Bluegrass I–IV–V Progression in C Major for Banjo

The C Major scale on banjo: the Bluegrass I–IV–V progression in its chords, with tab you can play along to in the interactive lesson.

Notes: C D E F G A B

Tuning: Standard (G D G B D)

Scale

Scale shapes

3NPS - First Position

D|-10--12--14--15--17-|
B|-10--12--14---------|
G|-10--12--14---------|
D|-12--13--15---------|
G|-14--15--17---------|

Basic Chords

Chords

Degree	Chord	Notes	Fingering (low to high)
I	C	C E G	`0 2 0 1 2`
I	C	C E G	`0 2 0 1 5`
I	C	C E G	`0 2 5 5 2`
I	C	C E G	`0 2 5 5 5`
II	Dm	D F A	`12 12 10 10 12`
III	Em	E G B	`0 2 0 0 2`
III	Em	E G B	`0 2 4 0 2`
III	Em	E G B	`0 2 4 0 5`
IV	F	F A C	`10 10 10 10 10`
V	G	G B D	`0 0 0 0 0`
VI	Am	A C E	`7 7 5 5 7`
VII	Bdim	B D F	`x x x 0 3`
VII	Bdim	B D F	`x x x 3 3`
VII	Bdim	B D F	`x 0 4 0 3`
VII	Bdim	B D F	`x 0 4 3 3`

Bluegrass I–IV–V (I–I–IV–I–I–I–V–I)

Chords: C – C – F – C – C – C – G – C

D|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---|1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---|
G|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

D|10------------------14--17--10------------------14--17--10------|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|10----------12--13----------10----------12--13----------10------|1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---|
G|10------12------------------10------12------------------10------|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|10--14----------------------10--14----------------------10--14--|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|10--------------------------10--------------------------10------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

D|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---|1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---|
G|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

D|0-------------------3---7---0-------------------3---7---0-------|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|0-----------1---3-----------0-----------1---3-----------0-------|1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---|
G|0-------2-------------------0-------2-------------------0-------|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|0---3-----------------------0---3-----------------------0---3---|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|0---------------------------0---------------------------0-------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

Seventh Chords

Chords

Degree	Chord	Notes	Fingering (low to high)
I	Cmaj7	C E G B	`0 2 0 0 2`
I	Cmaj7	C E G B	`0 2 0 0 x`
I	Cmaj7	C E G B	`x 2 0 0 2`
I	Cmaj7	C E G B	`x 2 0 0 x`
II	Dm7	D F A C	`x 0 2 1 0`
II	Dm7	D F A C	`x 0 2 1 x`
II	Dm7	D F A C	`x x 2 1 0`
II	Dm7	D F A C	`x 0 2 1 3`
III	Em7	E G B D	`x x 0 0 0`
III	Em7	E G B D	`0 0 0 0 0`
III	Em7	E G B D	`0 0 0 0 x`
III	Em7	E G B D	`x 0 0 0 0`
IV	Fmaj7	F A C E	`x x 2 1 2`
IV	Fmaj7	F A C E	`x 2 2 1 2`
IV	Fmaj7	F A C E	`x 2 2 1 x`
IV	Fmaj7	F A C E	`x 3 2 1 2`
V	G7	G B D F	`x x 0 0 3`
V	G7	G B D F	`x x 0 3 3`
V	G7	G B D F	`0 0 0 0 3`
V	G7	G B D F	`0 0 0 3 3`
VI	Am7	A C E G	`0 2 0 1 2`
VI	Am7	A C E G	`0 2 2 1 2`
VI	Am7	A C E G	`0 2 0 1 x`
VI	Am7	A C E G	`0 2 2 1 x`
VII	Bm7b5	B D F A	`x 0 2 0 0`
VII	Bm7b5	B D F A	`x 0 2 0 x`
VII	Bm7b5	B D F A	`x x 2 0 0`
VII	Bm7b5	B D F A	`x 0 2 0 3`

Bluegrass I–IV–V (I–I–IV–I–I–I–V–I)

Chords: Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Fmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 – G7 – Cmaj7

D|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---|0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---|
G|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

D|2-----------5---7---2-----------5---7---2-----------5---7---2---|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|1---1---5-----------1---1---5-----------1---1---5-----------1---|0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---|
G|2-------------------2-------------------2-------------------2---|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

D|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---|0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---|
G|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

D|3-----------3---5---3-----------3---5---3-----------3---5---3---|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|
B|0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0---|0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---5-------0-----------3---|
G|0---4---------------0---4---------------0---4---------------0---|0---0---4---------------0---0---4---------------0---0---4-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|

Ninth Chords

Chords

Degree	Chord	Notes	Fingering (low to high)
I	Cmaj9	C E G B D	`x x 0 0 0`
I	Cmaj9	C E G B D	`x 0 0 0 x`
I	Cmaj9	C E G B D	`x x 0 1 0`
I	Cmaj9	C E G B D	`x 0 0 1 x`
II	Dm9	D F A C E	`x 0 2 1 2`
II	Dm9	D F A C E	`x 2 2 1 0`
II	Dm9	D F A C E	`x x 2 1 2`
II	Dm9	D F A C E	`x 2 2 1 x`
III	Em7b9	E G B D F	`0 2 0 3 3`
III	Em7b9	E G B D F	`x 2 0 3 3`
III	Em7b9	E G B D F	`x x 0 0 3`
III	Em7b9	E G B D F	`x x 0 3 3`
IV	Fmaj9	F A C E G	`0 2 2 1 2`
IV	Fmaj9	F A C E G	`0 2 2 1 x`
IV	Fmaj9	F A C E G	`0 2 2 x x`
IV	Fmaj9	F A C E G	`x 2 0 1 x`
V	G9	G B D F A	`0 0 2 x x`
V	G9	G B D F A	`x 0 2 0 x`
V	G9	G B D F A	`x x 2 0 0`
V	G9	G B D F A	`0 0 2 0 3`
VI	Am9	A C E G B	`x x 2 0 2`
VI	Am9	A C E G B	`0 2 2 0 2`
VI	Am9	A C E G B	`0 2 2 0 x`
VI	Am9	A C E G B	`x 2 0 0 x`
VII	Bm7b5b9	B D F A C	`x 0 2 1 x`
VII	Bm7b5b9	B D F A C	`x x 2 1 0`
VII	Bm7b5b9	B D F A C	`x 0 2 1 3`
VII	Bm7b5b9	B D F A C	`x 3 2 1 0`

Bluegrass I–IV–V (I–I–IV–I–I–I–V–I)

Chords: Cmaj9 – Cmaj9 – Fmaj9 – Cmaj9 – Cmaj9 – Cmaj9 – G9 – Cmaj9

D|0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0---|0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0---|
B|0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0---|0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0---|
G|0---4---------------0---4---------------0---4---------------0---|0---4---------------0---4---------------0---4---------------0---|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

D|2-------------------5---2-------------------5---2---------------|0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0---|
B|1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---5-------1-----------3---|0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0---|
G|2---0---4---------------2---0---4---------------2---0---4-------|0---4---------------0---4---------------0---4---------------0---|
D|2-----------------------2-----------------------2---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-----------------------0-----------------------0---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

D|0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0---|0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0---|
B|0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0---|0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0---|
G|0---4---------------0---4---------------0---4---------------0---|0---4---------------0---4---------------0---4---------------0---|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

D|--------------------3---7-----------------------3---7-----------|0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0-----------3---5---0---|
B|------------1---3-----------------------1---3-------------------|0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0-------3-----------0---|
G|2-------2-------------------2-------2-------------------2-------|0---4---------------0---4---------------0---4---------------0---|
D|0---3-----------------------0---3-----------------------0---3---|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0---------------------------0---------------------------0-------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

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