Piano Guidance
Photo by Elina Fairytale Pexels Logo Photo: Elina Fairytale

What is the four chord trick?

The I–V–vi–IV progression is a common chord progression popular across several genres of music. It involves the I, V, vi, and IV chords of any particular musical scale. For example, in the key of C major, this progression would be: C–G–Am–F.

Is learning piano at 50 hard?
Is learning piano at 50 hard?

“Learning piano has no age limit. In fact, activities like learning piano can stimulate the brain, increasing the ability to recall information....

Read More »
Was Mozart a genius?
Was Mozart a genius?

Certainly the composer's extraordinary talents have never been in doubt: he could master a minuet and trio on the piano in half an hour when he was...

Read More »

I–V–vi–IV chord progression in C ( help · info ) chord progression in C vi–IV–I–V chord progression in C ( help · info ) chord progression in C The I–V–vi–IV progression is a common chord progression popular across several genres of music. It involves the I, V, vi, and IV chords of any particular musical scale. For example, in the key of C major, this progression would be: C–G–Am–F.[1] Rotations include:

I–V–vi–IV : C–G–Am–F

: C–G–Am–F V–vi–IV–I : G–Am–F–C

: G–Am–F–C vi–IV–I–V : Am–F–C–G

: Am–F–C–G IV–I–V–vi : F–C–G–Am

The '50s progression uses the same chords but in a different order (I–vi–IV–V), no matter the starting point.

Variations [ edit ]

A common ordering of the progression, "vi–IV–I–V", was dubbed the "sensitive female chord progression" by Boston Globe columnist Marc Hirsh.[2] In C major this would be Am–F–C–G, modulating the key to A minor. Audio playback is not supported in your browser. You can download the audio file Hirsh first noticed the chord progression in the song "One of Us" by Joan Osborne,[3] and then other songs. He named the progression because he claimed it was used by many performers of the Lilith Fair in the late 1990s.[2] However, examples of the progression appeared in pop hits as early as the 1950s, such as in The Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is to Love Him", written by Phil Spector.[4] Dan Bennett claims the progression is also called the "pop-punk progression" because of its frequent use in pop punk.[1] Audio playback is not supported in your browser. You can download the audio file In this ordering, the progression ends with a double plagal cadence in the key of the dominant (in the Mixolydian mode) and could also be respelled ii–bVII–IV–I, opening with a backdoor turnaround. The chord progression is also used in the form IV–I–V–vi, as in songs such as "Umbrella" by Rihanna[5] and "Down" by Jay Sean.[6] Numerous bro-country songs followed the chord progression, as demonstrated by Greg Todd's mash-up of several bro-country songs in an early 2015 video.[7] A 2009 song by the comedy group The Axis of Awesome, called "Four Chords", demonstrated the ubiquity of the progression in popular music, for comic effect; for instance, as the progression is played as a ostinato, sometimes it is used as a vi–IV–I–V (i. e. the "pessimistic" inversion). It does not accurately represent the chord progressions of all the songs it depicts. It was originally written in D major (thus the progression being D major, A major, B minor, G major) and performed live in the key of E major (thus using the chords E major, B major, C# minor, and A major). The song was subsequently published on YouTube.[8] As of May 2020, the two most popular versions have been viewed over 100 million times combined.[9][10]

Is manual more fun?
Is manual more fun?

Driving a Manual is More Fun The last - and very best - reason to drive a stick: It's a heck of a lot more fun. Nearly every person who has owned...

Read More »
What is the longest time someone has been stuck in an elevator?
What is the longest time someone has been stuck in an elevator?

41 hours Man went for a cigarette, then got trapped in elevator 41 hours with no water. A man survives the harrowing ordeal of being in an elevator...

Read More »

The British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree made a song called "Four Chords That Made A Million" that appears to be a satire[according to whom?] of the broad use of this progression in contemporary commercial music.

♭ VII–IV in A ( help · info ) I–V–VII–IV in A

I–V–♭VII–IV may be viewed as a variation of I–V–vi–IV, replacing the submediant with the subtonic. It consists of two IV chord progressions, the second a whole step lower (A–E–G–D = I–V in A and I–V in G), giving it harmonic drive. There are few keys in which one may play the progression with open chords on the guitar, so it is often portrayed with barre chords ("Lay Lady Lay"). The use of the flattened seventh may lend this progression a bluesy feel or sound, and the whole tone descent may be reminiscent of the ninth and tenth chords of the twelve bar blues (V–IV). The progression also makes possible a chromatic descent across a minor third: 8 ^ {displaystyle {hat {8}}} –♯ 7 ^ {displaystyle {hat {7}}} –♮ 7 ^ {displaystyle {hat {7}}} – 6 ^ {displaystyle {hat {6}}} . "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Carole King make prominent use of this progression in its verses. "Lay Lady Lay"[11] uses the similar progression I–iii–♭VII–ii; the second and fourth chords are replaced by the relative minor while preserving the same 8 ^ {displaystyle {hat {8}}} –♯ 7 ^ {displaystyle {hat {7}}} –♮ 7 ^ {displaystyle {hat {7}}} – 6 ^ {displaystyle {hat {6}}} descent. This progression is used in other songs including "Turning Japanese" (1980) by The Vapors, "Sample in a Jar" (1994) by Phish (I–iii–♭VII–IV), "Waterfalls" (1995) by TLC,[12] and "Don't Tell Me" (2000) by Madonna. "Cinnamon Girl" (1969) by Neil Young uses I–v–♭VII–IV (all in Mixolydian).[13] It opens the verse to "Brown Eyes" by Lady Gaga, is used in the chorus to "Rio" (1982) by Duran Duran and "Sugar Hiccup" (1983) by the Cocteau Twins, and is in the 2nd part of the bridge in "Sweet Jane" (1988) by the Cowboy Junkies.[14] John Maus uses a i-v-VII-iv in c minor for the verse of “Cop Killer”. The progression is also used entirely with minor chords[i-v-vii-iv (g#, d#, f#, c#)] in the middle section of Chopin's etude op. 10 no. 12. However, using the same chord type (major or minor) on all four chords causes it to feel more like a sequence of descending fourths than a bona fide chord progression. I–IV–♭VII–IV is a similar chord progression which is arch formed (I–IV–♭VII–IV–I), and has been used in the chorus to "And She Was" (1985) by Talking Heads,[15] in "Let's Go Crazy" (1984) by Prince,[16] in "Like a Rock" (1986) by Bob Seger,[17] and in "Steady, As She Goes" (2006) by The Raconteurs (minor tonic: i–V–♭VII–IV).[18]

Songs using the progression [ edit ]

Who invented the fuzz face?
Who invented the fuzz face?

Ivor Arbiter Ivor Arbiter ""got the idea for the round shape when he one day saw a microphone stand with a cast iron base"". The design was...

Read More »
What is the fear of being yelled at called?
What is the fear of being yelled at called?

Phobia Of Being Yelled At Phonophobia, also called Ligyrophobia, is the fear of loud noises. But if you feel the fear of being yelled at, it does...

Read More »

This is a list of recorded songs containing multiple, repeated uses of the I–V–vi–IV progression.

See also [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ]

What is Beethoven's most famous piano piece?
What is Beethoven's most famous piano piece?

Ode to Joy Regarded by many as the composer's greatest work, it's also the first symphony to ever combine vocal and instrumental music. First...

Read More »
How long does it take to learn music?
How long does it take to learn music?

To understand and apply music theory, it takes around 6-12 months to learn basic rudiments, and then approximately 3-4 years after that to learn...

Read More »
How do you unstick a cap lock?
How do you unstick a cap lock?

Press Shift key locates at the right side of the laptop and keeping it pressed , just press CAPS lock key. This also Engages Reverse Caps lock in...

Read More »
Which key is easy on me in?
Which key is easy on me in?

F major The song is written in the key of F major with a slow tempo of 70 beats per minute.

Read More »