The I–ii–IV–I chord progression

Nashville lift. Warm and gentle, with a soft minor chord in the middle.

Quick answer

I–ii–IV–I in G major is G Am C G.

Key

What the I–ii–IV–I progression sounds like

Warm and gentle, with a soft minor chord in the middle. In G major it's G Am C G.

You'll find it in Country songwriting.

Scales that fit I–ii–IV–I

Over this progression in G, the best-fitting scales are G Major (Ionian), G Mixolydian, G Major pentatonic. Put your own chords into the scale finder to see more.

I–ii–IV–I in every key

The I–ii–IV–I progression in all 12 major keys
Key	Chords
C major	C Dm F C
G major	G Am C G
D major	D Em G D
A major	A Bm D A
E major	E F#m A E
B major	B C#m E B
F# major	F# G#m B F#
Db major	Db Ebm Gb Db
Ab major	Ab Bbm Db Ab
Eb major	Eb Fm Ab Eb
Bb major	Bb Cm Eb Bb
F major	F Gm Bb F

Browse by genre

Pop Rock Blues Jazz Country Folk Soul and R&B Punk and pop punk Metal Lo-fi and chill Gospel and worship Minor-key songwriting

Common questions

What are the chords in the I–ii–IV–I progression?

In G major the I–ii–IV–I progression is G Am C G. The pattern is the same in every key; the table above lists all 12.

What scale goes with I–ii–IV–I?

In G, the G Major (Ionian) fits best. G Mixolydian and G Major pentatonic add different colors.

Last updated November 14, 2026.