27 Chord Progressions for Guitar Players and Reference for Rhythm Technique

The bulk of existing chord progressions never really change. 

And despite hearing the same small collection of them over and over again, they always seem to sound - or at least feel - different to us.

When positioned with different rhythms, harmonies and melody lines, chord progressions can be reused a lot.

This is a collection of chords and progressions from the popular music of our day (and of days gone by) that you can re-purpose for your own songwriting, riff developing and every-day guitar playing. The plan is simply this: Learn everything we can about chord progressions then use them for something else.

What’s in this post?

With each chord progression listed we’ve also included a corresponding example song, just to provide a little bit of context. After a list of “PROPERTIES” you’ll find at least one tabbed example of the progression. Per the table of contents, I've included a wealth of additional content that deals with chord progression theory, application and a number of specific contexts which serve to further explain the concept.

Keep in mind the example songs listed for each progression aren't meant to direct you to play the progression a certain way. In fact, each chord progression is included primarily because of how easily it can be repurposed and used in other contexts.

Think of this as a chord progression library and a reference for rhythm guitar players.

Example: Brad Paisley’s “All I Wanted Was a Car” - Key of F

This catchy riff is broken up into an arpeggiated pattern on one of Brad Paisley’s Telecasters, which sounds amazing. However, the actual chord progression is simple and ripe for the pickin' in a slew of other country tunes.

Example: Hillsong’s “Lord of Lords” - Key of E

Hearing a C♯m in the key of E is a common occurrence in the world of contemporary worship music. If you take out the C♯m you have a common progression used by all the great blues guitar players. However, the C♯m chord gives it a distinctly more versatile and emotional appeal.

Example: Joe Satriani’s “House Full of Bullets” - Key of F♯

If you listen to “House Full of Bullets” (one of my favorites by Joe Satriani) you can hear that he’s uses a repetitive pattern made up of single notes played on the sixth and fifth strings that isn’t a chord progression as much as it is a 12-bar blues style riff that follows the three chords listed. It’s a great blues progression since it allows you to use the low E and A to chunk up the rhythm.

5. D, A, B and G

Example: Creed’s “My Sacrifice” - Key of D

This progression was extremely common in the American and Canadian rock scene during the late ’90s and early 2000s. Part of what makes it so accessible is how it plays in a drop D tuning, offering plenty of heavy and emotional chorus swells.

6. E, B and G

Example: Live’s “I Alone” - Key of E (E♭)

Nothing says ’90s like a band who you couldn’t search for on Google once Google became the way to find music. Still, this chord progression came down just right on “I Alone” making for a powerful chorus and can easily be reapplied to other grooves.

7. D, Am7 and G

Example: Hank Williams Jr.’s “Country Boy Can Survive” - Key of D

Though the Am7 gets a little drowned out and could pass as a raw A major chord, the folksy, down-on-the-bayou appeal of this progression can be re-purposed to a number of different styles and genres.

8. C, G, F and Am

Example: Our Lady Peace “Innocent” - Key of C (capo 1)

Adding the Am to the end of this progression really boosts the emotional power of the song’s chorus. Additionally, guitarist Steve Mazur arpeggiates the chord and slows things down to give the song a more driving and contemplative feel. This chord progression is extremely common, though it finds a uniquely cozy home in the post-grunge era and most of its resulting sub genres.

9. G, C, D and Em

Example: Bruce Hornsby’s “Gonna Be Some Changes Made” - Key of G

Bruce Hornsby is masterful at taking simple chord progressions and layering them with expansive vocal melodies, which is perhaps a little easier to do on the piano than the guitar. The progression he uses here is one of the most common in existence, and presents numerous melodic and rhythmic possibilities. It’s a good one to memorize early in your playing career.

10. B, A G F♯

Example: Incubus’ “Warning” - Key of B

This chromatic walk-down sounds great with the added minor 15th interval (minor second one octave higher). Making it work in other contexts could prove challenging, so props to Mike Einziger for getting a great rock sound out of an otherwise jazz-heavy progression.

11. D, A, C and G

Example: Smashing Pumpkins’ “Cherub Rock” - Key of G (chorus)

Billy Corgan wasn’t reinventing the wheel here, but he did push the “Cherub Rock” track into a kind of power-mode that felt like you were being swept into each chord and lyric line. Particularly in a power form, the progression he implemented is highly reusable.

12. Dm, F and C

Example: Everlast’s “What It’s Like” - Key of F

Erik Francis Shrody’s most popular song is a bluesy arpeggio highlighted by a prominent Dm chord at the beginning of the progression. Note that the progression on the track resolves with a second Dm chord at the end.

13. D, C, B♭ and F

Example: Korn’s “Hater” - Key of D

Though James Shaffer and Brian Welch handle this song in a drop A tuning, the power and open variation are easily replicated in a standard tuning.

14. D, A and G (drop D version)

Example: Creed’s “Higher” - Key of D

Nothing says late ’90s rock like Creed’s radio hit (and Human Clay spearhead) “Higher.” The song is played in drop D and uses what is possibly the most common chord progression for that tuning. Playing it in drop D is incredibly easy with the open D and the other two root notes on the seventh and fifth frets respectively.

15. A, D and E

Example: Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” - Key of A

Elvis’s hit makes good use of this progression, though it’s widely used in nearly all musical genres and is friendly to the guitar player’s hand in a standard tuning. There are plenty of open notes to work with here.

16. D, C and G

Example: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” - Key of D

Saying this song is “overplayed” is an understatement.

But, considering its popularity, we’d be remiss not to mention it when citing the D, C and G chord progression.

This grouping of chords is thought by many to be the most dynamic and useful in existence, prompting many to insist that you can learn a lot of music on the guitar using D, C and G alone.

17. D, G, Bm and A

Example: U2’s “Where the Streets Have no Name” - Key of D

One of music’s most infamous riffs overshadows what is a brilliantly constructed chord progression. This pattern, played by a synthesizer on the Joshua Tree track, is soulful and can be easily restructured or reapplied to other melodies and rhythms.

18. E, B, C♯m, G♯m and A

Example: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” - Key of E

I’ve always thought John Frusciante was one of the more overrated guitar players coming out of the post-grunge era, but the progression he employs in “Under the Bridge” (I’m not sure whether he actually wrote it or not) is nothing short of brilliant. Played slowly it sounds just as good.

19. D, F, G, C and G

Example: Audioslave’s “Gasoline” - Key of B

Tom Morello plays this progression in a drop B tuning, which means the chords come out differently. However, we’ve transposed it to drop D for an easier read and to make the chords more transferable to other situations. We’ll do a single note and power version (tabbed below), both in a drop D tuning.

20. D, A, G and Em

Example: Our Lady Peace’s “Somewhere Out There” - Key of D

OLPs first single coming off the Gravity album is still its most recognizable track. The forceful lyrical performance is propped up by this chord sequence which varies between the verse and chorus. The one we have listed here is the chorus progression.

21. Em, G, D, C and A

Example: Limp Bizkit’s “Behind Blue Eyes” - Key of Em

This acoustic-friendly progression finds its home in numerous genres and is easily usable in a seemingly infinite number of musical scenarios.

22. D, E♭ and F (drop D)

Example: Tool’s “The Grudge” - Key of D

This progression only really makes sense in drop D making it a fairly common metal grouping, especially given its dark and minor tonal quality. Adam Jones’ guitar work on “The Grudge” highlights this in a fast-paced rhythmic pattern.

23. Asus2, E, B and G

Example: A Perfect Circle’s “Three Libras” - Key of A

Billy Howerdel’s arpeggiated pattern in the opening of “Three Libras” is based on the aforementioned chord progression. If you’d like, you could replace the Asus2 with a simple A major chord.

24. Am7, Dm7, G7 and Cm7

Example: Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” - Key of C

While the real attraction of Frank Sinatra’s music was his voice, his band used a number of jazz and blues-heavy chord progressions that provided the foundation for his vocal melodies. This one has a lot of blues flavor in it, being entirely comprised of seventh chords.

25. F♯m7, B7, E and A

Example: Don Mclean’s “Castles in the Air” - Key of E

Don Mclean breaks this progression down into a catchy and melodic arpeggio, which is worth learning in and of itself. That said, the raw progression is a useful pattern for a number of different styles and genres.

26. G7, C, C9, Dm7 and C

Example: Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me” - Key of C

It’s difficult to discern on the actual track, largely due to the emphasis on horns and vocals, which is typical of jazz compositions. However, if you remove the raw chords, this progression has a fantastic feel to it and is great for blues or jazz improvisation.

27. F, Em, Am, G and Am

Example: R.E.M.’s “Losing my Religion” - Key of Am

There are a lot of chord changes in this song and plenty of progressions to pick from. But I’m highlighting the progression played during the last two lines since it has a full sound and resolves on an A minor chord, which is the actual key of the song.

What if you wanted to come up with more chord progressions? There is actually a theoretical formula for doing this, which you can tap into in the event you need some structure to get going. First, settle on a key, then find the major scale in that key. Let’s take the key of C for example.

Here’s your scale:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B

Chord progressions can be built from scales because each note in the scale is a scale degree. Thus, you could also write the major scale like this:

I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii°

Each degree then holds the following titles respectively:

• Tonic (i)
• Supertonic (ii)
• Mediant (iii)
• Subdominant (IV)
• Dominant (V)
• Submediant (vi)
• Leading tone (vii°)

You can then use the following diagram to plan out your progression:

Questions

There are a lot of chord progressions for guitar players worth noting.

If you think we missed some or if you have additional questions, let us know in the comments section below.

We'll see you there.