Rock · Beginner · minor key

i–♭III–♭VII–i

i – ♭III – ♭VII – i — A sturdy minor rock loop with major-chord colour.

Chord shapes in E minor (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 – ♭VII – i — in A minor that is Am – C – G – Am. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.

• i — the minor home chord.
• ♭III — a major chord borrowed from the minor key (the relative major in a minor key).
• ♭VII — a major chord a whole step below home, borrowed from the minor key — classic rock swagger.

i–♭III–♭VII–i 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 E minor 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 E minor pentatonic or E natural minor or E blues 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–♭VII–♭VI–♭III i – ♭VII – ♭VI – ♭III
• i–♭III–♭VII–IV i – ♭III – ♭VII – IV
• "Hotel California" progression i – V – ♭VII – IV – ♭VI – ♭III – iv – V
• i–iv–♭VII–i i – iv – ♭VII – i
• i–♭VI–♭VII i – ♭VI – ♭VII – i
• i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII–i stepping bass i – ♭VII – ♭VI – ♭VII

← i–♭VII–♭VI–♭III · Dorian i–ii–♭III–ii →

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