Chord progression generator

This chord progression generator helps you write songs, practice accompaniment and understand why a progression works. Choose a key and you get its seven chords with Roman numerals (I ii iii IV V vi vii°), as triads or seventh chords. Click them to build a progression, or let the generator write one.

• All 12 keys in major, natural minor, Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian and Phrygian, spelled correctly for the key (E♯ in F♯ major, G♭ in D♭ major).
• Famous progressions by genre: pop, rock, minor and cinematic, jazz, blues, classical and folk, each with a short explanation.
• Smart generate based on functional harmony, with a lock on every bar.
• Looped playback on acoustic guitar, piano or ukulele, with strumming patterns and an optional bass line.
• Chord diagrams for guitar and ukulele, piano keys, and a capo suggestion.
• Export as text, as a MIDI file, or as a share link.

Everything runs in your browser; your progression is never uploaded.

Roman numerals name the scale degree, so a progression stays the same in every key. Here are the examples in C major and A minor; the tool moves any of them to any key in one click.

Progression	Roman numerals	Example	Where you hear it
Pop (Axis)	I–V–vi–IV	C–G–Am–F	modern pop
Sensitive pop	vi–IV–I–V	Am–F–C–G	ballads
’50s / doo-wop	I–vi–IV–V	C–Am–F–G	oldies, ballads
Authentic cadence	I–IV–V–I	C–F–G–C	folk, hymns
Canon	I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V	C–G–Am–Em–F–C–F–G	weddings, pop
Royal road	IVmaj7–V7–iii7–vi7	Fmaj7–G7–Em7–Am7	J-pop, anime
ii–V–I	ii7–V7–Imaj7	Dm7–G7–Cmaj7	jazz
12-bar blues	I7 (4) IV7 (2) I7 (2) V7 IV7 I7 V7	C7, F7, G7	blues, rock and roll
Mixolydian rock	I–♭VII–IV–I	C–B♭–F–C	classic rock
Andalusian cadence	i–VII–VI–V	Am–G–F–E	flamenco, rock
Epic minor	i–VI–III–VII	Am–F–C–G	film, anthems
Minor ii–V–i	iiø7–V7–i7	Bm7♭5–E7–Am7	minor jazz

Chords in major and minor keys play three roles. The tonic (T) is home: I, plus its relatives vi and iii. The predominant (S) moves away from home: IV and ii. The dominant (D) builds tension and pulls back home: V and vii°. Most songs cycle T → S → D → T again and again.

In the tool, a colored bar on every chord shows its role: green for tonic, orange for predominant, red for dominant.

Generate is built on the same idea. Each scale degree has weights for where it usually goes next: V most often goes to I, ii goes to V, IV goes to I or V. The generator draws several candidates and favors the smoother ones, and the last bar is chosen to lead back into the first, so the result loops cleanly. Lock any bar you like and it stays put while its neighbors adapt to it.

• Uppercase (I, IV, V) is a major chord; lowercase (ii, iii, vi) is minor.
• ° is diminished (vii°), ø7 is half-diminished (iiø7).
• 7 is a dominant or minor seventh (V7, ii7), maj7 a major seventh (Imaj7).
• ♭ or ♯ in front marks a root outside the scale (♭VII, ♭VI).

Worked example in G major: the scale is G A B C D E F♯, so I–V–vi–IV is G–D–Em–C and ii–V–I is Am7–D7–Gmaj7. That is why transposing is easy: choose a new key or step up or down a half step, and the numerals stay the same.

In minor, numerals follow natural minor (i ii° III iv v VI VII); the major V and vii° come from harmonic minor, where the raised 7th pulls hard to the tonic. Other modes are numbered against the major scale, so Dorian is i ii ♭III IV v vi° ♭VII. Switching modes keeps your chords on their degrees: I–V–vi–IV in major becomes i–v–VI–iv in minor. The circle of fifths shows every key signature.

Turn on borrowed chords to add popular chords from outside the key, each with a note on where it comes from: iv, ♭VII, ♭VI and ♭III from the parallel minor, and secondary dominants (V/V, V/vi, V/IV) that resolve to their target. In minor you get the major V, vii°, the Dorian IV, the Neapolitan ♭II and the Picardy major I. Select any bar to change its chord type to sus4, add9, a power chord and more.

Playback loops from 50 to 200 BPM with whole notes, quarter notes, the classic down, down-up, up-down-up strum, or an arpeggio. Guitar and ukulele play real chord shapes; piano uses voice leading, picking the inversion closest to the previous chord.

Every chord shows a guitar or ukulele diagram or piano keys, with a link to its full chord page when there is one; the chord finder covers any other chord. The capo suggestion finds the fret that lets you play the most chords as easy open shapes (C, A, G, E, D, Am, Em, Dm and their sevenths). In B♭ major, for example, capo 3 turns B♭–F–Gm–E♭ into G–D–Em–C.

When you are done, copy it as text (chord symbols and Roman numerals), download a MIDI file in your rhythm, or copy a link that restores the key, chords, tempo, instrument and rhythm.