I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V chord progression
The Canon progression. In A major it's A – E – F♯m – C♯m – D – A – D – E. Press play, then pick any key from the menu.
In A major, 4 beats per chord. Open in the progression builder
- IA
- VE
- viF♯m
- iiiC♯m
- IVD
- IA
- IVD
- VE
Why it works
Eight chords in a repeating pattern of root moves: down a fourth, up a step. A falls to E, which steps up to F♯m; F♯m falls to C♯m, which steps up to D; then A, D and E lead back to the top. Each chord shares at least one note with the next, so the upper voices barely move while the bass does the walking. The pattern comes from a 17th-century canon and has been reused in so much music since that people often call it simply the Canon progression.
How it feels: stately, descending, familiar.
What moves at each change
The bass line in A major is A – E – F♯ – C♯ – D – A – D – E. The smoothest way through it on piano:
- I → V: A to E: play E in 1st inversion (G♯–B–E) and E stays under the same finger, while A moves down to G♯ and C♯ down to B.
- V → vi: E to F♯m: play F♯m in root position (F♯–A–C♯), while E moves up to F♯, G♯ up to A and B up to C♯.
- vi → iii: F♯m to C♯m: play C♯m in 1st inversion (E–G♯–C♯) and C♯ stays under the same finger, while F♯ moves down to E and A down to G♯.
- iii → IV: C♯m to D: play D in root position (D–F♯–A), while C♯ moves up to D, E up to F♯ and G♯ up to A.
- IV → I: D to A: play A in 1st inversion (C♯–E–A) and A stays under the same finger, while D moves down to C♯ and F♯ down to E.
- I → IV: A to D: play D in 2nd inversion (A–D–F♯) and A stays under the same finger, while C♯ moves up to D and E up to F♯.
- IV → V: D to E: play E in root position (E–G♯–B), while D moves up to E, F♯ up to G♯ and A up to B.
- V → I (back to the top): E to A: play A in 2nd inversion (E–A–C♯) and E stays under the same finger, while G♯ moves up to A and B up to C♯.
I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V in all 12 keys
Same 8-chord pattern, twelve keys. Tap a row to hear it there.
| Key | Chords | |
|---|---|---|
| C major | C – G – Am – Em – F – C – F – G | |
| G major | G – D – Em – Bm – C – G – C – D | |
| D major | D – A – Bm – F♯m – G – D – G – A | |
| A major | A – E – F♯m – C♯m – D – A – D – E | |
| E major | E – B – C♯m – G♯m – A – E – A – B | |
| B major | B – F♯ – G♯m – D♯m – E – B – E – F♯ | |
| F♯ major | F♯ – C♯ – D♯m – A♯m – B – F♯ – B – C♯ | |
| D♭ major | D♭ – A♭ – B♭m – Fm – G♭ – D♭ – G♭ – A♭ | |
| A♭ major | A♭ – E♭ – Fm – Cm – D♭ – A♭ – D♭ – E♭ | |
| E♭ major | E♭ – B♭ – Cm – Gm – A♭ – E♭ – A♭ – B♭ | |
| B♭ major | B♭ – F – Gm – Dm – E♭ – B♭ – E♭ – F | |
| F major | F – C – Dm – Am – B♭ – F – B♭ – C |
On guitar
The friendliest keys for I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V on guitar are G major and C major; G major still needs one barre chord.
G major: G – D – Em – Bm – C – G – C – D
C major: C – G – Am – Em – F – C – F – G
Need it higher? Keep the G major shapes and move a capo up; each fret raises the key a half step. Capo chart.
Ways to vary it
- Put the V in first inversion (its third in the bass) so the bass walks straight down the scale from the I: in C, C–G/B–Am–Em/G.
- Play just the first four chords as a loop for a shorter, pop-style version.
- Double the harmonic rhythm (two chords per bar) for a busier, baroque feel.
Related progressions
Build your own progression and share it as a link
I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V: questions
What is the I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V chord progression?
The Canon progression: the chords on degrees 1, 5, 6, 3, 4, 1, 4, 5 of a major key. In A major that's A – E – F♯m – C♯m – D – A – D – E.
Why does I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V sound good?
Eight chords in a repeating pattern of root moves: down a fourth, up a step. A falls to E, which steps up to F♯m; F♯m falls to C♯m, which steps up to D; then A, D and E lead back to the top.
How do I play I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V in G?
G – D – Em – Bm – C – G – C – D. Every one of those has an open shape on guitar.
How do I change I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V to another key?
Keep the numerals and swap the key: the numbers say which note of the scale each chord is built on. Use the key menu in the player above, or the table of all 12 keys on this page.
What else is I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V called?
"Pachelbel progression". Musicians also call it the Canon progression.
Chords in every key are generated from the scale and checked by the site's theory tests. We describe progressions in general terms and don't transcribe songs. Updated September 2026.