Chord progression generator and practice guide
A chord progression is a sequence of harmonies. Pick a key and a mood, and the generator plays one of 16 common progressions with every chord named and numbered, at any tempo from 40 to 200 BPM, with or without a drum beat. Then turn a short sequence into a repeatable exercise on your instrument.
How to use the generator
Choose one of the 12 keys, then a mood: happy, sad, epic or chill. Each mood has four progressions. Press play to hear the chords, turn on the loop to keep them going, and add the drum beat when you want to practise changes in time. The random button picks a key, mood and progression for you when you want a songwriting prompt.
16 progressions, by mood
Roman numerals show each chord’s place in the key; uppercase is major, lowercase is minor and ° is diminished. The chord names are for C major; change the key in the generator to hear the same shape anywhere.
| Progression | Mood | Numerals | In C major |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop Classic | Happy | I–V–vi–IV | C–G–Am–F |
| Uplifting | Happy | I–IV–V–I | C–F–G–C |
| Joyful | Happy | I–IV–vi–V | C–F–Am–G |
| Dance | Happy | vi–IV–I–V | Am–F–C–G |
| Melancholic | Sad | vi–IV–I–V | Am–F–C–G |
| Heartbreak | Sad | I–vi–IV–V | C–Am–F–G |
| Nostalgic | Sad | vi–V–IV–V | Am–G–F–G |
| Dramatic | Sad | vi–vii°–I–V | Am–B°–C–G |
| Cinematic | Epic | I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V | C–G–Am–Em–F–C–F–G |
| Hero | Epic | I–iii–IV–V | C–Em–F–G |
| Adventure | Epic | I–V–IV–I | C–G–F–C |
| Victory | Epic | IV–V–vi–I | F–G–Am–C |
| Lofi | Chill | ii–V–I–vi | Dm–G–C–Am |
| Dreamy | Chill | I–iii–IV–IV | C–Em–F–F |
| Neo Soul | Chill | I–IV–iii–vi | C–F–Em–Am |
| Ambient | Chill | I–IV–I–V | C–F–C–G |
Start with I–IV–V in C major
In C major, I–IV–V means C–F–G. Play each chord for one bar in 4/4. Count all four beats even while preparing the next shape. The exercise is to arrive with the next bar, not merely to find the next chord.
Hear a different journey
Try I–vi–IV–V: C–Am–F–G. The lowercase vi is a minor chord. Listen to the change from C to Am before adding a complicated rhythm. Then compare the sequence with I–V–vi–IV: C–G–Am–F. The same four chords in a different order tell a different story.
Make the difficult change smaller
When F to G is the sticking point, alternate only those two chords at a manageable tempo. Return to the full progression once the change is repeatable. Practise the exact voicings you intend to use.
Transpose with understanding
Roman numerals describe a chord’s role in a key, rather than one fixed chord name. I–IV–V becomes G–C–D in G major. Guitarists usually meet the pop progression in the open-chord keys below first.
| Key | I | V | vi | IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C | G | Am | F |
| G major | G | D | Em | C |
| D major | D | A | Bm | G |
| A major | A | E | F#m | D |
| E major | E | B | C#m | A |
Practise changes in time
Set the generator slow, around 60 to 70 BPM, with the drum beat on, and change chord exactly on beat one. Raise the tempo by 5 BPM when four loops in a row are clean. When the changes are secure, play the same progression over a full drum beat in the style of the song you are writing.