i–♭III–♭VI–V in C Minor

Pattern: i – ♭III – ♭VI – V Chords: Cm – E♭ – A♭ – G

Chord Breakdown

Numeral	Chord	Type	Function
i	Cm (details)	minor	Tonic
♭III	E♭ (details)	major	Mediant
♭VI	A♭ (details)	major	Submediant
V	G (details)	major	Dominant

Harmonic Analysis

This progression moves through Cm (Tonic) → E♭ (Mediant) → A♭ (Submediant) → G (Dominant).

The i–♭III–♭VI–V progression moves through the natural minor's major chords before resolving with a harmonic minor dominant. The stepwise root motion from ♭III to ♭VI creates a cascading, flowing quality. This combination of modal wandering and dominant resolution appears in many emotional pop and rock songs.

Song Examples

Somebody That I Used to Know — Gotye
Creep — Radiohead

Chord Details

Cm E♭ A♭ G

More Progressions in C Minor

i–♭VII–♭VI–V i–iv–v vi–IV–I–V i–iv–i–V iv–iv–i–V i–iv–i i–iv–V vi–V–IV–III i–♭VII i–♭III–♭VII i–♭VII–IV i–♭VII–♭VI