The I-iii-IV-V progression I-iii-IV-V

Level: IntermediateMode: major

I Cmaj

iii Em

IV Fmaj

V G7

Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.

What each degree does

ICmaj

Feels like home — complete rest, where the piece departs from and returns to. The major tonic, where everything settles.

iiiEm

The mediant — the most ambiguous, ethereal diatonic degree, halfway between tonic and dominant. It shares notes with both and never quite commits — dreamy.

IVFmaj

A step out from home into the light — the subdominant. It sets up the dominant or resolves with a plagal ('amen') colour, opening space without sharp tension.

VG7

Tension pulling home — the chord that 'wants to resolve' to I; it closes or opens sections. The dominant, the engine of the key.

More progressions of this level

ii–V–I Jazz Turnaround Rhythm Changes Turnaround ii-V-I-IV Extended ii–V–I Turnaround I-IV-ii-V I-V-vi-iii vi-IV-I-V I-vi-IV-ii Minor ii°–V–i Cadence Minor-Sixth Turnback