Chord progression · B♭ major

Three-chord rock (I–IV–V–IV) in B♭ major

The three primary chords of a key — the backbone of rock ’n’ roll, folk, country and punk. Learn this and you can play along with thousands of songs.

Heard in “La Bamba” – Ritchie Valens, “Twist and Shout” – The Isley Brothers and many more.

Chords in B♭ major
B♭→E♭→F→E♭
Numerals
IIVVIV

Play along

4 bars of 4 beats, looping · pick a key above to transpose

1B♭I
2E♭IV
3FV
4E♭IV

Strum pattern: ↓   ↓↑  ↑↓↑ (down, down-up, up-down-up) — count “1 2 & 3 & 4 &”. Learn this strum →

The chords

I B♭
×1B♭2F3B♭4D1F
3B♭2D1F1B♭
C4DFB♭B♭ D F
IV E♭
6fr×1E♭2B♭3E♭4G1B♭
G3E♭4G1B♭
C4GB♭E♭E♭/B♭
V F
1F3C4F2A1C1F
2AC1FA
ACFF/A

Piano voicings use inversions so each chord is as close as possible to the one before — your hand barely moves. Switch to “Root position” to compare.