vi-IV The ‘Axis of Awesome’ chord progression. This sequence is so famous it has its own Wikipedia page. It’s the most popular chord progression in all of pop music and has featured in hundreds of incredible songs! Of course, choosing which chord progressions is highly subjective. These are our favorites, and backed up by hard data, too. These are some of the most commonly used progressions of all time, and for good reason.

There are loads more great chord progressions inside Captain Chords.

Try out different chord progressions at the touch of a button, and get inspired, today!

Find your own best chord progressions with Captain Plugins

Visit the official Chords homepage and see how it will help you explore music and write your own original productions.

mixedinkey.com - Best chord progressions - Mixed In Key

What key is C and F#?

D Major Scale The D-Major scale contains two sharps in the key signature, F-sharp and C-sharp. The D-Major scale is made up of the notes: D, E,...

Last updated Nov 15, 2018

What happens if your pickups are too high?

If your pickups are too high, they may not be picking up the sound to the best of their ability. Having your pickups set too high can cause...

Last updated Mar 10, 2021

Promotion

Who was the first to see Sutter's ghost?

Review for The Piano Lesson (copy) A B What is the name of Doaker's grandfather? Willie Boy Who sees Sutter's ghost first? Doaker Who does Lymon...

Last updated Jan 1, 2020

Promotion

How do you fix a flattened cap?

Fixing your hat's crushed sections is super straightforward with a steamer. Let the steam envelop the hat section by section and knead the areas...

Last updated Feb 6, 2018