Chord & FretPop · axis rotação — Cavaquinho
What is the Pop · axis rotação progression?
The Pop · axis rotação progression is Am → F → C → G (vi – IV – I – V), in the key of C. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → subdominant → tonic → dominant, arriving home on a cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Play any song you love and it does this: leaves home, takes a walk, and at the right moment somebody yells "come back!". This progression is that route, road sign by road sign: Am (vi, home) → F (IV, the stroll) → C (I, home) → G (V, time to come back). Hit play and follow with your finger on the names — when you reach the chord marked "time to come back", notice your own body waiting for C — the home chord.
Cavaquinho
Its chords sound tight and punchy; instead of holding long shapes, it keeps the beat moving with short, repeated strums. In pop, rock or blues the cavaquinho is an unusual guest; it adds a bright, chopping rhythm layer, but it can't cover the low end a band expects. Its home chord C keeps its lowest note on E and rings 1 open string.
Cadences — Harmony comes to rest here — hear every cadence type and train your ear · open in Chord & Fret
Save this progression in Chord & Fret♪ The groove underneath is the tresillo: 3+3+2. Count "one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two" tapping your leg and you've found the engine of half the world's pop..
Reharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · use it in Chord & Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of C. In Chord & Fret, you open every position of all 4 chords in this progression along the neck — on any instrument, and hear each one. Open in Chord & Fret →
Metronome — Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · see it in Chord & Fret
If this scale won you over, the Chord & Fret app plays it along with you — any key, any tuning. It's on the App Store and Google Play.