How to Play a I–vi–IV–viidim–V7–I Progression in A Major | Chord by Chord

In this Acoustic Guitar chord lesson you'll learn several ways to play a I–vi–IV–viidim–V7–I chord progression in the key of A major
BY KATE KOENIG

Welcome to the latest installment of Chord by Chord, a series designed to build your understanding of harmony and the fretboard. In the previous lesson you worked on the I–vi–IV–V7–I in the key of A major. In this lesson, you’ll learn a similar progression, adding the viidim chord in between the IV and the V7.

The Work

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If you have been following along with these lessons, you should already be familiar with the I, vi, IV, and V7 chords, so for the viidim (G#dim) chord, just start on the seventh note (G#) of the A major scale, as shown in Example 1, and then add the notes B and D (Example 2).

Example 3 gives us the I–vi–IV–viidim–V7–I in A using open chords, with the exception of an F#m barre shape in second position. Note that the notes in a G#dim chord (G# B D) happen to be the same as the top three notes in the E7 chord (E G# B D). To play the progression entirely with barre chords, see Example 4.

Examples 5 and 6 show the progression with compact voicings on the top three strings. (Note that the video shows an alternate shape for the G#dim chord.) Here are some tips for efficiently moving between the chords: In Ex. 5, keep the A chord shape held down and add your third finger to string 2, fret 7, to get the the F#m chord. Likewise, in Ex. 6, maintain the A fingering and add your third finger to string 3, fret 11, for the F#m.

I–vi–IV–viidim–V7–I  chord progression tab and notation

The Result

You should now know a variety of ways to play a I–vi–IV–viidim–V7–I in the key of A major. Try strumming or fingerpicking the progression until the next lesson, when we’ll finish our exploration of chord progressions.

Kate Koenig
Kate Koenig

Kate Koenig is a singer-songwriter, music teacher, and music journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. They have been a regular contributor to Acoustic Guitar since 2017.

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