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♭ – Cm – 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

NumeralChordNotesWhat it does
IE♭ majorE♭ G B♭tonic (home)
VB♭ majorB♭ D Fdominant (pulling home)
viCm minorC E♭ Gtonic (home)
IVA♭ majorA♭ 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♭ → Cm: no notes in common, a bold move
  • Cm → 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.

E♭6fr1234
Medium
B♭1234
Hard
Cm3fr1342
Medium
A♭4fr1342
Medium

With a capo

With the capo on the 3rd fret you can play E♭ major with C shapes, C, G, Am, F, and leave out three full barre chords. 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).

CapoShapes you playHow easy
3rd fretC G Am FEasy
6th fretA E F♯m DSome barre chords
1st fretD A Bm GHard
No capoE♭ B♭ Cm A♭Hard

Scales to play over it

Common questions

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

E♭, B♭, Cm and A♭, one bar each, in that order.

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

Capo on the 3rd 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 Cm (the vi chord) sounds at home in E♭ progressions.

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I–V–vi–IV in other keys

I–V–vi–IV in CI–V–vi–IV in GI–V–vi–IV in DI–V–vi–IV in AI–V–vi–IV in EI–V–vi–IV in FI–V–vi–IV in B♭I–V–vi–IV in BI–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.
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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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