Folk chord progressions

Open-string chords and modal flavors that ring out on an acoustic.

Campfire

I IV I V in D major
DGDA

Strummable and singable.

Folk rock

I V IV IV in D major
DAGG

Open and ringing; great with a capo.

Minor folk

vi V IV V in D major
BmAGA

A natural minor sound built from major-key chords.

Modal drone

I bVII I I in D major
DCDD

Celtic and Appalachian; sounds great in DADGAD.

Other genres

PopRockBluesJazzCountryFolkSoul and R&BPunk and pop punkMetalLo-fi and chillGospel and worshipMinor-key songwriting

Last updated November 14, 2026.