Music · I–vi–IV–V
The 50s progression
Home, then its relative minor, then IV and V, then home again. It is also called the doo-wop progression, the "Heart and Soul" chords and the "Stand by Me" changes. It uses the same four chords as the four-chord loop in a different order, which changes the trip: the pull of V comes last, right before the return.
Watch for: Two quiet steps (home, its shadow), then away, then the pull that sends you home.
Songs that use it
- Stand by Me, Ben E. King (1961) source: Wikipedia: '50s progression
- Earth Angel, The Penguins (1954) source: Wikipedia: '50s progression
- Every Breath You Take, The Police (1983) source: Wikipedia: '50s progression
The others
- The four-chord loop I–V–vi–IV
- Twelve-bar blues I–IV–V in 12 bars
- The Andalusian cadence i–♭VII–♭VI–V
- Pachelbel's Canon I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V
- ii–V–I ii7–V7–Imaj7
- Type your own →
Sources
- Wikipedia: '50s progression · The '50s progression, I–vi–IV–V, also called the doo-wop progression; the list of songs containing it
- Wikipedia: I–V–vi–IV progression · The axis progression; rotations such as vi–IV–I–V; the table of songs that repeat it at least four times in a row