The four chords
I | V | vi | IV
I–V–vi–IV: G, D, Em, C in G; C, G, Am, F in C. Choose any key.
Chord stories
The four chords of pop
A great many songs lean on the same four chords: I–V–vi–IV, the first, fifth, sixth and fourth chords of a major key. In G that is G, D, Em and C; in C, C, G, Am and F. The comedy band The Axis of Awesome made a medley of songs that use them, so they are also called the Axis progression.
Tempo85
↓ · ↓ ↑ · ↑ ↓ ↑ · Down, down-up, up-down-up: the campfire strum, also called the calypso strum.
Colours
homethe pullthe doorthe shadow
What each chord does in its key. Press a chord to hear it and read more.Starting on the minor chord
vi | IV | I | V
vi–IV–I–V, the “sensitive female chord progression”: Am, F, C, G in C.
Starting on IV
IV | I | V | vi
IV–I–V–vi: the loop floats before it lands.
Starting on V
V | vi | IV | I
V–vi–IV–I: the same loop, entered from the far side.
Open them in the progression makerAnother key with a capo
The Axis of Awesome and the four chord song
The Australian comedy band The Axis of Awesome strung dozens of hits together over the same four chords in their medley “Four Chords”, first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008. Uploads of it have been watched many millions of times, and their official video followed in 2011. They play it in D: D, A, Bm, G.
The Axis of Awesome’s key
I | V | vi | IV
“Four Chords” is in D: D, A, Bm, G.
The sensitive female chord progression
Started on the minor chord, vi–IV–I–V (Am, F, C, G in C), the same four chords feel more wistful. The writer Marc Hirsh named this order the “sensitive female chord progression” in the Boston Globe in December 2008, after hearing it in so many songs of the late 1990s.
Why the four chords work
I is home, V leans away, vi brings in the minor colour of the key, and IV lifts before the loop turns round. Most changes keep a note: G and D share D, Em and C share E and G, C and G share G. Only D to Em moves every note, each by a step, which keeps the loop smooth.
Songs that use these four chords
In this order, in another order, or in one part of the song: The Beatles, “Let It Be”; Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin’”; U2, “With or Without You”; Bob Marley & the Wailers, “No Woman, No Cry”; Toto, “Africa”; a-ha, “Take On Me”; John Denver, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”; Jason Mraz, “I’m Yours”; Train, “Hey, Soul Sister”; Adele, “Someone like You”; Maroon 5, “She Will Be Loved”; Luis Fonsi, “Despacito”.
Not the fifties progression
I–vi–IV–V (C, Am, F, G) is a different loop, the doo-wop changes of the late 1950s. Pachelbel’s Canon is another, eight chords long. Both are on the pop chord progressions page.
Questions
What are the four chords in every pop song?
I, V, vi and IV of a major key: in G, the chords G, D, Em and C; in C, the chords C, G, Am and F. Songs use them in that order or another, all through or in one part.
What are the four chords in G?
G, D, Em and C. On guitar: 320003, xx0232, 022000 and x32010.
What is the Axis of Awesome four chord song?
“Four Chords”, a 2008 medley by the Australian comedy band The Axis of Awesome, made of many hit songs sung over the same four chords, in D.
What is the sensitive female chord progression?
The same four chords started on the minor one: vi–IV–I–V, such as Am, F, C, G. Marc Hirsh gave it the name in the Boston Globe in 2008.
How do I play the four chords in another key with a capo?
Play the G shapes (G, D, Em, C) with a capo: on fret 2 they sound in A, on fret 4 in B. The capo chart shows every key.
Sources
- I–V–vi–IV progression (Wikipedia)
- The Axis of Awesome (Wikipedia)
- The sensitive chord progression (fachords)
More chord stories: The forbidden chord, The saddest chord, The Picardy third, The most beautiful chord, The happiest chord, The Mario cadence, and famous chords such as the Tristan chord and the Hendrix chord. Also: the guitar chord library, the chord finder and the chords in every key.