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The I V vi IV progression is incredibly popular across many genres of music. It’s sometimes referred to as the ‘Axis progression‘, as it was made famous as a sort of music meme by a group called “Axis of Awesome”. It appears to be most popular from the late 90’s until around 2010. Here are some examples of this progression, presented in an order of theoretical difficulty.
Each repetition of the progression is identical, with the exception of the first play-through which contains a V63.
Notice the turnaround on the fourth repetition, the iii adds a lot of flavour, and the extended IV chord adds some tension before resolving into the I in the verse.
In the first 4 bars of this example, the IV is substituted for a V (I V vi V). Also notice that after the final measure, the extension of the IV creates a sense of suspense as the song moves back into the Verse.
A 4 bar progression can sound quite repetitive and uninteresting at times, so a way to solve this is to alter the second repetition of the progression. In this example, bars 1-4 represent the I V vi IV progression, and bars 5-8 substitute the vi for the iii (I V iii IV).
The first 3 repetitions demonstrate a perfect execution of this progression. In the final measure of the Chorus you’ll notice the extended vi and V, before “resolving” to the IV. Of course this isn’t a resolution, but instead acts like a question that requires more of an answer.
The Verse progression is the same as the Chorus progression, except that it begins its cycle from the IV chord. It’s a great way to trick the listener into thinking that they’re hearing something new, when in actual fact it’s just the same thing from a slightly different perspective.
This one isn’t as easy to identify as some of the others because it starts the progression from the IV chord, presenting a slight illusion that the IV is the tonal center. Also take note of that the vi chord is substituted with a V on every second repetition of the progression (IV I V V). This creates a nice turnaround, but also extends a short 4 bar progression into a longer and more interesting 8 bar progression.
The V chord of this progression is voiced in its first inversion (I V6 VIm IV – remember figured bass).
This example features the I V vi IV progression as part of a longer 8 bar progression, which makes it slightly more difficult to identify. You’ll hear the progression towards the second half of the full 8 bar measure.
This is another less obvious example of the progression for two reasons: it starts on the vi chord, and the I chord is often voiced as a first inversion. These two decisions provoke lots of emotion and continued suspense throughout the chorus, until the grand resolution to the I at the end.
Bars 1-8 demonstrate the I V vi IV progression, and then bars 9-16 deviate to a I IV V movement (more on this later), before resolving to the tonic.
As a bonus, try to learn the vocal melody, and notice its dance towards the tonic note.
This song starts the progression from the IV chord. Throughout this song there are a few different variations of this progression. In some instances John will substitute the vi for another bar of the V, and in areas that precede the next song section John will play the IV chord on repeat for 4 bars.
This progression voices the V in its first inversion (I V6 vi IV), and each chord descends from the tonic. The descending movement gives it a unique flavour beyond what’s typical.
If you listen and analyse the full song, you’ll notice more slightly different variations of the chord progression. For example, the Verse goes: I V6 IV vi V – same chords; different order.
This example is so interesting because there are two separate but consecutive I V vi IV progressions to hear. Bars 1-8 demonstrate the I V vi IV progression in A♭ major. On the 8th bar there’s a segue from IV to iii which leads into bars 9-16, where you’ll hear the next I V vi IV but in D♭ major. Then again on bar 16 there’s another segue from IV to ♯IV, which leads us back to A♭ major where the first I V vi IV progression shines again.
A slight correction in this analysis is necessary however, because we need to consider the function of each chord and define the tonal center. On bar 16 I mentioned that there’s a “IV to ♯IV“, but this isn’t the best way to represent these chords because the real function of these chords is to resolve to A♭. A better and more appropriate way to analyse this passage would be to think of bar 16 as a chromatic movement from ♭VII, VII, to I.
The tab below is adjusted for standard tuning. The song is actually played in E♭ tuning. If you want to download the “real tab” in E♭ tuning then click here.
Don’t forget to create a playlist of these examples and/or journal your own discoveries. I encourage you to share your findings in the forums – I’d love to know what you discover!
