Aeolian Shuttle (i bVII bVI bVII)
The Aeolian shuttle is the chord progression i-bVII-bVI-bVII. In the key of C minor it is Cm Bb Ab Bb, and in the Nashville Number System it is written 1m b7 b6 b7.
It is also known as Minor rocking descent.
Jump to the chords and audio in C, G, D, A and E
Why it works
A shuttle between i and bVI, with bVII as the passing chord on the way down and back up. All the chords are natural minor, and the absence of V means nothing ever really resolves, so it can loop for a whole song. Open Music Theory lists it as a standard Aeolian schema, and uses Somebody That I Used to Know as its example.
Songs that use it
These are the chords as played in each song, in the song's own key.
| Song | Artist | Section | Chords | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somebody That I Used to Know | Gotye | chorus | Dm C Bb C | D minor |
| All Along the Watchtower | Jimi Hendrix | verse | Cm Bb Ab Bb | C minor |
| In the End | Linkin Park | verse | D#m C# B C# | D# minor |
| Rolling in the Deep | Adele | chorus | Cm Bb Ab Bb | C minor |
| Stairway to Heaven | Led Zeppelin | guitar solo and final section | Am G F G | A minor |
| Dream On | Aerosmith | pre-chorus and chorus | Fm Eb Db Eb (plays vi-V-IV-V) | F minor |
| Before He Cheats | Carrie Underwood | intro | F#m E D E (plays vi-V-IV-V) | F# minor |
Aeolian Shuttle: Chords and Audio in C, G, D, A and E
Press play to hear each key. The diagrams show the shapes used in the audio, and every chord links to its full page.
More progressions like this one
- Minor i-bVII-iv: Cm Bb Fm
- Minor circle-of-fifths loop: Cm Fm Bb Eb
- Minor i-iv-bVI-V: Cm Fm Ab G
- Minor i-iv-bIII-bVI: Cm Fm Eb Ab
All guitar chord progressions →
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What are the chords of the Aeolian shuttle in each key?
In C minor: Cm Bb Ab Bb. In G minor: Gm F Eb F. In D minor: Dm C Bb C. In A minor: Am G F G. In E minor: Em D C D.
Which songs use the Aeolian shuttle?
Songs that use it include Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye, All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix, In the End by Linkin Park.
