---
title: "Chord Progressions: What They Are and Common Ones · Piakno"
description: "A chord progression is the order a piece moves through its chords. Written in Roman numerals, such as I–IV–V–I or I–V–vi–IV, it names each chord by its place in the key, so one progression can be played in any key."
url: "https://piakno.com/theory/chord-progressions"
lang: "en"
alternates:
  en: "https://piakno.com/theory/chord-progressions.md"
  zh-Hans: "https://piakno.com/zh-Hans/theory/chord-progressions.md"
  zh-Hant: "https://piakno.com/zh-Hant/theory/chord-progressions.md"
  ja: "https://piakno.com/ja/theory/chord-progressions.md"
  ko: "https://piakno.com/ko/theory/chord-progressions.md"
  es: "https://piakno.com/es/theory/chord-progressions.md"
  de: "https://piakno.com/de/theory/chord-progressions.md"
  pt-BR: "https://piakno.com/pt-BR/theory/chord-progressions.md"
---

# Chord progressions

> A chord progression is the order a piece moves through its chords. Written in Roman numerals, such as I–IV–V–I or I–V–vi–IV, it names each chord by its place in the key, so one progression can be played in any key.

Also called Chord changes

A chord on its own is a color; a progression is what makes the music go somewhere. Most music leans on a handful of them, and they are easiest to learn the way musicians write them: by number rather than by name.

## Why are chord progressions written in Roman numerals?

Number the notes of the scale 1 to 7 and build a chord on each: in C major that gives C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and B°. A Roman numeral names a chord by that number, upper case for major and lower case for minor, so I–IV–V–I means the chords on the 1st, 4th and 5th notes. In C that is C–F–G–C; in G it is G–C–D–G. The numerals do not change.

*I–IV–V–I in C: the numerals, and the chord symbols above them.*

## Common chord progressions

| Progression | In C | In G | Where you hear it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| I–IV–V–I | C–F–G–C | G–C–D–G | Hymns, folk songs, and many first piano pieces |
| I–V–vi–IV | C–G–Am–F | G–D–Em–C | Pop and rock songs, especially since the 1990s |
| I–vi–IV–V | C–Am–F–G | G–Em–C–D | Ballads of the 1950s |
| ii7–V7–Imaj7 | Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 | Am7–D7–Gmaj7 | Jazz standards |
| I7–IV7–V7 | C7–F7–G7 | G7–C7–D7 | The 12-bar blues, which is built on these three chords, and the rock and roll that grew out of it |

Once you know a progression by number, moving it to another key means finding the same numbers in the new scale. Try I–V–vi–IV in C, then in G: the shape under your hands moves, and the progression still sounds like itself.

## How do you play a chord progression smoothly?

Playing every chord in root position makes the hand jump. Pianists keep the notes two chords share and move the others as little as they can, which means playing some chords inverted: the same notes in a different order. C to G becomes C–E–G to B–D–G, where the G stays and two fingers move one step.

*I–V–vi–IV in C with the bass stepping down and no voice moving more than a third: C, G/B, Am, F/A.*

> A progression is not a tune. Two songs can share I–V–vi–IV and sound nothing alike; what they share is the floor under the melody, which is why a few progressions open up so many songs.

## Common questions

### What is the most common chord progression?

No count settles it. In pop the usual answer is I–V–vi–IV and its rotations, such as vi–IV–I–V; in hymns, marches, and early piano pieces it is I–IV–V–I.

### How do I play a chord progression in another key?

Write out the scale of the new key, number its notes 1 to 7, and build the chords on the numbers the progression names. In D major, I–IV–V is D–G–A; in F major it is F–B♭–C.

### What is the difference between a chord progression and a cadence?

A cadence is the last two chords of a phrase: the progression’s ending. V–I closes firmly, IV–I softly, and a phrase that stops on V asks a question. The progression is the whole sequence, beginning to end.

## The course works through this in:

- [Lesson 60 · What chords do: settled, leaving, coming home](https://piakno.com/course/piano-foundations/lesson/60)

## Related entries

- [Roman numerals](https://piakno.com/theory/roman-numerals)
- [Harmonic function](https://piakno.com/theory/harmonic-function)
- [Cadences](https://piakno.com/theory/cadences)
- [Chord inversions](https://piakno.com/theory/chord-inversions)
- [Pop chord progressions](https://piakno.com/theory/pop-chord-progressions)
- [The ii–V–I progression](https://piakno.com/theory/ii-v-i)
- [The 12-bar blues](https://piakno.com/theory/twelve-bar-blues)

- [Music theory reference](https://piakno.com/theory)