Four-Chord Songs on the Guitar
Playing Music with Four Chords
- Anonymous
- Apr 15, 2024 at 8:39 AM
Overview
Four-chord songs are ubiquitous in popular music. A four-chord song is a song that utilizes the chords I-V-iv-IV within a given key signature (for example in C major the chords would be C-G-Am-F). Longdon (2019) describes the four-chord song in this article. In a study analyzing every song in the Billboard top 5 since 2018, Olivet (2019) found that the four-chord song reigns supreme:
This comes as no surprise as the four-chord song has prevailed in Western popular music since the dawn of rock and roll (De Clercq &Temperley, 2011). This is epitomized in the popular YouTube video from The Axis of Awesome where they parody the four-chord song:
(Mahburg, 2011)
Levitan (2006), in his comprehensive book, This Is Your Brain On Music, describes the four-chord harmonic sequence as culturally predictable. Young children are exposed to Western popular culture and its music their brains are wired to know that the four-chord progression is a pleasing and predictable part of music (Levitan, 2006).
Because of the universal appeal of the four-chord song in Western popular music, teaching the I-V-iv-IV chord progression to young musicians gives them the tools they need to perform and compose in a wide variety of genres and styles that are important to them.
I taught the four-chord progression to my guitar and modern band classes for many years. We used the four-chord progression to learn many songs that my students were interested in. We also used the four-chord progression to work in groups and compose music. Composing music with four chords was a powerful way for students to gain agency in their learning as they took ownership of the music and wrote songs that were deep and meaningful to them. The biggest problem I found teaching guitar or modern band in a group classroom setting was that students learned at different paces. The students that had experience playing guitar tended to get bored and the beginners were often lost. The classroom setting placed time limits on student learning and we were not able to fully realize some learning objectives and projects.
This learning module transfers the curriculum and pedagogy of learning four-chord songs on guitar in an educational setting to the e-learning environment. It will attempt to utilize the affordances of e-learning ecologies as described by Cope and Kalantzis (2015) to provide a rich learning environment that is at least equal to the traditional music classroom. Learners will take advantage of the e-learning environment by learning ubiquitously and practicing the skills introduced in this learning module at their own pace and on their own time. This will afford more time to the students who need it and the advanced students can work ahead. Learners will also benefit from multimodal methods of learning as opposed to only the teacher showing them how to play. Further, they will produce recorded performances that are knowledge artifacts of their learning. And finally, they will provide each other feedback and revise their performances accordingly.
Learning Objectives
For the Learner
Prerequisites for the Learning Module:
Before you start this learning module, make sure you know:
- How to hold the guitar
- How to tune the guitar (or how to get help tuning)
- How to read a chord diagram
- How to play basic strumming patterns
If you need help with these things, review the previous learning module on guitar basics.
Learning Objectives:
After completing this learning module, you will be able to:
1. Recognize and describe a four-chord song.
2. Play a four-chord song on the guitar.
4. Give constructive feedback for a performance of a composition.
Evaluation:
At the end of each lesson in the learning module, you will use Flipgrid to upload a video of yourself playing the chord you learned in the lesson. You will also make a longer video of yourself playing a four-chord song and submit it for your peers to review. You will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Do you use correct hand/finger placement for the chords?
- Are you able to play all four chords (G-C-D-Em) accurately?
- Do you maintain a steady tempo and can you switch between chords without pausing?
Required materials:
- Guitar (electric or acoustic)
- Video recording capabilities on a smartphone or computer
- Google Drive or YouTube account
Timeline:
Work through the learning module at our own pace. Complete the final Work by the end of the course (2-3 months).
Before we start, fill out the survey sent to you about your experience in playing guitar or music in general.
Preview Survey:
https://cgscholar.com/survdash/cgsurvey/securesurvey/ispreview/5ddaef433331283036285ed6
For the Administrator
Target Learners:
The target learners for this learning module are 8th-grade general music, guitar, or modern band students. Students may also be in an independent study music class. This learning module assumes learners know the following (these are things they would learn prior to the four-chord learning module):
- How to hold the guitar
- How to tune the guitar (or how to get help tuning)
- How to read a chord diagram
- How to play basic strumming patterns
Curriculum Standards:
Curriculum standards from the Core Music Standards for the Guitar and Harmonizing Instruments Strand (NAfME, 2014) will be addressed in this learning module.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this learning module, learners will be able to:
1. Recognize and describe a four-chord song.
2. Play a four-chord song on the guitar.
4. Give constructive feedback for a performance of a composition.
Anticipated duration:
Learners should be able to complete the learning module by the end of a standard course session (2-3 months).
Evaluation Procedures:
At the end of each lesson in the learning module, students will be evaluated using Flipgrid, a formative assessment tool where learners upload short videos of themselves completing a learning task to a class grid.
There is also a final peer-reviewed video project at the end of the learning module.
Students will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Can the use correct hand/finger placement for the chords?
- Can the student play all four chords (G-C-D-Em) accurately?
- Can the student maintain a steady tempo and can you switch between chords without pausing?
Lesson 1: What is a Four-Chord Song?
For the Learner
Learning Objectives: In this lesson, you will be able to describe and pick out songs you are familiar with from a list of four-chord songs. You will also be able to label songs you already are familiar with as four-chord songs.
Many songs in rock, pop, alternative, and many other music genres use the same four guitar chords. This is partly because our ears recognize them and tell us they sound good.
The band The Axis of Awesome made this popular video that demonstrates some of the many four-chord songs in music:
(Mahburg, 2011)
The four chords are also sometimes named in Roman numerals as I-V-iv-IV. It is not critical for us to understand why they are called these numbers, but here is a video that explains it if you are curious:
(Haugen, 2016)
The four chords we are going to learn in this learning module are G-D-Em-C. Once we learn these four chords, we can play thousands of songs (yes, thousands!).
Click on this Wikipedia article that lists some (but definitely not all) four-chord songs.
Make a comment: Look through the list of songs in the Wikipedia article above. Make a comment below on one or two four-chord songs that stand out to you. Which songs do you like? What makes the songs you chose different or better (in your opinion) than some of the other songs on the list?
For the Administrator
Objectives: In this lesson, students will be able to describe and pick out songs they are familiar with from a list of four-chord songs. Students will also be able to label songs they already are familiar with as four-chord songs.
Core Music Standards:
MU:Pr4.2.H.5a Identify prominent melodic and harmonic characteristics in a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for performance, including at least some based on reading standard notation.
MU:Pr4.3.H.5a Demonstrate and describe in interpretations an understanding of the context and expressive intent in a varied repertoire of music selected for performance that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments.
MU:Re7.1.H.5a Demonstrate and describe reasons for selecting music, based on characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, or personal experience.
Lesson 2: The G Chord
For the Learner
Objective: At the end of this lesson, you will be able to play the G chord (Easy-G or full G) with characteristic tone and hand position.
Before we start, let's remember a few things about reading chord diagrams. Here are some parts of the guitar for us to remember:
And here is a diagram of how to read a chord chart:
Here is another great resource for learning how to read chord diagrams if you are still confused: https://nationalguitaracademy.com/lessons/c-guitar-chord/.
The first chord in the four-chord progression we are going to learn is the G chord (if you already know how to play the G chord, skip ahead to lesson 5). We are going to start with Easy-G. If you already know Easy-G and would like to learn the full version of G click here. Below is the chord diagram of the Easy-G chord:
*Strumming tip: When you are playing the "Easy" versions of the chords, only strum strings 1, 2, and 3 (the strings that have the "o" above them).
Watch the video below to see how to play Easy-G and play along with the instructor:
(Little Kids Rock, 2017b)
Assessment: Click on the Flipgrid link below and add a video of yourself playing the G chord on the guitar (you can just play it once or make up a strumming pattern). You may play Easy-G or the full version of G (whichever is more comfortable for you).
Choose two or three of your peers' videos in the grid and make a POSITIVE comment on their video.
For the Administrator
Objective: Students will be able to play the G chord (Easy-G or full G) with characteristic tone and hand position.
Core Music Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.H.5a Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments, demonstrating an understanding of the audience and the context.
Supplemental Materials:
Use the Little Kids Rock Guitar Consumables (link below) for additional resources on how to teach the G chord and some of the beginning prerequisites.
https://www.littlekidsrock.org/Lesson/LittleKidsRock-GuitarResources.pdf
Flipgrid Feedback: In this learning module, students will only use positive feedback for commenting on peer performances. Positive reinforcement has been shown to have a more effective outcome on music learning than negative reinforcement (Lundin, 1960). Negative reinforcement may even produce what Lundin (1960) states as a "fearful or terrorized pupil." Constructive criticism is necessary in many cases but in this learning module, students are in a vulnerable place where they play music for their peers and need the encouragement of their community. Constructive criticism will come later.
Lesson 3: The C Chord
For the Learner
Objective: At the end of this lesson, you will be able to play the C chord (Easy-C or full C) with characteristic tone and hand position. You will be able to switch back and forth between G and C accurately.
The second chord in the four-chord progression we are going to learn is the C chord (if you already know how to play the C chord, skip ahead to lesson 4 or 5 if you already know D and Em). We are going to start with Easy-C. If you already know how to play Easy-C and would like to learn the full version click here. Below is the chord diagram of the Easy-C chord:
*Strumming tip: When you are playing the "Easy" versions of the chords, only strum strings 1, 2, and 3 (the strings that have the "o" above them).
Watch the video below to see how to play Easy-C and play along with the instructor:
(Little Kids Rock, 2017a)
Now that you know the Easy-G and Easy-C chords, play along with the Jam Track below:
(Little Kids Rock, 2017d)
Assessment: Click on the Flipgrid link below and add a video of yourself playing the C chord on the guitar (you can just play it once or make up a strumming pattern). You may play Easy-C or the full version of C (whichever is more comfortable for you).
Choose two or three of your peers' videos in the grid and make a POSITIVE comment on their video.
For the Administrator
Objective: Students will be able to play the C chord (Easy-C or full C) with characteristic tone and hand position. Students will be able to switch back and forth between G and C accurately.
Combining G and C together is the first step towards playing songs with multiple chords. Switching between chords is typically the most difficult part of playing a song on guitar and mastering switching at the right time and without hesitation is critical. Once students have mastered switching between two chords (G and C), switching between new chords is much easier.
Core Music Standards:
MU:Pr6.1.H.5a Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments, demonstrating an understanding of the audience and the context.
Lesson 4: The D and Em Chords
For the Learner
Objective: At the end of this lesson, you will be able to play the D and E-minor chords with characteristic tone and hand position.
Now that we know Easy-G and Easy-C, we will add the last two chords of our four-chord song progression.
The D Chord
The video below will help you play the D chord. There are also some helpful hints on strumming patterns:
(Little Kids Rock, 2017f)
The E-minor Chord (Often abbreviated Em)
There are a few ways to play E-minor. Here is the easiest way:
.jpg?Expires=1713534308&Signature=fSNRcIF9HJwVLyaXD~-PicZ9p50ZcVg-ZzY98HprH2c2PkGLV~PnO1uc0RQPegEvjbuLU1UxI0cLfqU4Bxa-b3~ka4CXChdpOgJiKSUhpgG1cTU967LranZFZa35UC7hvi4apbaBgdcU0uytsQIttQhvfChOB6iqwHcIZ3bLxKvrAbjIuedXHCF-LNzWuEEc-SwW2DgFv8Lz4Y1o0cX7pLQgOs~DWXH6yP2A6acsGpS8XFAjqw1jjnbzQ2WUv~S1NY6RuGpH~ZgeDdUalV8HnrT0SXYCWgTLTgdoppo6HqXUmsPlC~IbRlNIEvrUJqVt2PQ5YGllmAeJy5c7s2uuQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJELYXGUCCDL7FUQA)
*Strumming tip: When you are playing the "Easy" versions of the chords, only strum strings 1, 2, and 3 (the strings that have the "o" above them).
Here is the full open chord version of Em:
For Em, you can choose whichever version feels most comfortable to you (Easy-Em or full Em).
Here is a jam track for you to practice G and Em together:
(Little Kids Rock, 2017d)
Make a comment: Now that we have practiced all four chords (G, C, D, Em), which ones are the easiest for you? Why? Which ones are you still working on?
Assessment: Click on the Flipgrid link below and add a video of yourself playing the D and Em chords on the guitar (you can just play it once or make up a strumming pattern).
Choose two or three of your peers' videos in the grid and make a POSITIVE comment on their video.
For the Administrator
Objective: Students will be able to play the D and E-minor chords with characteristic tone and hand position.
Core Music Standards:
MU:Pr6.1.H.5a Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments, demonstrating understanding of the audience and the context.
Lesson 5: Practice Putting it Together
For the Learner
Objective: At the end of this lesson you will be able to play the chords G-Em-C-D all together with characteristic tone and hand position.
Time to put together all four chords! If you learned the easy versions of the chords, use those to play along with the video below. If you learned the full versions of the chords, you can use those with the video below.
Watch the video below and jam along!
(Little Kids Rock, 2017c)
Assessment: Click on the Flipgrid link below and add a video of yourself playing the G, C, D, and Em chords on the guitar (you can just play it once or make up a strumming pattern).
Choose two or three of your peers' videos in the grid and make a POSITIVE comment on their video.
For the Administrator
Objective: Students will be able to play the chords G-Em-C-D all together with characteristic tone and hand position.
This lesson provides students with the opportunity to put all four chords together into a four-chord progression.
Core Music Standards:
MU:Pr6.1.H.5a Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments, demonstrating understanding of the audience and the context.
Lesson 6: Perform
For the Learner
Objective: At the end of this lesson, you will be able to select a four-chord song of your choice, practice, and video record your performance. You will also provide constructive feedback to your peers' video performances.
Now that we know how to play through the four-chord progression, let's find some four-chord songs to play. Click on the link below to browse songs that use the chords G-C-D-Em. Pick one of the songs below and download the song sheet. Listen to the song and see if you can imitate the strumming pattern.
Comment below with what song you chose and why?
Directions for your Performance Work:
After you have learned your song, record yourself playing with either a camera, phone, or computer (you will not be graded on video quality). Follow the directions below to upload your video and complete your work:
1. Use the work notification to start a new work.
2. Use the "Info" tab under "About This Work" to rename your work (you can name it whatever you like).
3. Upload your video to the work by either uploading it directly into Scholar or by posting the video to YouTube (make sure it is public) and embedding the link into Scholar.
4. Below your video, write a few sentences about why you chose the song you played, what was easy or difficult about performing it, and anything else you might want the reviewer to know about your performance.
5. Submit your performance for review.
6. Review two other students' performances.
7. Review the feedback your peers gave you, practice your song more, record yourself again, and upload a new video BELOW the one you already made (so we can see your progress).
You will use this rubric for reviewing your peers' performances:
For the Administrator
Objective: Students will be able to select a four-chord song of their choice, practice, and video record their performance. Students will also provide constructive feedback to their peers' video performances.
Core Music Standards:
MU:Re7.1.H.5a Demonstrate and describe reasons for selecting music, based on characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, or personal experience.
MU:Cn10.0.H.5a Demonstrate how interests, knowledge and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.
MU:Pr5.1.H.5a Apply teacherprovided criteria to critique individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for performance, and apply practice strategies to address performance challenges and refine the performances.
MU:Pr6.1.H.5a Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments, demonstrating understanding of the audience and the context.
References
De Clercq, T., & Temperley, D. (2011). A corpus analysis of rock harmony. Pop Music 30, 47–70. doi: 10.1017/S026114301000067X
Haugen, E. (2016, March 2). Basic music theory II - Thinking of chords as roman numerals [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gZ3MnDKsik
Levitan, D. (2006). This is your brain on music. Penguin Group.
List of songs containing the I–V–vi–IV progression. (2019, November 3). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_songs_containing_the_I%E2%80%93V%E2%80%93vi%E2%80%93IV_progression&oldid=924381589
Little Kids Rock. (n.d.). Guitar consumables. Little Kids Rock. https://www.littlekidsrock.org/Lesson/LittleKidsRock-GuitarResources.pdf
Little Kids Rock. (2017a, January 28). Beginner guitar: Easy C chord (Lesson 2, unit 1: Easy 3 string chords) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5FTiuOK8Ps
Little Kids Rock. (2017b, January 28). Beginner guitar: Easy G chord (Lesson 1, unit 1: easy 3 string chords) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Q4Z-ZT4WA
Little Kids Rock. (2017c, January 28). Easy G, Emi, C, D (Lesson 8, unit 1: Easy 3 string chords) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw4Q-aCpWu8
Little Kids Rock. (2017d, January 28). Easy G to C jam along: In the style of "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGe7e_s1vmw
Little Kids Rock. (2017e, January 28d). Easy G to Emi jam track: In the style of "Haiti" by Arcade Fire [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOgyDNnkTD4
Little Kids Rock. (2017f, January 28). The D chord and easy strumming (Lesson 1 unit 2: Open chords) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5FTiuOK8Ps
Longdon, V. (2019, February 28). These four chords are at the heart of every pop song. Classic fM. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/four-chords-every-pop-song/
Lundin, R. W. (1960). Music learning and reinforcement theory. Music Educators Journal, 46(4), 46–49. DOI: 10.2307/3389303
Mahburg. (2011, May 1). Axis of Awesome - 4 chord song (clean version) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93NzXwqAW-0
National Association for Music Education. (2014). 2014 music standards (guitar/keyboard/harmonizing instruments). National Association for Music Education. https://nafme.org/wp-content/files/2014/11/2014-Music-Standards-Guitar-Harmonizing-Instruments-Strand.pdf
National Guitar Academy. (n.d.). 3 easy ways to play the D chord on guitar. National Guitar Academy. https://nationalguitaracademy.com/lessons/d-chord-on-guitar/
National Guitar Academy. (n.d.). 4 easy ways to play the g chord on guitar. National Guitar Academy. https://nationalguitaracademy.com/lessons/g-chord-on-guitar/
National Guitar Academy. (n.d.). Easy ways to play the C guitar chord. National Guitar Academy. https://nationalguitaracademy.com/lessons/c-guitar-chord/
National Guitar Academy. (n.d.). Em guitar chord – 4 easy ways to play this essential chord. National Guitar Academy. https://nationalguitaracademy.com/lessons/em-guitar-chord/
Olivet, D. (2019, January 21). We analyzed every dang song that cracked the billboard top 5 in 2018. Soundfly. https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/we-analyzed-every-dang-song-that-cracked-the-billboard-top-5-in-2018/
Scott, D., Hargreaves, E., Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2015). Learning and New Media. The SAGE Handbook of Learning, 373–387. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473915213.n35