Chord progression generator
Build a progression chord by chord or let it generate one that resolves. Change key and everything transposes; hear it looped with smooth voice-leading, then ask why it works.
Your progression
Voicing for C — each chord moves to the nearest inversion so the hands barely travel.
Add a chord in C major
TonicPredominantDominant
Generate or start from a classic
Why does this progression work?
The tutor reads your progression — C major: C (I) – G (V) – Am (vi) – F (IV) — and explains each chord’s job, the tension and release, and two variations to try.
How chord progressions work
A key gives you seven chords, one built on each note of the scale by stacking every other note. In C major that’s C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and B°. The pattern of major, minor and diminished is the same in every major key — I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii° — which is why musicians talk in Roman numerals instead of letter names.
Those chords fall into three families. Tonic chords (I, and its stand-ins vi and iii) feel like home. Predominant chords (IV and ii) move away. Dominant chords (V and vii°) contain the leading tone, a half step below the tonic, and pull strongly back home. Most progressions are a trip around that circle: home → away → tension → home. The colours on each chord above show which family it belongs to.
Want the theory behind the seven chords? See diatonic chords and Roman numerals, or spin the circle of fifths to see which keys share the most chords.
Tips for writing your own
- End on V (or ♭VII) for a loop that keeps going; end on I for a sense of arrival.
- Swap a chord for one that shares two notes with it: vi for I, ii for IV, iii for I.
- Turn on 7ths for a jazzier sound — ii7–V7–Imaj7 is the classic.
- For a lift into a chorus, try a secondary dominant: V/V (D major in C) pushes hard into G.
Questions
How does the chord progression generator choose chords?
It walks through the key using the common-practice tendencies of harmony: tonic chords (I, vi, iii) can go almost anywhere, predominant chords (ii, IV) lead toward the dominant, and dominant chords (V, vii°) pull back to the tonic. Each step is a weighted random choice, and the progression is only accepted if it ends on a chord that wants to loop back to the start.
What do the Roman numerals mean?
They number chords by the scale degree they are built on, so a progression works in every key. Upper case means a major chord (I, IV, V), lower case means minor (ii, iii, vi), ° means diminished and ♭ means the root is lowered a half step from the scale, such as ♭VII in a major key.
What is the most common chord progression?
In modern pop, I–V–vi–IV (C–G–Am–F in C major) is one of the most used loops; its rotations vi–IV–I–V and I–vi–IV–V are almost as common. In jazz the ii–V–I is the backbone, and in blues it’s the 12-bar I–IV–V form.
What are borrowed chords?
Chords taken from the parallel key — for example iv, ♭VI and ♭VII in a major key come from its parallel minor. They add colour without changing the key. Turn on "Borrowed & secondary chords" to use them.
Can I export the progression?
Yes. "Download MIDI" saves a .mid file with the voiced chords and a bass line at your tempo, which you can open in GarageBand, Logic, FL Studio, Ableton, MuseScore or any DAW.
Is my progression saved?
Your current progression, key and tempo are kept in your browser’s localStorage so they’re there when you come back. Use "Clear saved" to remove them.