Chord & FretFolk · axis — Electric guitar
What is the Folk · axis progression?
The Folk · axis progression is G → D → Em → C (I – V – vi – IV), in the key of G. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → dominant → tonic → subdominant, cycling as a vamp with no full cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Four chords, a whole story: G (I, home) → D (V, time to come back) → Em (vi, home) → C (IV, the stroll). Hit play. First pass, just listen. Second pass, follow with your finger on the names — and notice that by the second-to-last chord, your body already knows G — home — is coming.
Electric guitar
The amplified tone holds each chord for a long time, so a few well-chosen notes keep ringing on their own while you leave room for the rest of the group. In this family the electric fits country's bright twang and reggae's clean chords, which land between the main beats, while softer Hawaiian and celtic styles lean on acoustic voices. Its home chord G keeps its lowest note on G and rings 3 open strings.
Circle of Fifths — See the key's diatonic chords and its secondary dominants · try it in Chord & Fret
Save this progression in Chord & FretReharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · open in Chord & Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of G. 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
Want to change keys without redoing any of this? In the Chord & Fret app you drag and the whole neck rewrites itself — it's on the app stores.