AmiFbVIAmiFbVI
Thank You · No One Mourns The Wicked · Slow Hot Wind (Lujon)
Chord progression
The bVI–i–bVI–i chord progression
Ab – Cm – Ab – Cm in C. 12 songs in the library go round it. Hear it in any style and key, and see it in all twelve keys.
Tuning the piano…
Want to mix it with other hands?
The loop
4 chords, round and round, in C. Each chord on the keys:
AbbVICmiAbbVICmi
- AbAb · C · Eb
- CmC · Eb · G
In every key
Find your song's key on the left: its chords are the row. Each column keeps its colour, whatever the key.
KeybVIibVIi
CAbCmAbCm
DbADbmADbm
DBbDmBbDm
EbCbEbmCbEbm
ECEmCEm
FDbFmDbFm
F#DF#mDF#m
GEbGmEbGm
AbFbAbmFbAbm
AFAmFAm
BbGbBbmGbBbm
BGBmGBm
Songs that go round it
12 songs, best known first. Rest the mouse on one to hear it.
Left hands these songs use
The patterns most often played under this loop.
The same loop, starting elsewhere
The same chords in the same order, begun on another chord: songs often move between them.
Questions about bVI–i–bVI–i
What is the bVI–i–bVI–i chord progression?
A loop of 4 chords: Ab – Cm – Ab – Cm in C. The numerals say each chord's place in the key, so the same loop can be played in any key.
What songs use the bVI–i–bVI–i progression?
12 songs in the library repeat it, including Freedom, Eleanor Rigby, Brooklyn Baby, Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self and Es Ist Soweit.
How do I play bVI–i–bVI–i on piano?
Hold each chord with the right hand while the left hand plays its root, then swap in a pattern: power fifths is the left hand these songs use most. The player above plays it in any style and key.