50s / Doo-Wop — the 1-6m-4-5 progression

What is the 1-6m-4-5 progression?

four numbers, four chords: each number is the scale degree a chord is built on, so the same chart plays in every key. In C major, 1-6m-4-5 is C – Am – F – G. The chords, by role:

• 1 — the home chord (I)
• 6m — the vi, the relative minor
• 4 — the IV, the lift away from home
• 5 — the V, the chord that pulls back to I

50s / Doo-Wop in other keys

Change the key and every chord moves together. The same 1-6m-4-5 in four common guitar keys:

• G major: G – Em – C – D
• D major: D – Bm – G – A
• A major: A – F#m – D – E
• E major: E – C#m – A – B

Every chord in C major — and each key's page lists its own seven, so any progression can be spelled from there.

Why it works

It has the three chords every key is built from — home, the lift away (IV) and the pull back (V) — plus the relative minor for shade. Each chord shares a note with the next, so the changes are smooth, and the V at the end pulls the ear back to the start, which is what makes it loop.

Songs that use 1-6m-4-5

These songs are built on this progression, in whole or in a section. Play any of them and you are playing 1-6m-4-5:

• Stand By Me
• Earth Angel
• Blue Moon
• Crocodile Rock (chorus)
• Duke of Earl
• Perfect
• Why Do Fools Fall in Love
• Unchained Melody

How to practice it

1. Play it in C — C, Am, F, G — two beats per chord, until you can loop it without looking at your hands.
2. Open it in the chord builder, press Play, and switch the key while it loops. Your ear will follow the numbers, not the letters.
3. Turn on Smooth Voice Leading and watch it re-finger the changes so each chord moves as little as possible.