Folk · Intermediate · major key

Folk ballad (I–iii–vi–IV)

I – iii – vi – IV — Wistful and reflective — iii and vi lend a gentle melancholy.

Chord shapes in G major (standard tuning)

Using a different tuning? Open it in the Looper — it finds playable shapes for whatever tuning you choose.

How the chords work

Written in Roman numerals, this progression is I – iii – vi – IV — in C major that is C – Em – Am – F. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.

• I — the home chord — the progression feels finished when it lands here.
• iii — a gentle minor chord that shares two notes with I.
• vi — the relative minor — the "sad" chord of a major key.
• IV — a bright, open chord a fourth above home — the "amen" chord.

Folk ballad (I–iii–vi–IV) in all 12 keys

Practice ideas

• Beginners: play one strum per chord and say the chord names out loud, then two strums, then a steady down-down-up-up-down-up pattern.
• Change keys with a capo: keep the G major shapes and move a capo up — the capo calculator shows which fret gives the key you want.
• Solo over it: loop it in the Looper and improvise with the G major pentatonic or G major scale — the scale pages show every position and play a backing track.
• Train your ear: the progression ear trainer mixes this with similar progressions until you can tell them apart.

Similar progressions

• I–V–vi–iii–IV I – V – vi – iii – IV
• vi–iii–IV–I vi – iii – IV – I
• Major circle of fifths I – IV – vii° – iii – vi – ii – V – I
• Scale climb I–iii–IV–V–vi I – iii – IV – V – vi
• I–vi–iii–IV I – vi – iii – IV
• Royal Road full cadence IVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – vi – ii7 – V7 – I – I

← Country two-step (I–I–V–V–I–I–IV–V) · I–V–vi–iii–IV →

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