Common Piano Chord Progressions

Here are some really fun piano chord progressions to try out! Play the chords in your right hand,
the root of the chord in the left (bass) and hum or sing along!

Here are the chords in a

C major scale with roman numerals.

1. Three Chord Progressions

The three chord progression is the most common of all. With just three chords you can
accompany almost any tune!

I IV - V: Try them with P. Spector/J. Barry/Greenwichs Da Doo Ron Ron for

example.

I - IV - V - V: Try it with Ritchie Valens'"La Bamba".The Isley Brothers'"Twist and

Shout", and The Beatles's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

I - I - IV - V: Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop", Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of
Her Shoes".

I - IV - I - V: Solomon Linda's The Lion Sleeps Tonight".

I - IV - V - IV: Chip Taylor/The Troggs' "Wild Thing".

2. Four Chord Progressions

"La Folia": In D minor:

Dm A7 Dm C F C Dm A7 // Dm A7 Dm C F C Dm A7 Dm

Using Roman Numerals in any key:

i - V7 - i VII III VII i - V7 // i - V7 i VII III VII i V7 i

3. 12 Bar Blues Chord Progression

Make up your own blues from a blues scale, or try any early Rock n roll song, Like Carl
PerkinsBlue Suede Shoes, for example. The typical 12 bar Blues pattern:
I-I-I-I
IV - IV - I - I
V - IV - I - I

4. 50s Style Progression

I - vi - IV - V or I - vi - ii - V

It is used in: Paul Ankas Diana, Rogers and Hart's "Blue Moon", Hoagy Carmichael's "Heart
and Soul".

5. Pachelbel's Canon
Piano chord progressions like Pachelbel's famous canon, is actually a bass melody that is
repeated over and over. Like the blues pattern you could improvise on this ostinato (a musical
pattern that is repeated over and over).

I V vi iii IV I IV V

6. Circle of Fifths Progression

This pattern moves a bit around the Circle of Fifths in a zigzag pattern; a fourth up, a fifth
down etc.

I - IV - vii - iii - vi - ii - V I

Or in minor as in the refrain from Hello by Lionel Richie;

iv VII III VI II V i V i

7. Scale Progression
Well work with a simple C major scale to make two lovely piano chord progressions.
With your left hand, go down the C major scale (2 octaves!). This fits: Procol Harum's "A Whiter
Shade of Pale". With your right, play these chords: (I is C, IV is F and V is G)
Right Hand Chords:

I--------IV--------V---------I-IV-V-V7
c-b-a-g-f-e-d-c-b-a-g-f-e- f- g- g (Left hand single notes)
Or Billy Joels The Piano Man: We could use roman numerals again, but this time I wanted to
show you how it looks like with regular chord markings:
In C major: C Em/B Am C/G F C/E D7 G
For the regular chords without slash, your left hand simply plays the single notes of each chord
base; C, F, A etc.
The slash chords you see here, lets say Em/B means that you play the chord, Em in your right
hand but the left plays B !
So while your right hand plays the chords: C Em Am C F C D7 and G
Your left will walk down:c b a g f e d g
Nice, huh?
J. S Bachs famous "Air on a G String" also has a very similar piano chord progression, as well
as Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry".

8. Minor Chord Progression

"Spanish" cadence:

i - VII - VI - V

Play with Ray Charles' "Hit the Road, Jack".

Or as in The Animals' version of the traditional "The House of the Rising Sun":

i - III -IV (or iv) - VI.