1. C - G - Am - F (
The famous four chords used in many pop song progressions are the I, V, vi and IV chords of a major key. The roman numerals represent the numbers of the major scale we begin a chord from (1, 5, 6, 4) so in C major this would be C, G, Amin, F or in G major it would be G, D, Emin, C.
While the C major, G major, and D major chords are widely used, it's essential to continue expanding your chord vocabulary. Explore other common chords, such as A major, E major, and F major, to broaden your playing capabilities and unlock new musical possibilities.
These three chords are a simple means of covering many melodies without the use of passing notes. There are tens of thousands of songs written with I, IV and V chords. Almost all country, blues, and early rock and roll songs are three-chord songs. A great many pop songs are also I, IV and V chord songs.
These four chords are the magic I, IV, V and vi. But why are these four chords so universal?
G, C and D are some of the most commonly used chords in popular music and are used in literally thousands of songs (we'll list some of the most well-known later). Also, they're not too difficult to learn and they sound really good together (hence their popularity).
The 5 chords we'll look at are the C major, A major, G major, E major, and D major. The reason we use all major chords is that the minor versions of any of these chords just require tiny adjustments. Each one of those minor chords is completely based on its major counterpart.
In rock music, the most common chords represented by Roman Numerals are IV I, and V. In the key of C major, these are the F C G chords. However, the I V, and IV chords are well represented all across the rock genre.
You don't need chords that look like a physics equation. Learn G, C, D and E minor. With them you can play a ton of songs.
C - G - Am - F (I - V -vi - IV) This just might be the most popular chord progression in Western popular music. There is an actual mathematical explanation as to why it's such a pleasant progression. The quick summary is that these four chords are opposites of each other.
They use the same four chords: I, IV, V, and vi, which are probably the most common chords in all of pop music. Because of this, they all sound somewhat similar; the difference is in the order of the chords.
Many scholars believe that the term “secret chord” refers to an unknown or mysterious musical key or melody that David used when he played his harp during his time as a young shepherd boy and later as king of Israel.
I-V-vi-IV
So many songs are based on the same common chord progressions. This progression is called “the most popular progression” for a reason. It's been used in just about every genre imaginable, from post-punk to country.
The simpler the ratio, the more consonant and pleasing it is to listen to. The octave (2:1), perfect fifth (3:2) and perfect fourth (4:3) are the simplest ratios. For this reason, the I–V–vi–IV chord progression is the most pleasing progression to play in any key, major or minor, in practically any genre or style.
The F chord is typically the first major test in a beginner's journey. Many give up after attempting to learn the F chord. This is because it is a bar chord. If you have never played a bar chord before, the F is going to take extra patience and resistance to frustration.
The six-string F chord is one of the hardest standard chord shape to play on the guitar. When many people try to play the F chord on guitar (and often succeed), it's with far too much struggle and effort than is actually necessary. Even extremely influential guitarists can have a hard time with barre chords.
Randomly hit notes on a keyboard and see if that combination of notes sounds like a chord you might like to use. 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 theory for a second and just experiment.
However, it is safe to say that Elvis knew at least a few dozen chords, as he was able to play a variety of songs on the guitar. Elvis also had a good ear and was able to pick up new chords quickly.