Bittersweet Chord Progressions & Guitar Chords

I · V · vi · IV

The most popular progression in modern pop music. Evokes a bittersweet, emotional feeling that works for both uplifting and melancholic songs.

I · V · vi

The 'plot twist' of music. When you expect resolution to the I chord but get the vi instead. Creates surprise, tension, and emotional depth.

IV · V · vi · I

A variation of the Royal Road that resolves to the I chord, creating a bittersweet but hopeful feeling. Common in emotional J-pop ballads.

I · V · vi · IV

The Axis progression played as a slow, emotional piano ballad. The same I-V-vi-IV that powers countless hits, but the slow tempo and sparse arrangement create that raw, heartbreak feeling.

VI · VII · i

The ascending minor progression common in emotional J-pop and anime openings. The VI-VII-i creates a hopeful yet bittersweet feeling as it rises to resolve on the minor tonic.

V · IV · I · vi

The warm, hopeful progression from Your Name. C#-B-F#-D#m creates that bittersweet yet uplifting feeling of connection and longing that defines Makoto Shinkai's film soundtracks.

IVmaj7 · iii7 · vi7 · Imaj7 · IVmaj7 · V7

The bittersweet sound of Japanese school graduation. Cherry blossoms, farewells, and new beginnings. Extended 7th chords capture that uniquely Japanese sense of 'mono no aware' (the pathos of things).

Iadd9 · IVadd9 · vi7

Math rock is defined less by which chords you play than by how they are counted and voiced. This loop runs seven beats instead of eight, so it never quite lands where you expect, and the add9 shapes keep open strings ringing against fretted notes — the bright, bell-like clash the genre is built on. Play it clean, with fingers rather than a pick. For the sound in full, start with American Football, Toe and Covet.