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Chord Progression Generator

Pick a key and a genre, generate a progression, and hear it played back on a real instrument sound. Every chord is shown with its roman numeral so you can transpose it to any key. New to a chord shape? Browse the piano chords chart or the scales reference.

Key

GenreInstrumentTempo · 90 BPM

Time signature

Quick meters

No repeat

1/7 used this cycle

Beats per chord

0.25–4 beats (one bar of 4/4)

Bar grid · 4/4 · 4 of 4 beats per bar

1. I

2. V

3. vi

4. IV

Your progression

C Major

G Major

A Minor

F Major

Progression templates

Diatonic chords in C Major

Genres that use this progression

I–V–vi–IV
PopFolk
vi–IV–I–V
PopAnthemic Rock

Classic Pop progressions

I–V–vi–IV

The classic four chords progression

vi–IV–I–V

Anthemic minor-start feel

I–IV–vi–V

Upbeat hook-driven variant

How to use the chord progression generator

1
Choose a key
Set the root note and pick Major for a bright sound or Natural Minor for a darker one. Every chord the generator offers stays inside that key, so nothing will clash.
2
Generate or build
Hit Generate for a progression drawn from your chosen genre, tap a template like ii–V–I, or add chords one at a time from the diatonic row to build your own.
3
Play it back
Choose an instrument and tempo, then press Play. Slow the tempo down to hear the voice leading; speed it up to test whether it works as a groove.
4
Export and keep going
Download the MIDI file to drop the exact chords into your DAW, then follow the links to each chord's reference page to learn the shape under your fingers.

What a chord progression actually is

A chord progression is a sequence of chords played in a fixed order, and it is the harmonic skeleton a melody sits on. Nearly all of them are built from the seven chords that already live inside a key: stack the 1st, 3rd and 5th note of the C Major scale starting from each scale degree and you get the chords below. Because they share notes, any order of them sounds coherent — which is why the same handful of progressions turns up across completely different genres.

The seven diatonic chords in C Major
Degree	Numeral	Chord	Role
1	I	C Major	Tonic — home, feels resolved
2	ii	D Minor	Pre-dominant — sets up the V
3	iii	E Minor	Mediant — gentle, in-between colour
4	IV	F Major	Subdominant — motion away from home
5	V	G Major	Dominant — strongest pull back to I
6	vi	A Minor	Relative minor — the emotional turn
7	vii°	B Diminished	Leading tone — unstable, wants to resolve

Roman numerals matter because they travel: I–V–vi–IV is the same progression in every key, so learning the numeral pattern once means you can play it in twelve keys. Uppercase numerals are Major chords, lowercase are Minor, and ° marks a Diminished chord.

Chord progressions by genre, in C Major

Every progression below is written out with the actual chords for your selected key. Load one to hear it, or change the key at the top and the chord names follow.

Pop progressions

I–V–vi–IV
C Major · G Major · A Minor · F Major
The classic four chords progression
vi–IV–I–V
A Minor · F Major · C Major · G Major
Anthemic minor-start feel
I–IV–vi–V
C Major · F Major · A Minor · G Major
Upbeat hook-driven variant

Rock progressions

I–IV–V–I
C Major · F Major · G Major · C Major
Foundational rock progression
I–bVII–IV–I
C Major · B Diminished · F Major · C Major
Classic rock bluesy edge
i–VI–III–VII
C Major · A Minor · E Minor · B Diminished
Driving epic minor-key rock

Jazz progressions

ii–V–I
D Minor · G Major · C Major
The quintessential jazz cadence
ii–bVII–I
D Minor · B Diminished · C Major
Smooth jazz lo-fi variant
I–vi–ii–V
C Major · A Minor · D Minor · G Major
Classic jazz turnaround

Blues progressions

I–IV–I–V
C Major · F Major · C Major · G Major
Simplified 12-bar blues
I–IV–V–IV
C Major · F Major · G Major · F Major
Walking blues turnaround

Folk progressions

I–V–vi–IV
C Major · G Major · A Minor · F Major
Warm singable folk staple
I–V–IV
C Major · G Major · F Major
Simple campfire-friendly

Country progressions

I–V–IV
C Major · G Major · F Major
Classic country backbone
I–IV–V–I
C Major · F Major · G Major · C Major
Traditional country western

Metal progressions

i–VI–III–VII
C Major · A Minor · E Minor · B Diminished
Dark driving minor-key power
i–bVII–bVI–bVII
C Major · B Diminished · A Minor · B Diminished
Heavy descending tension

Cinematic progressions

vi–V–IV–V
A Minor · G Major · F Major · G Major
Sweeping emotional builder
I–vi–IV–V
C Major · A Minor · F Major · G Major
Nostalgic orchestral feel

Pop-Punk progressions

I–IV–vi–V
C Major · F Major · A Minor · G Major
Energetic hook-forward
I–V–vi–IV
C Major · G Major · A Minor · F Major
Anthemic singalong shape

Lo-Fi progressions

ii–bVII–I
D Minor · B Diminished · C Major
Mellow jazzy lo-fi loop
I–vi–ii–V
C Major · A Minor · D Minor · G Major
Chill jazz-influenced loop
i–iv
C Major · F Major
Two-chord warm 7th loop

Indie progressions

i–III–iv
C Major · E Minor · F Major
Moody introspective indie
vi–IV–I–V
A Minor · F Major · C Major · G Major
Wistful indie-pop feel

Hip Hop progressions

i–iv
C Major · F Major
Dusty two-chord minor loop
i–VI
C Major · A Minor
Moody sample-style vamp
iii–vi–ii–V
E Minor · A Minor · D Minor · G Major
Jazz-sampled boom-bap motion

Rap progressions

i–VI
C Major · A Minor
Sparse loop that leaves room for the flow
i–iv
C Major · F Major
Minimal minor bounce

Trap progressions

i–VI
C Major · A Minor
Dark bell-loop vamp
i–bVII–bVI–bVII
C Major · B Diminished · A Minor · B Diminished
Descending menacing loop

Neo-Soul progressions

iii–vi–ii–V
E Minor · A Minor · D Minor · G Major
Lush extended-chord movement
vi–ii–V–I
A Minor · D Minor · G Major · C Major
Silky 9ths and 11ths turnaround
ii–V–iii–vi
D Minor · G Major · E Minor · A Minor
Floating jazz-soul cycle

R&B progressions

vi–ii–V–I
A Minor · D Minor · G Major · C Major
Smooth slow-jam cadence
i–iv
C Major · F Major
Intimate minor groove
iii–vi–ii–V
E Minor · A Minor · D Minor · G Major
Late-night soul motion

Soul progressions

IV–V–I
F Major · G Major · C Major
Uplifting soulful resolution
i–bVII–IV
C Major · B Diminished · F Major
Gritty vintage soul turn

Funk progressions

i–iv
C Major · F Major
One-chord-and-a-half funk vamp
i–bVII–IV
C Major · B Diminished · F Major
Dorian-flavoured funk riff

Gospel progressions

IV–V–I
F Major · G Major · C Major
Classic gospel amen motion
I–IV–V–IV
C Major · F Major · G Major · F Major
Piano-driven walk-up feel
I–IV–I–V
C Major · F Major · C Major · G Major
Church shout groove

Smooth Jazz progressions

ii–V–I
D Minor · G Major · C Major
Silky extended-chord cadence
ii–V–iii–vi
D Minor · G Major · E Minor · A Minor
Rolling smooth-jazz cycle
I–vi–ii–V
C Major · A Minor · D Minor · G Major
Polished turnaround loop

Easy Listening progressions

I–vi–ii–V
C Major · A Minor · D Minor · G Major
Warm consonant major loop
I–vi–IV–V
C Major · A Minor · F Major · G Major
Nostalgic comfortable motion

Chord progression generator FAQ

How does a chord progression generator work?

Pick a key and the generator works out the seven diatonic chords available in that key, then arranges a sequence of them using progressions that real songs use. Each chord is labelled with a roman numeral (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°) describing its position in the key, so the same pattern can be moved to any other key without changing how it sounds.

What is the most common chord progression?

I–V–vi–IV is the most widely used progression in modern pop — in C Major that is C, G, Am, F. Close behind are vi–IV–I–V (the same four chords started on the minor), I–IV–V–I in rock and country, and ii–V–I in jazz.

Which chord progressions sound sad?

Progressions built around minor chords, especially ones that start on the vi or i chord: vi–IV–I–V, i–VI–III–VII and i–iv–v all read as melancholy. Slower tempos and fewer notes per chord deepen the effect, so try 60–80 BPM with the strings or piano sound.

Can I use these progressions in my own songs?

Yes. Chord progressions are not copyrightable — only a specific recording or melody is. Every progression here appears in hundreds of released songs, so you are free to use, reorder and extend them in your own music.

How do I turn a progression into a full song?

Loop it, then vary what sits on top: change the rhythm, invert chords so the top note moves smoothly, add a 7th to the V chord before returning to I, and write a melody from the notes of the underlying scale. Download the MIDI file to carry the exact chords into your DAW.

Is the generator free?

The generator, the MIDI export and the chord and scale reference pages are completely free and need no account. The training features — daily puzzles, ear training and adaptive quizzes — sit behind a 14-day free trial, then $7/month.

Keep exploring

· Chord finder — click notes on a keyboard and see which chord you played.
· Piano chords chart — every chord type in all 12 keys, with notes and intervals.
· Scales reference — the scales these progressions are drawn from.
· ChordCraft Lab home — ear training, daily puzzles and adaptive quizzes.

Want to understand why these work?

ChordCraft Lab adds a playable keyboard, daily chord puzzles, ear training and adaptive quizzes on top of this generator. 14-day free trial, then $7/month.

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