Pop Axis Progression I-V-vi-IV
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
The famous four-chord loop behind countless pop songs. Moving I–V–vi–IV pivots from the bright tonic and dominant to the relative-minor (vi) and subdominant (IV), creating an emotionally open loop that never fully resolves, so it cycles forever.
What each degree does
Feels like home — complete rest, where the piece departs from and returns to. The major tonic, where everything settles.
Tension pulling home — the chord that 'wants to resolve' to I; it closes or opens sections. The dominant, the engine of the key.
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.
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.