The 145 chord progression, or 3-chord-trick

The 145, sometimes called the 3-chord-trick, is the most fundamental chord progression. It can be heard everywhere from Mozart to Bob Dylan to AC/DC.

The 145 progression is made up of the 3 major chords in a key: The chords built on the 1st, 4th and 5th note of the major scale (hence 145).

In the key of C (C D EF G A B) therefore, we have C, F and G major chords.

Try changing the order of the chords: 451, 541 etc.

In the key of G (G A BC D E F#) we have G, C and D major chords.

In the key of D (D E F#G A B C#) we have D, G and A and major chords.

In the key of A (A B C#D E F# G#) we have A, D and E major chords.

In the key of E (E F# G#A B C# D#) we have E, A and B major chords.