Famous Chord Progressions I-V-vi-IV

Here is another chord progression used in many songs. Simpe 1-5-6-4 formula or I-V-vi-IV. For simplicity, Let's take a look at the C major chord progression and it's sale degrees,

1(I) = C major
2(ii) =D minor
3(iii)=E minor
4(IV)=F major
5(V)= G major
6(vi)=A minor
7(vii) B diminished

Major= Indicated by a capital or uppercase roman numeral
Minor=Indicated by a lowercase roman numeral

So for this chord progression in the key of C major we'd use

1(I) = C major
5(V)= G major
6(vi)=A minor
4(IV)=F major

Here are a few songs that use this chord progression, bare in mind that they may be using it in another key.

Adele- Someone like you

Linkin Park- Numb

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Snow(hey oh)

Bush- Glycerine

Jason Mraz- I'm yours

Try apply this chord progression to every key you can think of and keep on rocking!

The Natural Minor Scale

Since we've already covered the major scale, I thought it'd be fitting to introduce the natural minor scale which is related to the major scale.

The pattern for the natural minor scale is

W, H, W, W, H, W, W

W=Whole step= tone= 2 frets
H= Half Step= semitone= 1 fret

To find the related natural minor to any major scale then you use the same notes of the major scale but starting from the 6th degree, on the major scale, as the minor scale root

C major scale

1. C
2. D
3. E
4. F
5. G
6. A
7. B
8. C

is related to the Natural A minor scale

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E
6. F
7. G
8. A

Try applying this pattern to every key and jam on!

Famous Chord Progressions I-IV-V-I

Now that you've learned which chords you can draw from a major scale, I'm going to show you some songs that use that same major chord progression with a basic pattern; I-IV-V-I

The pattern is referring to scale degrees that you play sequence. Let's take a look at the C major chord progression and it's sale degrees,

1(I) = C major
2(ii) =D minor
3(iii)=E minor
4(IV)=F major
5(V)= G major
6(Vi)=A minor
7(vii) B diminished

Major= Indicated by a capital or uppercase roman numeral
Minor=Indicated by a lowercase roman numeral

If we apply the I-IV-V-I formula to the key of C major then we'd play

C major
F major
G major
C major

We can apply this pattern to any key and here are a few for example

Key of G= G C D G
Key of A= A D E A
Key of D= D G A D


Here are a few famous songs that use this I-IV-V-I  pattern

1. Surrender by Cheap Trick

2. Good Riddance(Time of your life) by Green Day

3. Blitzkrieg Bop By The Ramones

4. Sugar Sugar by the Archies

5. Message in a bottle by The Police

Go to your guitar and try this chord progression pattern in a couple keys. Now, GO FORTH AND ROCK!

Fretboard Diagram

This is a diagram of a guitar fretboard in standard tuning all the way to the 24th fret which means each string has 2 octaves on a fretboard of 24.

All the natural tones(notes without accidentals) are color coded to make it easier to find any note needed.

A=Red

B=Green

C=Blue

D=Orange

E=Yellow

F=Purple

G= green/yellow

Each tone with an accidental( Sharp or flat symbols) are all grey.

Notice how each grey tone has two different note names, that is because the two notes are one in the same. A half step higher than A is A sharp (A#) which is followed by B. A half step lower than B is B flat (Bb) which is followed by A. Both A# and Bb are the same note but you change which note you're using depending on if you're trying to make a higher toned A or a lowered tone B. 

The general rule for sharps(#) and flats(b) are that you use sharps when ascending and flats when descending. 

The Chromatic Scale

The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone above or below another. On a modern piano or other equal-tempered instrument, all the semitones are the same size (100 cents). In other words, the notes of an equal-tempered chromatic scale are equally spaced.

All 12 notes of a chromatic scale makes up an octave(a tone on the eighth degree from a given tone.)
As you probably noticed, you add a sharp(#) when ascending in a scale and a flat(b) when descending.

To help you understand what an octave is just play an open string and then the 12th fret on the same  string. You'll hear the same tone but at a higher pitch.

Tuning your guitar

Now that you know that parts of the guitar, I believe it'd be a good time to learn to tune your guitar. When tuning your guitar, you're adjusting the pitch(highness or lowness of sound) of each string by turning the corresponding tuning keys. Tightening the String raises the pitch and loosening lowers the pitch.

I will refer to most concepts in the simplest form to understand so I'm going to teach you the standard tuning for guitars.


The 1st string is the thinnest string, or the E string.
The 2nd string is the string above the first, the B string.
The 3rd string is above the second, the G string.
The 4th string is above  third, the D string.
The 5th string is above the fourth, the A string.
The 6th string is the top string, also a E string.

1=E
2=B
3=G
4=D
5=A
6=E

A simple way to remember the strings starting from the 6th string down is (E)at (A)  (D)arn  (G)ood (B)reakfast (E)veryday. Eat a darn good breakfast everyday.


If you do not have a tuner available there are other ways to tune a guitar.
You can search the internet for videos playing the notes so you can tune by ear.
You can also try relative tuning if you think you can tune the 6th string to E accurately.
With relative tuning, you tune each string to the previous string.

If the 6th string is tuned to E then you can count frets until you reach A, which would be the pitch for the 5th string. You repeat this process with each string until all have been tuned.


There are many other tuning available and here are a few that you can try for yourself.

Minor Third- C, D#, F#, A, C, D#
Major Third- C, E, G#, C, E, G#

All Fourths- E, A, D, G, C, F
Aug Fourths- C, F#, C, F#, C, F#
Mandoguitar- C, G, D, A,  E, B
Minor Sixth- C, G#, E, C, G#, E
Major Sixth- C, A, F#, D#, C, A

Your guitar and it's components

The steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar that descends from the classical guitar, but is strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound. It is often referred to simply as an acoustic guitar, though the nylon-strung classical guitar is also sometimes called an acoustic guitar.

The classical guitar (or Spanish Guitar) is the member of the guitar family used in classical music. It is an acoustical wooden guitar with six classical guitar strings, nylon strings, as opposed to the metal strings used in acoustic and electric guitars designed for popular music.

An electric guitar is a guitar with a built-in pickup or pickups that convert string vibrations into electrical signals for amplification.