I–IV–vi–V chord progression
The lift. In A major it's A – D – F♯m – E. Press play, then pick any key from the menu.
In A major, 4 beats per chord. Open in the progression builder
- IA
- IVD
- viF♯m
- VE
Why it works
Home, then the IV lifts, then the relative minor adds a moment of shade before the V pushes back. The move from D to F♯m is the surprise: the bass climbs a step while the mood darkens. It's a close cousin of I–V–vi–IV that feels more open at the start, because IV is a gentler first move than V.
In a few words: open, lifting.
What moves at each change
Roots only: A – D – F♯ – E. Pianists move as little as possible; here is how:
- I → IV: A to D: play D in 2nd inversion (A–D–F♯) and A stays under the same finger, while C♯ moves up to D and E up to F♯.
- IV → vi: D to F♯m: play F♯m in 2nd inversion (C♯–F♯–A) and F♯ and A stay under the same fingers, while D moves down to C♯.
- vi → V: F♯m to E: play E in root position (E–G♯–B), while F♯ moves down to E, A down to G♯ and C♯ down to B.
- V → I (back to the top): E to A: play A in 2nd inversion (E–A–C♯) and E stays under the same finger, while G♯ moves up to A and B up to C♯.
I–IV–vi–V in all 12 keys
Pick the row that suits your voice or your instrument.
| Key | Chords | |
|---|---|---|
| C major | C – F – Am – G | |
| G major | G – C – Em – D | |
| D major | D – G – Bm – A | |
| A major | A – D – F♯m – E | |
| E major | E – A – C♯m – B | |
| B major | B – E – G♯m – F♯ | |
| F♯ major | F♯ – B – D♯m – C♯ | |
| D♭ major | D♭ – G♭ – B♭m – A♭ | |
| A♭ major | A♭ – D♭ – Fm – E♭ | |
| E♭ major | E♭ – A♭ – Cm – B♭ | |
| B♭ major | B♭ – E♭ – Gm – F | |
| F major | F – B♭ – Dm – C |
On guitar
The friendliest keys for I–IV–vi–V on guitar are G major and C major, where every chord is an open shape.
G major: G – C – Em – D
C major: C – F – Am – G
Somewhere else? A capo moves these shapes up: capo 2 turns G major shapes into the key a whole step higher. Capo chart.
Ways to vary it
- End on IV instead of V (I–IV–vi–IV) to make the loop feel unresolved and floating.
- Add a sus4 to the V before resolving to it for a gospel-style lift.
- Pair it with I–V–vi–IV in the chorus: same chords, different order, instant contrast.
Related progressions
Build your own progression and share it as a link
I–IV–vi–V: questions
What is the I–IV–vi–V chord progression?
The lift: the chords on degrees 1, 4, 6, 5 of a major key. In A major that's A – D – F♯m – E.
Why does I–IV–vi–V sound good?
Home, then the IV lifts, then the relative minor adds a moment of shade before the V pushes back. The move from D to F♯m is the surprise: the bass climbs a step while the mood darkens.
How do I play I–IV–vi–V in G?
G – C – Em – D. Every one of those has an open shape on guitar.
How do I change I–IV–vi–V to another key?
Keep the numerals and swap the key: the numbers say which note of the scale each chord is built on. Use the key menu in the player above, or the table of all 12 keys on this page.
What else is I–IV–vi–V called?
"1 4 6 5". Musicians also call it the lift.
Chords in every key are generated from the scale and checked by the site's theory tests. We describe progressions in general terms and don't transcribe songs. Updated September 2026.