Progression

Songs You Can Play with Em, C, G, D

Popular guitar songs built on the Em–C–G–D progression, a common shape that's great for jamming and practice.

The Em–C–G–D progression uses just 4 chords (Em, C, G, and D) and powers 1,084 of the most-played songs on ChordLines. It's one of the most common progressions in pop, rock and worship, so learning it unlocks a huge amount of music at once. The songs below all use these chords; try Little Jimmy Brown and The Butcher to hear it in action.

61 Little Jimmy Brown Jim Ed Brown G 1.6K
62 The Butcher Radiohead Em 1.6K
63 Give And It Will Come Back To You Traditional G 1.6K
64 Bennie and the Jets Elton John Am 1.6K
65 My God Reigns City Harvest Church C 1.5K
66 Tequila Sunrise Eagles G 1.5K
67 Amor, Amor, Amor Julio Iglesias C 1.5K
68 Aaj Khelo Shyam Sang Hori Misc Traditional A 1.5K
69 Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd Em 1.5K
70 Hungama Hove Yeshua Band G 1.5K
71 Hope Dies Hard Jonny Two Bags Em 1.5K
72 Stairway To Heaven Eric Clapton C 1.5K
73 Let It Go Frozen Em 1.5K
74 Today My Life Begins Bruno Mars G 1.5K
75 Glad You Came Boyce Avenue C 1.5K
76 Elton's song Elton John Bm 1.5K
77 Bayan Umawit Himig Heswita G 1.5K
78 The Four Marys John Allan Cameron F 1.5K
79 Flesh and Blood Shane Howard E 1.5K
80 Brain damage Pink Floyd D 1.4K
81 All Of Me John Legend Em 1.4K
82 Come Unto Me Bob Hurd C 1.4K
83 Fire Lake Bob Seger G 1.4K
84 Hello Adele Fm 1.4K
85 Ill Have A New Life Hymnal G 1.4K
86 Diamonds And Rust Joan Baez Em 1.4K
87 Night Moves Bob Seger G 1.4K
88 Harmony Elton John Dm 1.4K
89 Take My Hand Jana Alayra C 1.4K
90 Love Hurts Nazareth G 1.4K
91 Against the Wind Bob Seger G 1.4K
92 Long Black Limousine Elvis Presley G 1.4K
93 Me Basta Con Saber Que Estás Aquí Gonzalo Mazarrasa G 1.4K
94 The Garden Ed Kowalczyk D# 1.4K
95 Blowing In The Wind Bob Dylan G 1.4K
96 Que Poderei Retribuir O Meu Senhor Padre José Weber G 1.4K
97 All You Need Is Love The Beatles G 1.3K
98 Rakkauden Talo Kikka Em 1.3K
99 I have Nothing Whitney Houston G 1.3K
100 Statues And Liberties Alan Hull D 1.3K
101 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea Helen Forrest D 1.3K
102 What If God Was One Of Us Alanis Morissette Em 1.3K
103 I Love You Celine Dion E 1.3K
104 You Saved My Soul John Lennon G 1.3K
105 Lyin' Eyes Eagles G 1.3K
106 I'm Outta Time Oasis Em 1.3K
107 On The Turning Away Pink Floyd Em 1.3K
108 Another Lonely Day Kasey Chambers G 1.3K
109 If I Could Read Your Mind Gordon Lightfoot G 1.3K
110 Como Zaqueo Aline Barros G 1.3K
111 Blackbird The Beatles G 1.3K
112 Paintbox Cauliflowers Fluffy Misc Traditional G 1.3K
113 A Day in the Life The Beatles G 1.3K
114 Walay Rason Victory Band Em 1.3K
115 Trading My Sorrows Darrell Evans G 1.3K
116 Você E Eu Edilton Frota G 1.3K
117 Stand By Me Oasis G 1.3K
118 Our God Is Greater Praise and Worship E 1.3K
119 Shukriya Amit Kamble G 1.3K
120 Alone Heart Bm 1.3K

Frequently asked questions

What songs use the Em–C–G–D progression?

Popular examples include Little Jimmy Brown, The Butcher, and Give And It Will Come Back To You, along with everything else in the list above.

Is the Em–C–G–D progression easy to play?

Yes, it's built entirely from beginner-friendly open chords, which makes it a great first progression to master.

Can I play these songs in a different key?

Yes. Open any song and use the transpose buttons to shift it up or down. The chords and diagrams update automatically, so you can match your voice or a capo.

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Frequently asked questions

What songs use the Em–C–G–D progression?

Is the Em–C–G–D progression easy to play?

Can I play these songs in a different key?

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