The Most Popular Chord Progressions in Pop Music

A chord progression is a series of chords played in a particular order. Chord progressions are the foundation of pop music and are used in almost every song you hear on the radio.

The ii-V-I Progression

The ii-V-I Progression in C Major

The ii-V-I progression is by far the most popular chord progression in pop music. It’s a staple of Jazz music, but it’s also used in many other genres, including Rock, Pop, and Blues.

The ii-V-I progression is made up of three chords: the ii, the V, and the I. In C Major, these chords would be D minor, G major, and C major. The ii-V-I progression is so popular because it sounds good in almost any context. It can be played slow or fast, soft or loud, and with any instrumentation.

One of the best things about the ii-V-I progression is that it can be adapted to any key. So if you’re playing in A Major, the ii-V-I progression would be B minor, E major, and A major. If you’re playing in G Major, the ii-V-I progression would be A minor, D major, and G major. And so on.

The ii-V-I progression is a great way to add interest to your music. It’s also a great way to practice your improvisational skills. If you can learn to improvise over a ii-V-I progression, you’ll be able to improvise over just about anything!

The ii-V-I Progression in G Major

The ii-V-I progression is by far the most popular chord progression in jazz and pop music. It’s so common that it’s often referred to as “the one”. ii-V-I stands for “two-five-one”, meaning that the progression consists of the chords built on the second, fifth and first scale degrees of the major scale. In the key of G major, this would be Am7-D7-Gmaj7.

There are many different ways to approach playing a ii-V-I, but one of the most common is to use what’s called “drop 2” voicings. This simply means that you take each chord and drop the second highest note down an octave. So, for Am7, you would play C-E-G-B; for D7, you would play F#-A-C#-E; and for Gmaj7, you would play B-D#-F#-A.

Once you have these voicings under your fingers, you can start to experiment with different rhythm patterns and melodic ideas. Because the ii-V-I progression is so ubiquitous in Jazz and Pop music, there are literally thousands of songs that you can learn that use this progression. Here are just a few examples:

Soul Man (Sam & Dave)
My Funny Valentine (Chet Baker)
All The Things You Are (Jerome Kern)
Fly Me To The Moon (Frank Sinatra)

The I-vi-ii-V Progression

The I-vi-ii-V Progression in C Major

One of the most popular chord progressions in popular music is the I-vi-ii-V progression. This progression is used in countless songs in almost every genre, from Jazz and Blues to Rock and Pop. The reason for its popularity is that it sounds good!

This chord progression uses the first, sixth, second, and fifth chords of a major scale. In the key of C Major, these chords would be Cmaj7, Am7, Dm7, and G7. This progression can be played with any combination of instruments, but it is often heard with piano or guitar.

If you are a songwriter or musician who is looking for a new chord progression to try, this one is a great place to start!

The I-vi-ii-V Progression in G Major

The I-vi-ii-V progression is by far the most popular chord progression in popular music. This simple, yet powerful progression can be found in countless songs in almost every genre. It is often used to create a feeling of resolution or to add tension and drama to a song.

The I-vi-ii-V progression is built around the five most important chords in the key of G major: G, Em, C, D, and Am. These five chords are known as the “tonic,” “submediant,” “mediant,” “dominant,” and “subdominant” chords, respectively. The tonic chord (G) is the home base chord that gives a sense of stability and resolution, while the other four chords (Em, C, D, and Am) create a sense of movement and tension.

This progression can be used in any key, but it is most commonly heard in major keys. In G major, the I-vi-ii-V progression would be sung as G-Em-C-D-Am.

The vi-IV-I-V Progression

The vi-IV-I-V progression is one of the most popular chord progressions in pop music. It’s often used in songs in major keys and has a very catchy sound. The progression goes like this: vi-IV-I-V. In the key of C, that would be Am-F-C-G.

The vi-IV-I-V Progression in C Major

The vi-IV-I-V progression is one of the most popular chord progressions in pop music. It’s used in countless songs, including hits by the Beatles, Bruno Mars, and Taylor Swift.

The progression goes like this: vi-IV-I-V (in the key of C Major, that would be Am-F-C-G).

This progression is so common because it’s incredibly easy to remember and it has a lot of emotional impact. The vi chord (Am) is a minor chord, which gives the progression a sad sound. The IV chord (F) is a major chord, which gives the progression a happy sound. And the V chord (G) is a major chord, which gives the progression an uplifting sound.

This emotional journey from sadness to happiness is what makes the vi-IV-I-V progression so popular. It’s also why this progression is sometimes known as the ” sailed away ” progression.

The vi-IV-I-V Progression in G Major

The vi-IV-I-V progression is one of the most popular chord progressions in pop music. It’s often used in songs in the key of G major, and it consists of the chords D, C, G, and D. This progression is very common in country, folk, and pop songs.

The I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V-I Progression

The I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V-I Progression in C Major

The I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V-I progression is one of the most popular chord progressions in pop music. It’s also known as the “50s progression” because it was commonly used in the 1950s.

The I-V-vi-iii-IV-I progression is made up of the following chords:

C Major: I = C, V = G, vi = Am, iii = Em, IV = F

The I chord is usually played as a major chord, but it can also be played as a minor chord. The V chord is always played as a major chord. The vi and iii chords are always played as minor chords. The IV chord can be played as either a major or minor chord.

This progression can be played in any key, but it is most commonly played in major keys.

The I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V-I Progression in G Major

The I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V-I chord progression is one of the most popular in all of pop music. It’s found in countless songs in almost every genre, and it’s particularly common in gospel, rock, and country. The progression consists of the chords I, V, vi, iii, IV, I, IV, V, I.

The I chord is usually a major chord, while the V and vi chords are usually minor chords. The iii and IV chords can be either major or minor. In G Major, the progression would consist of the chords G Major, D Major, Em (E Minor), C (C Major), F (F Major), G Major (G Major), F (F Major), C (C Major), G Major.

This progression is so popular because it has a strong sense of forward motion and it sounds good with almost any kind of melody. It’s also relatively easy to play on guitar or piano.