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Chord progressions · Songs index

Songs by chord progression

Songs organized by their chord progression: browse well-known songs grouped by the progression they are built on, from the four-chord Axis pattern to the 12-bar blues.

Most songs you know are built on a handful of chord progressions. This index turns the reference around: instead of starting from a pattern, it starts from the music, grouping recognizable songs under the progression each one is built on. Every progression name links to a full page where you can hear the pattern and move it to any key. These are factual references to which progression a song uses, titles and artists only.

Foundations & notation

FoundationsT → PD → D → T
  • "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
  • "Let It Be", The Beatles
  • "La Bamba", Ritchie Valens
Roman NumeralsI ii iii IV V vi vii°
  • Used in every classical analysis
  • Nashville Number System variants
  • Jazz lead sheets

Cadences

CadencesV → I · IV → I · V → vi · ♭II → I
  • "Amen" endings in hymns
  • Beethoven's authentic cadences
  • Spanish Phrygian halves

Standard & genre

Standard ProgressionsI–IV–V–I · I–V–vi–IV · I–vi–IV–V
  • "Let It Be", The Beatles
  • "Don't Stop Believin'", Journey
  • "No Woman No Cry", Bob Marley
Circle of Fifths Progressionsvi – ii – V – I · I – IV – vii° – iii – vi – ii – V – I
  • "Autumn Leaves"
  • "I Will Survive", Gloria Gaynor
  • "Fly Me to the Moon"
Minor Progressionsi · iv · V · i
  • "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.
  • "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
  • "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
Sad Progressionsi · VI · III · VII
  • "Mad World" by Gary Jules
  • "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails
  • "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
Blues ProgressionsI7 · IV7 · V7 (across 12 bars)
  • "Sweet Home Chicago"
  • "Hound Dog", Elvis Presley
  • "Pride and Joy", Stevie Ray Vaughan
Jazz Progressionsii7 – V7 – Imaj7
  • "Autumn Leaves"
  • "All the Things You Are", Jerome Kern
  • "Giant Steps", John Coltrane
Pop Chord ProgressionsI – V – vi – IV · vi – IV – I – V · I – IV – vi – V
  • "Let It Be", The Beatles
  • "No Woman No Cry", Bob Marley
  • "Someone Like You", Adele
Doo-Wop ProgressionsI – vi – IV – V · I – vi – ii – V
  • "Stand By Me", Ben E. King
  • "Earth Angel", The Penguins
  • "Blue Moon", Richard Rodgers
Flamenco Progressionsi – ♭VII – ♭VI – V (or iv – ♭III – ♭II – I in Phrygian)
  • "Hit the Road Jack", Ray Charles
  • "Sultans of Swing", Dire Straits
  • Traditional flamenco soleá
Classic Rock ProgressionsI – ♭VII – IV · i – ♭VI – ♭VII
  • "Sweet Home Alabama", Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • "Sympathy for the Devil", Rolling Stones
  • "Johnny B. Goode", Chuck Berry
Folk ProgressionsI – IV – V – I · i – ♭VII – i (Dorian)
  • "Scarborough Fair", traditional
  • "House of the Rising Sun", The Animals
  • "Drunken Sailor", traditional
Coltrane ChangesImaj7 – V7/♭VI – ♭VImaj7 – V7/III – IIImaj7 – V7 – Imaj7
  • Coltrane's major-third cycle
  • Reharmonized standards in the Coltrane style
  • Modern jazz cadenzas
Minor Bluesi7 – iv7 – i7 – V7 (across 12 bars)
  • "The Thrill Is Gone", B.B. King
  • "Mr. P.C.", John Coltrane
  • "Equinox", John Coltrane
Rhythm ChangesA: I – vi – ii – V · B: III7 – VI7 – II7 – V7
  • "I Got Rhythm", George Gershwin
  • "Oleo", Sonny Rollins
  • "Anthropology", Charlie Parker

Devices & techniques

One-Chord Vamps
  • "So What", Miles Davis
  • "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose", James Brown
  • Ravi Shankar ragas
TurnaroundsI – VI7 – ii – V7 · I – ♭III°7 – ii – V7
  • Every 12-bar blues final two bars
  • "I Got Rhythm" A-section closes
  • Jazz standards of the 1940s
Ascending Bass LinesI – ii – iii – IV · I – I/2 – I/3 – IV
  • "Like a Rolling Stone", Bob Dylan
  • "Ain't Misbehavin'", Fats Waller
  • "Friday I'm in Love", The Cure
Descending Bass Linesi – i(maj7) – i7 – i6 · i – ♭VII – ♭VI – V
  • "Hit the Road Jack", Ray Charles
  • "Stairway to Heaven", Led Zeppelin (intro)
  • "A Whiter Shade of Pale", Procol Harum
Pedal Points(tonic or dominant sustained in bass)
  • Chopin "Raindrop" Prelude
  • Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor
  • Beethoven "Pastoral" Symphony opening
Chord SubstitutionsV7 → ♭II7 · iv – ♭VII7 – I · vi ↔ I
  • "Lady Bird", Tadd Dameron
  • Coltrane's "Giant Steps" cycle
  • Bach's chromatic sequences

Modal

Modal Progressionsi – IV (Dorian) · I – ♭VII (Mixolydian) · i – ♭II (Phrygian)
  • "Oye Como Va", Santana
  • "Dear Prudence", The Beatles
  • "The Simpsons" theme
Dreamy ProgressionsI · II (Lydian) · i · IV (Dorian)
  • "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac
  • "Space Oddity" by David Bowie
  • "Flying in a Blue Dream" by Joe Satriani

Transposing

TransposingI–IV–V in C → I–IV–V in any key
  • Every song transposed for a vocalist
  • Capo-based guitar arrangements
  • Jazz standards in all 12 keys

Build your own progression

Pick a key, follow the weighted map of what usually comes next, hear it, and jump to any chord. Open the generator →