The Four Magic Progressions in Practice
You've learned scale degrees — now it's time to “use” them. Four “magic progressions” that cover most pop songs: remember them as scale degrees and you can use them in any key, backing up a song on the fly.
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Why remember degrees, not chords
Move the same progression to a different key and the specific chords all change, but the “degrees” don't. Get number strings like 1645, 6451 and 4536251 into your head, and in any key you can plug the chords in on the spot — that's what “magic” really means. The examples below are in C: 1=C, 2=Dm, 3=Em, 4=F, 5=G, 6=Am.
The four magic progressions (shown in C)
① 1–6–4–5 (C–Am–F–G): the sweetest, most “campus-folk” set, the skeleton of countless slow songs.
② 6–4–1–5 (Am–F–C–G): starting on the minor, melancholy and heartfelt, a chorus workhorse.
③ 1–5–6–3–4–1–4–5 (C–G–Am–Em–F–C–F–G): the Canon progression, the bass descending stepwise all the way, ornate and lyrical.
④ 4–5–3–6–2–5–1 (F–G–Em–Am–Dm–G–C): the Mandarin-pop “universal chords,” building layer by layer, with the most complete sense of setup-and-payoff.
One bar of count-in first, then the chord changes automatically each bar. Get it smooth slowly, then speed up bit by bit.
First play along with set ① 1–6–4–5 (C–Am–F–G) to feel the sound; the other three work the same way — to change key or set, head to the chord progression library.
- 💡 Sing the degrees out loud (“1—6—4—5”) before you play each set, and your hands and brain will line up.
How to practice so it sticks
Turn on the metronome (start at 60–70 BPM) and loop each set continuously for 2 minutes with “one chord per bar, all downstrokes,” aiming for changes that don't drop a beat. Once it's smooth, switch up the strumming pattern, then try moving the whole thing to the key of G or A (a capo is quicker) and prove for yourself that “degrees work in any key.”
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Memorizing the specific chords of one key — remember the “degrees” (1645, 4536251…), and when you change keys just plug the degrees in.
- Switching to the next set before you've got one solid — first get a single set looping smoothly with no stumbles on the changes, then practice the next.
Chords in this lesson
Tap the 🔊 under each diagram to match every chord's sound to its shape.
⏱️ Cycle this lesson's chords to a beatPractice switching without stopping (one-minute changes) — first learn each chord by ear and shape, then drill clean changes between them.Expand Collapse
Switch back and forth between this lesson's chords to the beat below.
One bar of count-in first, then the chord changes automatically each bar. Get it smooth slowly, then speed up bit by bit.
Want to count how many changes you can do in 60 seconds? Head to the one-minute changes drill.
Go play these
Songs that fit this lesson's technique and chords — pick one and practice in the library:
- Em–Am Two-Chord Jam · Original exerciseEm · Am
- Mary Had a Little Lamb · American traditional nursery rhyme (public domain)C · G
- Kumbaya · American traditional spiritual (public domain)C · F · G
- The Four-Chord Jam: G–D–Em–C · Original exerciseG · D · Em · C
- Ode to Joy · Beethoven (public domain)G · D
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star · French traditional melody (public domain)G · C · D
Practice checklist
- Loop 1645 (C–Am–F–G) for 2 minutes, lining up your changes with the beat.
- Get 4536251 (F–G–Em–Am–Dm–G–C) smooth, feeling it build layer by layer.
- Pick one set and move the whole thing to another key with a capo, proving that “degrees work in any key.”