I–V–vi–IV Chord Progression in E

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 E major, the I–V–vi–IV progression is E – B – C♯m – A. The most used loop in modern pop: a bright start, a lift to the minor vi, and IV leading back home.

The library above is set to I–V–vi–IV in E major. Press Play to hear it with strummed guitar, bass and drums in a pop groove, tap any chord to hear it on its own, or pick another key or a capo.

The chords of I–V–vi–IV in E major

Numeral	Chord	Notes	What it does
I	E major	E G♯ B	tonic (home)
V	B major	B D♯ F♯	dominant (pulling home)
vi	C♯m minor	C♯ E G♯	tonic (home)
IV	A major	A C♯ E	predominant (moving away)

Why it sounds smooth

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:

E → B: keeps B
B → C♯m: no notes in common, a bold move
C♯m → A: keeps C♯ and E
A → E: keeps E

The chords on guitar

The easiest shape for each chord, with finger numbers. The barre chords are the hard part; the capo positions below can avoid them.

Beginner

Hard

Medium

Beginner

With a capo

With the capo on the 4th fret you can play E major with C shapes, C, G, Am, F, and leave out the C♯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
4th fret	C G Am F	Easy
7th fret	A E F♯m D	Some barre chords
2nd fret	D A Bm G	Hard
No capo	E B C♯m A	Hard

Scales to play over it

E major pentatonic: E F♯ G♯ B C♯. Safe over every chord.
E major: E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯. Every note of the key.

Common questions

What are the chords of I–V–vi–IV in E?

E, B, C♯m and A, one bar each, in that order.

What capo do I use for I–V–vi–IV in E?

Capo on the 4th fret and play C, G, Am, F: the easiest shapes for this key.

How do I play I–V–vi–IV in another key?

Keep the numerals (I, V, vi, IV) and build each chord from the new key, or tap another key in the library above and the chords change for you.

What is the relative minor of E?

C♯ minor. It has the same notes as E major, so C♯m (the vi chord) sounds at home in E progressions.

Learn it with a teacher

Live one-to-one guitar classes online.

I–V–vi–IV in other keys

I–V–vi–IV in C I–V–vi–IV in G I–V–vi–IV in D I–V–vi–IV in A I–V–vi–IV in F I–V–vi–IV in B♭I–V–vi–IV in E♭I–V–vi–IV in B I–V–vi–IV in A♭

More progressions in E major

I–vi–IV–V in E vi–IV–I–V in E I–IV–V in E I–IV–vi–V in E Canon in E ii–V–I in E 12-Bar Blues in E

Chord tools

Chord progression library

307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.

Chord progression generator

A new progression for any key and mood, in Roman numerals, with passing, borrowed and secondary chords. A band plays it.

Backing track player

Build your own band: 16 moods and 20 styles in any key and tempo, with drums, percussion, bass, two chord instruments, a pad and lead fills, each with its own sound and volume.

Capo calculator

Easy chord shapes for any key: every capo position ranked, with the shape you play and the chord it sounds side by side.

All 307 progressions · All free tools

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