Folk · Beginner · minor key

i–v–iv–i

i – v – iv – i — Natural-minor folk harmony: no leading tone, all melancholy.

Chord shapes in A 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 – v – iv – i — in A minor that is Am – Em – Dm – Am. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.

• i — the minor home chord.
• v — a minor five: a softer, folkier pull back to the home chord.
• iv — the minor four chord: darker and more emotional.

i–v–iv–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 A 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 A minor pentatonic or A natural minor or A 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

• Minor three-chord (i–iv–v) i – iv – v – i
• Minor i–v vamp i – v
• Minor blues turnaround i7 – iv7 – v7 – i7
• i–v–♭VI–iv i – v – ♭VI – iv
• i–iv–v–♭VI i – iv – v – ♭VI
• i–iv–♭VI–♭VII i – iv – ♭VI – ♭VII

← i–iv–♭VI–♭VII · Phrygian i–♭II–♭VII–i →

← All 198 chord progressions · Generate a new one

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