Chord progressions for songwriting, ready to drop into your DAW
Need chords to write a song? Pick a major key and a style (pop, ballad, jazz, R&B, rock or epic) and you get a 4-chord progression written with its Roman numerals, which you can listen to and download as a chord progression MIDI file.
The MIDI file opens in your DAW or any music software: drag the chords onto a track, choose a sound and start building on top. You are free to use the progressions in your songs.
The tool opens right here in your browser when the page finishes loading.
The 6 progressions
Each style is a fixed progression that the page writes out in the key you choose. These are the numerals and how they sound in C major:
- Pop: I–V–vi–IV: C – G – Am – F.
- Ballad: vi–IV–I–V: Am – F – C – G.
- Jazz: ii7–V7–Imaj7–VI7: Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – A7.
- R&B / soul: I–iii–IV–iv: C – Em – F – Fm.
- Rock / blues: I–IV–V–IV: C – F – G – F.
- Epic: I–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII: C – B♭ – A♭ – B♭, with two chords borrowed from the minor mode.
From the page to your DAW as MIDI
Choose the “Key” and the “Style”, press “Play” to hear the progression on a synthesized piano, at 120 BPM with one bar per chord, and press “Export MIDI” to download the .mid file.
The MIDI file is at 120 BPM, with one 4/4 bar per chord and the notes of each chord played together, and its name includes the key and the style. In your DAW you can change the tempo, the instrument and the rhythm of the chords.
How the progressions are built
Roman numerals tell you which degree of the scale each chord is built on: uppercase for major and lowercase for minor. That is why the same progression works in any key: I–V–vi–IV is C, G, Am and F in C major, and E, B, C♯m and A in E major.
All 12 keys are major, and each chord is spelled as it is in that key: D♭, E♭, F♯, A♭ and B♭ major, without mixing sharps and flats. To see the other chords of a key, open chords in a key; to improvise over a progression on a loop, try the backing track generator.
Frequently asked questions
Which chords should I use to write a song?
Start with the chords of your key: in major, I, IV and V are the foundation and vi adds a minor color. Progressions like I–V–vi–IV or vi–IV–I–V are common in pop; here you can hear them and take them with you as MIDI.
How do I download the progression as MIDI?
Choose the key and the style and press “Export MIDI”. You get a .mid file at 120 BPM, with one 4/4 bar per chord, that opens in any DAW.
Can I listen to the progression before downloading it?
Yes: “Play” plays it once on a synthesized piano, at 120 BPM with one bar per chord, and “Stop” stops it.
Can I use these progressions in my songs?
Yes, you are free to use them. They are very common chord combinations in popular music.
Does it have minor keys or modes?
No: all 12 keys are major. The ballad (vi–IV–I–V) starts on the relative minor chord, and the epic progression borrows ♭VII and ♭VI from the minor mode.
What does ♭VII mean in a progression?
The major chord built a whole step below the tonic, borrowed from the minor mode. In C major it is B♭ major.
Where can I find more chord progressions?
In the Full Partituras chord progression generator, with more progressions to see and hear with their chord diagrams.