I - IV - V Chord Progression

Classic rock and blues. The backbone of countless hits.

Select a key below to see the progression transposed. Click any chord to open its diagram and fingering.

Choose key (root chord)

Chords in the key of C:

CFG

Chord diagrams — click to open fingering

BPM

Synth sound

One chord per bar (4/4). Loops until you pause.

Major scale in C

Highlighted chords appear in this progression.

CI
Dmii
Emiii
FIV
GV
Amvi
Bdimvii°

Practice improvisation

Jam session: try soloing with the built-in progression player, or use a metronome to lock in your timing.

For a simple rule that usually sounds good, match the root of the scale to the key you chose above (C): use C major pentatonic. The notes line up with that tonal center so your lines feel connected to the chords. Borrowed or altered chords can add color, but this major pentatonic is still a reliable starting point for practice.

C major pentatonic, position 1

Root notes in blue; other scale tones in dark gray.

Open C major pentatonic on the interactive fretboard

All keys at a glance

This progression works in all twelve keys — here are the chords for each.

I - IV - V in natural keys
Key	I	IV	V
C	C	F	G
D	D	G	A
E	E	A	B
F	F	Bb	C
G	G	C	D
A	A	D	E
B	B	E	F#

Show all 12 keys

I - IV - V in enharmonic keys
Key	I	IV	V
C#/Db	DbC#	GbF#	AbG#
D#/Eb	EbD#	AbG#	BbA#
F#/Gb	F#Gb	B	C#Db
G#/Ab	AbG#	DbC#	EbD#
A#/Bb	BbA#	EbD#	F

Songs that use this progression

Wild Thing
La Bamba
Twist and Shout

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