I–IV–V progressions
Lesson 13 of 14 · Intermediate · The three chords most songs use.
Numbering chords
Number the notes of a scale from 1 to 7, and the triad built on each one gets that number, written in Roman numerals.
In C major, I is C major (C E G), IV is F major (F A C) and V is G major (G B D).
Why I, IV and V
Between them, these three chords hold every note of the scale, so they can go with almost any simple melody. Countless songs, from folk to rock, use only these three.
V sounds like it wants to go somewhere, and it pulls strongly back home to I.
Keeping the hand still
Jumping from one root position to the next is a lot of moving. Keep the right hand around middle C instead: C E G for I, C F A for IV, and B D G for V.
Those are inversions of the same chords, and only one or two fingers move each time.
Adding the left hand
The left hand plays each chord's root, low down: C3 for I, F3 for IV, G3 for V.
In G major, I, IV and V are G, C and D major. The same pattern works in every key.
Practice
Which chord is which?
Right hand: I, IV, V, I in C, keeping the hand near middle C.
Now with the left hand on the roots.
The same in G major: G, C, D, G.
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