The Most Common Chords in Pop Music

If you’re interested in learning pop music on the guitar, it’s important to know the most common chords. In this blog post, we’ll go over the chords that are used most often in pop music.

Chord Progressions

There are many chord progressions in pop music, but some are more common than others. I-IV-V, I-V-vi-IV, and ii-V-I are just a few examples. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most common chord progressions in pop music so that you can start using them in your own songs.

The I-V-vi-IV Progression

Popular music often uses the I-V-vi-IV chord progression, which you can use in hundreds of songs. In fact, this is probably the most popular chord progression in popular music today. This progression is used in songs like “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day, and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie, among many others.

To play this progression in the key of C, you would use the chords C, G, Am, and F. You can see how this might be used in a song by looking at the chord progression for “A Thousand Miles”:

| Chord | Function |
| — | — |
| C | I |
| G | V |
| Am | vi |
| F | IV |

The ii-V-I Progression

The ii-V-I progression is a chord progression that you will find in literally thousands of songs across all genres of music. It is so common because it sounds great and is relatively easy to play. It usually goes like this: you start with the second chord of the major scale (ii), followed by the fifth (V), and then the first (I). This gives you the following chords: Dm7-G7-Cmaj7.

The ii-V-I progression is used in countless songs across all genres of music, but it is especially prevalent in jazz and pop music. This chord progression is so common because it sounds great and is relatively easy to play. The ii-V-I progression usually goes like this: you start with the second chord of the major scale (ii), followed by the fifth (V), and then the first (I). This gives you the following chords: Dm7-G7-Cmaj7.

The I-vi-ii-V Progression

The I-vi-ii-V progression is one of the most common chord progressions in pop music. It’s often used in ballads and love songs, and is sometimes called the “heart and soul” progression because of its emotive sound.

The I-vi-ii-V progression consists of four chords: the tonic (I), the submediant (vi), the supertonic (ii), and the dominant (V). These chords are typically played in a progression that goes I-vi-ii-V-I, though there are many variations on this basic sequence.

The I-vi-ii-V progression has a strong emotional pull because it contains both major and minor chords. The tonic (I) and dominant (V) chords are major, while the submediant (vi) and supertonic (ii) chords are minor. This contrast gives the progression a bittersweet sound that can be very effective in conveying emotions like longing, nostalgia, and heartbreak.

Despite its emotive power, the I-vi-ii-V progression is relatively simple to play. The only difficult chord in the sequence is the submediant (vi), which can be replaced with a major chord if needed. This makes the I-vi-ii-V progression an excellent choice for beginner songwriters and musicians.

Chord Substitutions

A chord substitution is simply using a different chord in place of the original chord in a song. Chord substitutions can make a song sound more interesting and can add variety. There are many different chord substitutions that you can use, but some of the most common ones are listed below.

The ii-V-I Substitution

The ii-V-I substitution is one of the most common chord progressions in all of music. It’s so common because it’s such a strong progression that creates a lot of forward momentum. It’s often used in jazz, but it also appears in pop, rock, and other genres.

The ii-V-I substitution is made up of three chords: the ii, the V, and the I. The ii chord is usually a minor chord, the V chord is usually a dominant 7th chord, and the I chord is usually a major chord. These three chords can be substituted for any other three chords that have the same function (ii-V-I). For example, you could substitute a ii-V-i progression with a III7-VI7-ii7 progression.

There are endless possibilities for substitutions, but here are some of the most common:

IIm7b5-V7b9-Imaj7: This is called the altered substitution because all three chords are altered (b5, b9, #9).

III7b9#11-VI7#9b13-ii7#5: This is called the Lydian substitution because all three chords imply the Lydian scale (#11 on III7, #9 on VI7, and #5 on ii7).

IVmaj9#11-VII9#11-iimin9: This substitution uses all major 9th chords and creates a very jazzy sound.

Some other substitutions include IIm7b5-V13#11b9-Imaj13, III13#11bl6/9/13v: sus4 -VII13/6 -iimin6/9; IIdim – bIIIsus – Imaj; bIII – VI – iimin; IIsus4 – V/vi – Imaj; IVmaj – VII(#11)/vi(min) – iimin

The V-vi Substitution

In music theory, the V-vi substitution is a chord substitution where the V chord is replaced with the vi chord. The substitution creates a more harmonic minor sound and can be used in both major and minor keys.

The substitution is most commonly used in pop music, but it can also be found in other genres such as jazz, rock, and classical.

There are a few different ways to make the V-vi substitution. The most common way is to replace the V7 chord with a vi chord. For example, in the key of C major, you would replace the G7 chord with an Am7 chord.

Another way to make the substitution is to replace the V6 or V64 chords with vi chords. For example, in the key of C major, you could replace the G6 or G64 chords with an A6 or A64 chord.

You can also use the V-vi substitution in minor keys by substituting the ii7 chord with the iii7 chord. For example, in the key of A minor, you would replace the Bm7 chord with a C#m7 chord.

The V-vi substitution is a great way to add some variety to your chords and create a more harmonic sound. Try using it in your next song!

The vi-ii-V Substitution

One of the most common chord progressions in pop music is the vi-ii-V (6-2-5) substitution. This simply means that instead of playing the regular vi, ii, and V chords, you play a vi-ii-V substitution in their place.

The most common vi-ii-V substitution is to play a minor 7th chord (vi), a sus2 chord (ii), and a dominant 7th chord (V). This produces a much more open sounding chord progression and can be used in place of any generic vi-ii-V progression.

Here are some examples of songs that use the vi-ii-V substitution:

“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers
“I Can’t Get Next to You” by The Temptations
“My Girl” by The Temptations
“Just My Imagination” by The Temptations

Popular Chords

Most popular songs use the same few chords. In fact, you can probably play hundreds of songs using only a few basic chords. If you learn the chords below, you’ll be able to play a huge variety of popular songs.

A Major

A Major is probably the most basic chord there is. It consists of just three notes – A, C, and E. When you play an A Major chord, you’re playing the root note, A, along with the perfectly complementary third note, C, and the fifth note of the major scale, E. It’s this combination that gives the chord its major sound.

D Major

D Major is one of the most popular chords in pop music. It’s used in countless songs, from “The Beatles” to ” Ed Sheeran.” This chord is made up of the notes D, F#, and A.

E Major

E Major is one of the most popular chords in pop music. It’s a versatile chord that can be used in a variety of settings, from ballads to uptempo songs. The E Major chord consists of the notes E, G#, and B. To form an E Major chord, you can use the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the E major scale.

The E Major chord is typically played as a free-standing chord, but it can also be played as part of a larger chord progression. For example, the following progression uses the E Major chord as part of a II-V-I progression in C major:

I-IV-V-I:
C major-F major-G major-C major

E Major is also frequently used as the root chord of a minor key progression, such as the following:

i-iv-v:
Emajor-Amajor-Bmajor

G Major

G major is one of the most common chords in pop music. It’s often used as a lead-in to other chords, such as C or D, and can be combined with minor chords to create a more complex sound. G major is typically played on a guitar using the following fingering:

-Index finger on the second fret of the low E string
-Middle finger on the third fret of the A string
-Ring finger on the third fret of the high E string

G major can also be played using a barre chord shape. To do this, place your index finger across all six strings at the third fret and use your other fingers to hold down the appropriate strings.

C Major

C Major is one of the most popular chords in pop music. It’s a great chord for beginners because it’s easy to play and it sounds good in almost any context.

The C Major chord is made up of the notes C, E, and G. To play a C Major chord, you can use any of the following fingering patterns:

-Pattern 1: Place your index finger on the third fret of the low E string, your middle finger on the second fret of the A string, and your ring finger on the first fret of the high E string.

-Pattern 2: Place your index finger on the second fret of the low E string, your middle finger on the third fret of the A string, and your ring finger on the first fret of the high E string.

-Pattern 3: Place your index finger on thesecondfretoftheAstring,yourmiddlefingeronthethirdfretoftheDstring,andyourringfingeronthefirstfretoftheGstring.