Just four chords power thousands of songs across every genre—pop, rock, blues, country, and beyond. But the real magic isn’t in memorizing them. It’s understanding the 1 4 5 chord progression—a simple formula that works in any key on guitar. Once you know this pattern, you can walk into a jam session, hear the key, and instantly play along. No wonder Colin Daniel’s teaching approach focuses on this: it’s the secret sauce that unlocks the fretboard.
In this video, Colin Daniel teaches you the four-chord formula that works in every key: I, IV, V, and vi. These aren’t random—they’re the chords that naturally sound good together because of how music theory works. The I-IV-V is the backbone of blues. Add the vi, and you’ve got the I-V-vi-IV progression that powers modern pop hits. Let’s break it down.
The 1-4-5 Chord Progression Explained
The 1 4 5 chord progression refers to the Roman numeral positions on a major scale. Think of it like this:
- I (1) – The root chord. It’s the home base, the key you’re in. It always sounds like the “answer” or resolution.
- IV (4) – Built on the fourth note of the scale. It’s a major chord that feels bright and hopeful.
- V (5) – Built on the fifth note. It has tension. It pulls you back toward home (the I chord). This is why it feels so satisfying when V resolves to I.
Play these three chords in any key, and you’ll immediately recognize the sound. It’s embedded in your ear because you’ve heard it thousands of times in songs you love.
The 1-4-5 in Common Keys
Here’s what the 1-4-5 looks like in five essential keys on guitar. Master these five keys, and you can play this progression everywhere:
Key of C
Key of G
Key of D
Key of A
Key of E
Chord Diagrams for Key of G
Let’s get practical. Here are the finger positions for playing the 1-4-5 in the key of G:
The G-C-D progression is one of the most popular on guitar. Practice switching between these three chords until it becomes muscle memory. Once you can play it smoothly, try playing it in different rhythms: steady quarter notes, eighth-note strumming, fingerpicking patterns—whatever you want.
Adding the vi Chord: The 4-Chord Formula
Now here’s where it gets interesting. Colin Daniel’s teaching includes adding one more chord to this formula: the vi. It’s a minor chord built on the sixth scale degree, and it opens up an entire universe of pop and modern rock songs.
The progression goes: I-V-vi-IV. In the key of G, that’s G-D-Em-C. Play those four chords in that order, and you’ll recognize dozens of hit songs:
This four-chord progression isn’t just for pop. It appears in country, indie, folk, and even hip-hop (where it samples classic records that used it). The vi chord adds a melancholy, introspective quality that makes the progression feel more emotional than the simple 1-4-5.
Why This Works in Any Key
The beauty of the 1 4 5 chord progression is that it’s portable. The formula—the relationships between the chords—stays the same no matter what key you play in. The I chord is always the root. The IV is always a perfect fourth higher. The V is always a perfect fifth higher. These intervals are fixed, so the emotional and harmonic effect remains identical.
That’s why understanding the formula is more powerful than memorizing chords. You can walk into any jam session, hear the key, and instantly know what to play. Hear someone play a blues progression in B flat? You know it’s I (Bb), IV (Eb), V (F). The pattern never changes.
This is the core of Colin Daniel’s teaching philosophy: learn the relationships, not just the shapes. Once you understand that every major key has a I, IV, and V—and that these chords always sound good together—you’ve unlocked the fretboard.
For deeper dives into specific keys and progressions, check out our guide to the chord progression in the key of C, and explore how this formula powers the blues and country music. And if you want to explore more chord progressions, visit our complete chord progressions resource.
Start with the 1-4-5 today. Your fingers will thank you, and your musical vocabulary will expand instantly.