The i-iv-bVI-V progression i-iv-bVI-V

Level: AdvancedMode: minor
i Cm
iv Fm
bVI Abmaj
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

iCm

Home, but in shadow — the minor tonic. The same rest as I, coloured dark and melancholic.

ivFm

The minor subdominant — a IV borrowed from the minor mode. That bittersweet, nostalgic plagal colour of a chord that 'should' be major arriving tinged with sadness.

bVIAbmaj

The flat sixth major — borrowed from the minor mode, a dramatic, epic colour. It falls over the key like a large shadow before the dominant.

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