Four Chords, from vi

vi–IV–I–V · Rotation of I–V–vi–IV · Sentimental pop progression · C major · vi–IV–I–V

Four Chords, from vi is a chord pattern you can play in any key. The degrees are vi–IV–I–V.

The same four chords, started from the dark one, and suddenly far more wistful. It suits slow ballad tempos of 70–90 BPM especially well.

Patterns are common chord moves. They are not the chart of a recorded hit.

Patterns are named by theory. Play them in any key that fits your voice.

Each song page has a chord chart, fingerings, and the same song in every key.

The pattern

vi – IV – I – V

Am · F · C · G

Chord chart
1	Am	F	C	G

Come in low and murmuring on the dark first chord and climb highest on the fourth. Turned slowly at 70–90 BPM, one lap is exactly one phrase.

Despacito · Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee. Bm–G–D–A repeats for the whole song. The same chords can be heard as vi–IV–I–V in D major or as B minor, and the identity of the song is the reggaeton rhythm more than the chords.
Zombie · The Cranberries. Em–C–G–D. Most write-ups call it vi–IV–I–V in G major, but the song sounds in E minor, and the last D steps its bass down like a staircase.

These songs use this pattern. This is not their chord chart: real recordings differ in key, rhythm and the chords they add.