III Chords · Chapter 5
Chord progressions
How chords move in time — and the small handful of patterns that account for almost everything you'll play.
A chord progression is a sequence of chords played in a specific order. Almost every song you’ve ever heard is built on a progression — usually a short one that loops, sometimes with variations.
The astonishing thing about Western harmony is how few progressions account for so much music. A handful of patterns, transposed into different keys, generate the bones of folk songs, pop hits, jazz standards, and rebetiko alike.
This chapter walks through the most important progressions. Play each one in the interactive below — and try transposing it into different keys to feel how the shape stays constant while the notes change.
The fundamental cadence of Western music. Folk, blues, rebetiko — all built on this.
- ICC · E · G
- IVFF · A · C
- VGG · B · D
- ICC · E · G
The fundamental cadence: I – IV – V – I
Pick I – IV – V – I from the dropdown above and play it in C Do . You’ll hear:
That’s it. C major, F major, G major, back to C major. This is the single most common progression in Western music. Folk songs, blues, country, rebetiko’s major-key songs — all built on this skeleton.
It works because each chord has a clear function:
- I (C) — home. The tonic.
- IV (F) — away from home, but only one step.
- V (G) — strong pull back home (the dominant we met in Part II).
- I (C) — resolution.
Move the key dropdown to G Sol . The exact same Roman numerals now produce G Sol – C Do – D Re – G Sol . Different notes, same emotional shape.
The jazz cadence: ii – V – I
Play ii – V – I in C Do :
The ii (Dm) is a minor chord — the tension is softer than starting on IV, but it builds more inexorably toward the V. This is the dominant pattern in jazz, and it shows up frequently in modern Greek pop.
The ”50s” progression: I – vi – IV – V
In C Do : C – Am – F – G. You’ve heard this thousands of times. Doo-wop, early rock, countless ballads. The vi (Am) adds a moment of sweet sadness before the resolution.
The “pop” progression: vi – IV – I – V
In C Do : Am – F – C – G. Note that these are exactly the same four chords as the 50s progression — they just start in a different place. Yet the emotional shape is completely different: starting on the minor vi makes it feel reflective and yearning. Starting on the major I makes it feel triumphant and forward-driving.
The rebetiko cadence: i – V7 – i
Switch the dropdown to i – V7 – i. The default key is now A La minor. You hear:
This is the most common cadence in Greek rebetiko and laïkó. Notice:
- The i is minor (lowercase Roman numeral).
- The V7 is major despite being in a minor key. That’s because the third of the V chord (G♯) comes from harmonic minor, not natural minor. The G♯ is the leading tone that creates the pull home.
- The 7 on the V is the minor seventh (D in E7) — adding extra tension that makes the resolution feel even more inevitable.
This progression — three chords — is the basis of hundreds of well-known Greek songs. Once you can play Am → E7 → Am smoothly on the bouzouki, you can play along with a huge chunk of the rebetiko repertoire.
The extended rebetiko cadence: i – iv – V7 – i
Try i – iv – V7 – i in A La minor:
Adding the iv (Dm) before the V7 gives the progression more breathing room and emotional weight. The minor subdominant has a heavy, dignified quality that sets up the dominant resolution beautifully. You’ll hear this in slower rebetiko songs and many laïkó ballads.
How to use this knowledge
Two things will happen as you play:
- You’ll start recognizing progressions by ear. Once you’ve heard i – V7 – i a few times consciously, you’ll start noticing it everywhere — and you’ll be able to play along with songs you don’t know just by hearing the chord changes.
- You’ll start seeing progressions in tab. A bouzouki tab that says Am – Dm – E7 – Am is no longer just three letters — it’s a story with tension and resolution.
The interactive above is a tool for absorbing these patterns. Play each one in three or four different keys. Listen to how the shape stays the same.
Recap
- A chord progression is a sequence of chords; most music is built on short, repeating progressions.
- I – IV – V – I is the fundamental Western cadence.
- ii – V – I is the jazz cadence; more sophisticated, common in modern Greek pop.
- i – V7 – i is the rebetiko cadence — the V is borrowed from harmonic minor (a major chord in a minor key) and almost always extended to a dominant 7th.
- The same chords in different orders create completely different emotional effects (compare the 50s and pop progressions).