The I-V-vi-iii progression I-V-vi-iii
Level: IntermediateMode: major
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.
VG7
Tension pulling home — the chord that 'wants to resolve' to I; it closes or opens sections. The dominant, the engine of the key.
viAm
The relative minor — the tonic's reflective shadow. It often replaces I in a deceptive cadence, where you expected home and its sad side arrives instead.
iiiEm
The mediant — the most ambiguous, ethereal diatonic degree, halfway between tonic and dominant. It shares notes with both and never quite commits — dreamy.