Chord Progression Generator: Sad, Happy, Dark & More
Pick a mood and a key. You get every chord spelled out, real songs that use the progression, playback right in your browser and a free MIDI download for your DAW.
Song examples for each mood: sad · emotional · dark · happy · epic · romantic chord progressions from hit songs, with free MIDI.
Looking for a specific style? See pop, EDM, indie, country and K-pop progressions with real song examples.
Progressions with a lower-case i are shown in the minor key of the root you pick (for example C minor); the rest in the major key. Chords marked ♭ are borrowed from the parallel minor.
The Chord Progression MIDI Pack
72 progressions from hit songs and moods, in all 12 keys: 864 MIDI files for any DAW. Plus The Songwriter's Cheat Sheet (PDF).
Your downloads are ready. The links are on their way to your inbox too.
DOWNLOAD MIDI PACK → CHEAT SHEET PDFWant the same progressions as 7th chords, piano stabs, arpeggios, ballad piano and pads? See MIDI Pack PRO ($9) →
Turn the progression into a song
SongwriterMap adds what to do on top of the chords: song structure, hook writing, melody shapes, lyric devices and a 7-point melody check, with an exercise for every item.
How to use the generator
- Choose the feeling of the section you're writing, not the whole song. Verses and choruses often use different progressions.
- Pick a key that suits the voice. Try a few: the same progression can sit perfectly in one key and strain the singer in another.
- Loop it and hum. Press play and sing nonsense syllables over the loop until a phrase sticks. Then read the melody tip under "Why it works".