Chord Progression Generator

C F Am G C

I IV vi V I

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How to Use the Chord Progression Generator

Use this free chord progression generator with thousands of writing prompts to help you beat songwriter’s block.

Get a random chord progression and writing prompt by hitting the “generate” button at the bottom of the app. A chord progression (written in both pop chord and Roman numeral notation) will appear in the window, along with a topic or prompt to write a song about.

You can listen to the progression by hitting the triangle button to the left of the chords and can change instruments (piano, guitar, strings, brass), tempo, volume, and key in the settings.

If you like either the prompt or the chord progression but want to generate more of the other, you can use the lock buttons to the right of the chord progression or prompt windows to keep that specific prompt while generating other chord progressions or prompts.

What are Chord Progressions?

Chord progressions refer to the order that chords come in a piece of music.

In Classical music, these progressions tend to follow a pattern of chord types Tonic (I or vi) that goes to Pre-Dominant (ii, IV, vi) that goes to Dominant (V, V7, or vii𝆩) that then goes back to

In pop music, these tend to be cyclical, meaning one chord progression gets repeated throughout the entire piece of music. They somewhat follow the same scheme as in Classical music, but these progressions tend to be shorter and repeat verbatim more often. They also treat the IV chord as a Dominant chord.

No matter what style of music you’re writing, if you’re having trouble coming up with your own chord progressions, using a free chord progression generator like this can help you get started.

If you want to learn more about how chord progressions work, check out these courses:

  • How to Build Chords (free)
  • Complete Chord Progressions and Harmony Course
What are the Roman Numerals?

The lower part of the chord progression window shows you the chords in Roman numeral notation.

Roman numerals have historically been used in music theory to refer to the chord that’s built on that step of the scale.

For example, in the key of C major, the chord that’s built from C is I. C is the first step in the scale, and it’s a major chord, so you can refer to that chord with a capital “I” Roman numeral.

While you don’t have to use capitalization to show chord qualities, it is common to do so:

  • Major = capital (I, IV, V, etc.)
  • Minor = lowercase (ii, iii, vi, etc.)
  • Diminished = lowercase with a degree symbol (ii°, vii°, etc.)
  • Augmented = capital with a plus (V+, III+, etc.)

Using Roman numerals to show chords can be helpful because it they can refer to any key and help you see patterns between different songs.

You can explore this by changing the key in the settings. You’ll see that the pop chord symbols change depending on the key, but the Roman numerals will stay the same.

Learn More About Chord Progressions

If you want to learn more about how to make your own chord progressions, these articles will help:

Road Map for the Chord Progression Generator

This is version 2 of the chord progression generator!

Plans for the future include:

  • Ability to save and make notes on your favorite chord progressions and prompts, so you can keep track of your best ideas!
  • MIDI keyboard that will play the chords
  • MIDI guitar that will play the chords
  • Vibe selection (bossa, lyrical, disco, etc.)
  • Sheet music display that will play the chords
  • Ability to download the MIDI or sheet music, so you can get right to making music
Support the Development of the Chord Progression Generator

Want to support this tool? Thank you! 🙏

Here’s how you can help:

Happy musicking 😊

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