Folk Chord Progressions
Folk music favors open guitar chords (G, C, D, Em, Am) and modal scales. Many traditional folk songs sit in Mixolydian or Dorian modes, giving them a slightly antique sound. Modern indie folk (Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes) extends the vocabulary with sus chords and unusual voicings.
Defining characteristics
- →Open-position guitar chords
- →Mixolydian (♭VII) and Dorian (♭III) modal flavors
- →Three- to four-chord ballad structures
- →Capo-friendly keys (G, C, D, A)
- →Acoustic instrumentation drives voicing choices
Example progressions
Three-chord folk
I – IV – V · G major
The simplest folk pattern. Countless traditional songs use just these three chords.
Mixolydian ballad
I – ♭VII – IV – I · G Mixolydian
The ♭VII gives folk songs their wistful, slightly archaic quality.
Indie folk
vi – IV – I – V · G major
The pop axis progression voiced with open guitar chords, in the style of Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers.
Songs in this style
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan
G – Em – C – D
Skinny Love — Bon Iver
Am – C – G – Dm
Generate your own folk chord progressions
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