Skip to content
TonaliaJoin the waitlist

Chord progression · major keys

The I IV V progression in all 12 keys

Tonic, subdominant, dominant: the three primary chords, and the skeleton of a great deal of folk, rock and blues. Also called "1 4 5" and "three chord progression".

How it moves, in C major

  1. CI
  2. FIV
  3. GV
  4. CI
  • C to F1 voice holds, 3 move, 8 semitones of motion in all.
  • F to G0 voices hold, 4 move, 8 semitones of motion in all.
  • G to C1 voice holds, 3 move, 8 semitones of motion in all.

It ends on a authentic cadence.

In every major key

Tonalia for iPhone

Learn this by ear, five minutes a day

Daily lessons where every question plays before you answer it. Section 1 is free forever. Tonalia is in beta; join the waitlist for one email when it is on the App Store.

No spam, no sharing. Unsubscribe from any email in one tap. Privacy