The Komuro Progression

Hao Bai

June 13, 2025

What is the Komuro Progression?

The Komuro progression is named after Tetsuya Komuro (小室哲哉), one of the most influential producers in Japanese pop music history. During the 1990s, Komuro dominated the Japanese charts with acts like TM NETWORK, globe, and numerous solo artists, and his signature harmonic language became so ubiquitous that it earned his name.

In Roman numeral analysis, the Komuro progression is:

\[\text{VI} \to \text{IV} \to \text{V} \to \text{I}\]

or equivalently 6-4-5-1 (using scale-degree shorthand). In the key of C major, this spells out:

Degree Chord
VI Am
IV F
V G
I C

The progression starts on the relative minor (vi), giving it a melancholic or wistful opening before resolving through the subdominant and dominant back to the tonic. This minor-start, major-resolve arc is a big part of why it feels so emotionally satisfying — it creates tension from sadness and releases into brightness.

Try it yourself — click the play button on any progression below to hear how it sounds, or click individual chords to explore:

Why Does It Work?

Several harmonic features make 6451 exceptionally effective:

1. Smooth voice leading. The bass line (A → F → G → C in C major) moves by thirds and steps, creating a natural, singable bass motion without large leaps.

2. Strong cadential resolution. The V → I at the end is the most fundamental cadence in tonal music. By placing it at the tail of the loop, every repetition ends with a satisfying resolution.

3. Modal ambiguity. Starting on vi blurs the line between the relative minor and major key. The listener isn’t sure whether the passage is “sad” or “happy” until the resolution — this ambiguity is emotionally compelling.

4. Endless loopability. The I at the end connects smoothly back to vi (they share two common tones in triad voicing: C-E in C major and A-C-E in A minor), making the progression cycle seamlessly.

The 6453 Variant

A common and equally powerful variant replaces the final tonic (I) with iii:

\[\text{VI} \to \text{IV} \to \text{V} \to \text{iii}\]

In C major: Am → F → G → Em.

This is the 6453 progression. By ending on iii instead of I, the progression avoids full resolution. The iii chord (Em in C major) is the mediant — it shares two notes with the tonic triad (E and G out of C-E-G) but withholds the root, creating a feeling of suspended arrival. You expect home, but you get something close-yet-not-quite.

This makes 6453 particularly effective for:

  • Verses that want to maintain forward momentum without resolving
  • Transitions between sections, where full resolution would kill the energy
  • Melancholic or bittersweet passages, where the listener is denied the emotional “landing”

The iii → vi connection (Em → Am, a motion by step in the bass) is also very smooth, so the loop remains seamless.

Comparing 6451 and 6453

Property 6451 6453
Final chord I (tonic) iii (mediant)
Resolution Complete Suspended
Emotional arc Sadness → brightness Sadness → bittersweet
Typical use Choruses, hooks Verses, bridges
Loop smoothness vi–I share 2 notes vi–iii move by step

In practice, many songs use both: 6453 in the verse to build tension, then 6451 in the chorus for the payoff. The shared first three chords (vi → IV → V) mean the transition between the two feels completely natural — only the last chord changes, but the emotional shift is dramatic.

Notable Examples

The Komuro progression and its variants appear in countless J-pop and broader pop songs:

  • Get Wild (TM NETWORK, 1987) — one of the earliest and most iconic uses, produced by Komuro himself
  • LOVE LOVE LOVE (DREAMS COME TRUE, 1995) — classic 6451 in the chorus
  • 残酷な天使のテーゼ (A Cruel Angel’s Thesis, 1995) — the Neon Genesis Evangelion opening theme uses variants of this progression
  • First Love (宇多田ヒカル, 1999) — employs 6451 movement in key emotional moments
  • Let It Be (The Beatles, 1970) — while not J-pop, the verse progression (C → G → Am → F, i.e., 1-5-6-4) is the retrograde of 6451, showing the universal appeal of these four chords
  • もう少しだけ (Mou Sukoshi Dake, YOASOBI, 2021) — uses I → V → vi → IV in the intro/verse (a rotation of 6451), with a key change for the final chorus
  • だから僕は音楽を辞めた (Dakara Boku wa Ongaku wo Yameta, Yorushika, 2019) — classic 6451 in the chorus, modulates up a half step for the final chorus
  • 藍二乗 (Ai Nijou, Yorushika, 2021) — pentatonic melody over I → vi → IV → V, with extended chorus progressions

Beyond 6451: The Four-Chord Universe

The chords I, IV, V, and vi form a closed harmonic system that generates multiple famous progressions depending on the starting point and order:

Name Progression Example
Komuro vi → IV → V → I Get Wild
Pop-punk / Axis I → V → vi → IV Let It Be, No Woman No Cry
Royal Road (王道進行) IV → V → iii → vi A Cruel Angel’s Thesis (chorus)
Sad rotation vi → V → IV → I Various ballads

All four are rotations or permutations of the same four chords. The Komuro progression is simply one entry point into this incredibly versatile harmonic cycle — but its minor-first voicing gives it a distinctly Japanese emotional sensibility that has defined the sound of J-pop for decades.