307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.
In F♯ minor, the i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII progression is F♯m – D – A – E. The minor four-chord loop: dark but driving. Huge in rock, pop and film.
The library above is set to i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in F♯ minor. Press Play to hear it with strummed guitar, bass and drums in a rock groove, tap any chord to hear it on its own, or pick another key or a capo.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | F♯m minor | F♯ A C♯ | tonic (home) |
| ♭VI | D major | D F♯ A | predominant (moving away) |
| ♭III | A major | A C♯ E | tonic (home) |
| ♭VII | E major | E G♯ B | dominant (pulling home) |
Chords that share notes slide into each other; a change with no common notes sounds like a bigger step. Here is what each change keeps:
The easiest shape for each chord, with finger numbers. All of them are open-position shapes.
With the capo on the 2nd fret you can play F♯ minor with Em shapes, Em, C, G, D, and leave out the F♯m barre chord. Each row shows the shapes you play and how easy they are (capo positions above the 7th fret are left out: the guitar sounds thin up there).
| Capo | Shapes you play | How easy |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd fret | Em C G D | Very easy |
| 4th fret | Dm B♭ F C | Some barre chords |
| No capo | F♯m D A E | Some barre chords |
| 7th fret | Bm G D A | Hard |
F♯m, D, A and E, one bar each, in that order.
Capo on the 2nd fret and play Em, C, G, D: the easiest shapes for this key.
Keep the numerals (i, ♭VI, ♭III, ♭VII) and build each chord from the new key, or tap another key in the library above and the chords change for you.
A major. It has the same notes, which is why A (the ♭III chord) sounds at home in F♯ minor progressions.