This quick lesson is an excerpt from my book “101 Guitar Tips: Stuff All The Pros Know And Use,” which I wrote for publisher Hal Leonard a few years back. The 88-page book itself contains tips on playing, music theory, gear, band advice, and the wisdom of many of the great stars I’ve interviewed over the years. It also comes with an hour-long CD of lesson materials and jam tracks… If you’d like to have your own copy, go here: 101 Guitar Tips.

Here’s Tip 7: When in Doubt, Play I-IV

It’s almost impossible to overstate how common the I-IV (one-four) chord progression is in Western Music. From the jazz and blues of the early 20th Century, to classic rock legends such as the Beatles and the Stones, right on through to the aggressive rock sounds of the 21st century, the I-IV chord change dominates the music we hear and play, particularly during the verses of a song. If you get lost during a song, try the I chord. If that doesn’t sound right, try a IV chord. In the key of A, that would be the A and D chords, respectively. If it’s neither of those chords, just wait, the band will get back to one of those two chords sooner than you think, and hopefully you’ll be able to keep up after that. (And after I and IV, the next most common chord in most songs is V.)

If you can’t remember which chords are I and IV in the key you’re playing, think of it this way: Using an open E chord and an open A chord, the E is I and the A if IV. As you slide the E and A shaped barre chords up the neck, that relationship remains the same. So your standard rock ’n’ roll A barre chord at the fifth fret and your standard rock ’n’ roll D barre chord at the fifth fret will be I and IV respectively.