Music · I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V
Pachelbel's Canon
Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D is built over a repeating bass line that implies eight chords. Wikipedia reports that a 1968 recording by the Jean-François Paillard chamber orchestra gained popularity over the next decade, and that elements of the piece, especially its chord progression, were used in a variety of pop songs. It is the longest trip here: eight chords, and the only one that visits iii.
Watch for: A slow descent through vi and iii, then a second try from IV, and V closing the loop.
Songs that use it
- Streets of London, Ralph McTell (1974) source: Wikipedia: Pachelbel's Canon
- All Together Now, The Farm (1990) source: Wikipedia: Pachelbel's Canon
- Basket Case, Green Day (1994) source: Wikipedia: Pachelbel's Canon
- Memories, Maroon 5 (2019) source: Wikipedia: Pachelbel's Canon
The others
- The four-chord loop I–V–vi–IV
- The 50s progression I–vi–IV–V
- Twelve-bar blues I–IV–V in 12 bars
- The Andalusian cadence i–♭VII–♭VI–V
- ii–V–I ii7–V7–Imaj7
- Type your own →
Sources
- Wikipedia: Pachelbel's Canon · The canon's eight-chord ground bass in D major, its 1968 revival, and pop songs that use its chord progression
