Progression · I–ii–IV–V–vi–bVII

I–ii–IV–V–vi–bVII Progression

8 songs from the corpus share this chord-degree set — open one to see and hear the real chords on an interactive fretboard.

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What I–ii–IV–V–vi–bVII means

Every song below plays chords built on these scale degrees: I = degree 1, ii = degree 2 (minor), IV = degree 4, V = degree 5, vi = degree 6 (minor), bVII = degree 7 — relative to whatever key that song is actually in. The degrees are the same; the real chords are different in every key, which is exactly why the same progression can sound totally different from one song to the next.

Hear it in E major

One real voicing for each degree, in a key real songs in this set are actually written in — tap any diagram to hear it strummed.

8 songs built on I–ii–IV–V–vi–bVII

Bob SegerLike A RockAb major: Ab - Bbm - Db - Eb - Fm - Gb Cheap TrickDream PoliceE major: E - F#m - A - B - C#m - D James TaylorCountry RoadD major: D - Em7 - G - A7 - Bm - C Joe CockerWith A Little Help From My FriendsE major: E - F#m - A - B - C#m - D Looking GlassBrandyE major: E - F#m - A - B - C#m - D Meat LoafYou Took The Words Right Out Of My MouthG major: G - Am - C - D - Em - F The Beach BoysWendyF major: F - Gm - Bb - C - Dm - Eb The CureJust Like HeavenA major: A - Bm - D - E - F#m - G

Closely related progressions

I–ii–IV–V–vi27 songs I–IV–V–vi–bVII8 songs I–ii–IV–V–bVII2 songs I–ii–V–vi–bVII2 songs
🎭 Character: bVII is borrowed from the parallel minor (or heard as a Mixolydian bVII) — it's the chord most responsible for a rock or folk-rock color instead of a classical, strictly-major one. vi shares two notes with I and is one of the most common substitutions in tonal harmony — swapped in for I, it gives a softer, more wistful landing instead of a full resolution. The ii chord is the classic predominant — it sets up V the way IV does, but with a softer, more minor-key lean on the way there.
🔄 Inversions: An inversion is the same chord with a different note in the bass — first inversion puts the 3rd on the bottom, second inversion the 5th. Try playing any chord above with its 3rd or 5th as the lowest note instead of the root: the chord itself doesn't change, but the bass line moves by step instead of jumping around, which is what makes a progression feel smoother from one chord to the next.

Learn the theory

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