Basic ResolveChord progression · I – IV – V7 – I
The most fundamental resolution — tension builds on V7 and lands on I.
In C major
Why the Basic Resolve progression works
The basic story of tonal harmony: home, away to IV, tension on V7, back home. The V7 holds a tritone that wants to fall into I (the 7th drops a half step, the 3rd rises a half step), so the return feels earned.
Heard in: Pop balladGospelCountryFolkClassical
How to play Basic Resolve in C major
One voicing per chord, each the nearest to the chord before, so your hand stays in one spot. Open any chord in the chord library for every other way to play it.
Basic Resolve chords in all 12 keys
The same numerals in every key. Each chord opens in the chord library, and each key plays in the progression builder.
What scale to play over Basic Resolve
Over the whole progression in C major: C Major, C Major pentatonic. To follow every chord, switch to the scale the progression builder picks for it.
| Chord | Scale over it |
|---|---|
| I · C | C Major |
| IV · F | F Lydian |
| V7 · G7 | G Mixolydian |
Basic Resolve questions
What are the chords of the Basic Resolve progression?
I – IV – V7 – I. In C major that is C, F, G7, C; in G major it is G, C, D7, G.
What scale do you play over the Basic Resolve progression?
C Major and C Major pentatonic fit the whole progression in C major. Chord by chord: C Major over C, F Lydian over F, G Mixolydian over G7.
How do you play the Basic Resolve progression in another key?
Keep the numerals and move every chord by the same distance. The table on this page spells it in all 12 keys, and each key opens in the progression builder.