Chord Progression
The Epic Minor Loop
i – VI – III – VII
Four chords of minor-key grandeur — the sound of film trailers and power ballads.
Key
The chords in A Minor
4 shapes to learn — tap any diagram to hear it on guitar or piano.
How it works
A fully diatonic loop in natural minor: the minor tonic i, then three major chords — the VI, III and VII — that give it size and lift without ever leaving the key.
Because three of the four chords are major, the progression feels heroic rather than merely sad; the minor i grounds it while the major chords open it up. It cycles beautifully, which is why it underpins so many builds and drops.
It is the relative-major's I–vi–IV–V family seen from the minor side — the same chords, a darker centre of gravity.
Songs built on it
A few well-known examples — every one of them the same chords, moving in the same order.
- Numb— Linkin Park
- Save Tonight— Eagle-Eye Cherry
- Zombie— The Cranberries
i – VI – III – VII in every key
The same numerals, twelve different sets of letters. Tap a key to explore all its chords.