The Canon Progression
The Canon Progression is I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V. In D major, play D, A, Bm, F-sharp minor, G, D, G and A. Eight chords create a longer arc than a four-chord pop loop, while the final dominant leads directly back to the beginning.
- 8 chords
- I V vi iii IV I IV V
- usually taught in D major
same family
The progression
- I
- V
- vi
- iii
- IV
- I
- IV
- V
Start with the chord map
| Step | Roman numeral | Chord in D |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | D |
| 2 | V | A |
| 3 | vi | Bm |
| 4 | iii | F-sharp minor |
| 5 | IV | G |
| 6 | I | D |
| 7 | IV | G |
| 8 | V | A |
Every chord is diatonic to D major. The variety comes from their order: major and minor colours alternate through much of the first half, then IV-I-IV-V clarifies the route back.
Is the bass line really descending?
If you play every chord in root position, the bass is D-A-B-F-sharp-G-D-G-A. That is not a stepwise descent.
The famous descending effect comes from bass notes and inversions used in the model. A common line is D-C-sharp-B-A-G-F-sharp-G-A. For example, A over C-sharp places the third of the V chord in the bass, and F-sharp minor over A places its third in the bass.
This distinction matters: a chord symbol names the harmony, while a slash chord or written bass part tells you which note is lowest.
Hear the two halves
I-V-vi-iii moves steadily away from the tonic. The vi and iii introduce minor colour without leaving the key.
IV-I-IV-V returns to familiar major-key functions. The final V does not finish the cycle; it prepares the next I.
The midpoint at IV is easy to hear. Use it as a landmark, just as bar 5 and bar 9 act as landmarks in a 12-bar blues.
Why the voice leading can be so smooth
Many adjacent chords share notes:
- D and A share A
- A and F-sharp minor share A and C-sharp
- B minor and F-sharp minor share F-sharp
- G and D share D
Careful inversions let common tones stay in place while the other voices move by step. This creates continuity underneath a melody, even though eight chord symbols pass by.
A three-pass exercise
- Play root-position chordslearn the harmonic order without worrying about the bass.
- Play only D-C-sharp-B-A-G-F-sharp-G-Ahear the independent bass shape.
- Combine them with inversionskeep the chord identities while placing those notes at the bottom.
Make it yours
- Shorten the first half
Use I-V-vi-iii as a repeating four-chord idea, then save the full eight chords for a chorus.
- Slow the harmonic rhythm
Two beats per chord creates a compact loop; one or two bars per chord gives the descent more space.
- Change the final chord
End a last chorus on I instead of V so the piece stops asking to repeat.
- Write against the pattern
Hold a long melodic note across two or three chord changes and listen to its role change above each harmony.
Canon progression and Pachelbel's Canon
The label comes from the harmonic pattern associated with Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D. The composition is more than its chord sequence: it combines a repeating bass design with imitative upper parts. A modern song can borrow the progression without using canon as a contrapuntal technique.
When it is useful
Choose this progression when a four-chord loop turns around too quickly. Its eight positions support a melody with a longer rise and fall, and its predictable return makes repetition easy to follow.