Pachelbel's canon: I - V - vi - iii - IV - I - IV - V progression in D major
Pachelbel's canon (I - V - vi - iii - IV - I - IV - V), a elegant progression played in D major: listen to it, transpose it into any key, and see it on the circle of fifths.
Key
Chord
Diatonic chords
Fretboard
Instrument
Frets15
1224
E
B
G
D
A
E
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No chord to show
Tempo
90 BPM
Strumming
1
&
2
&
3
&
4
&
Progression library
Path on the circle
I - V - vi - iii - IV - I - IV - V
Pachelbel's canon is a elegant progression, shown here in D major (tonic D) with the degree sequence I - V - vi - iii - IV - I - IV - V.
The "Canon" progression (I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V), made famous by Pachelbel's Canon in D, descends through eight chords on an almost stepwise bass line before closing on the V that leads back to the tonic. Its elegance comes precisely from that long, predictable path: each degree calmly sets up the next.