Chord progressions for producers: common, sad, pop, R&B and trap, in every key
The chord progressions producers use most, from the four-chord pop loop to sad, R&B, lo-fi and trap progressions, written in Roman numerals and worked out in every key.
A chord progression is the order a song moves through its chords. Most pop, hip-hop and R&B is built on a handful of them, looped every two or four bars. This guide lists the ones producers reach for, writes them in Roman numerals so they work in any key, and gives the chords of every key so you can put them straight into a session.
How to read chord numerals
Each chord is named by the step of the scale it is built on, in Roman numerals. Upper case is a major chord, lower case a minor chord and ° a diminished chord. In C major, I is C, IV is F, V is G and vi is A minor. Because the numbers describe positions rather than notes, a progression works in every key: I–V–vi–IV is C – G – Am – F in C major and G – D – Em – C in G major. A 7 after a numeral adds a seventh, so ii7 in C is Dm7.
Chords in every major key
The seven chords of each major key, built only from the notes of its scale. The keys run around the circle of fifths.
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bdim |
| G | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F#dim |
| D | D | Em | F#m | G | A | Bm | C#dim |
| A | A | Bm | C#m | D | E | F#m | G#dim |
| E | E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D#dim |
| B | B | C#m | D#m | E | F# | G#m | A#dim |
| F# | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | E#dim |
| Db | Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab | Bbm | Cdim |
| Ab | Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb | Fm | Gdim |
| Eb | Eb | Fm | Gm | Ab | Bb | Cm | Ddim |
| Bb | Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F | Gm | Adim |
| F | F | Gm | Am | Bb | C | Dm | Edim |
Chords in every minor key
The natural minor scale gives these seven chords. Each minor key uses the same notes as the major key on the same row of the table above, its relative major: A minor and C major share all seven chords and only start from a different home.
| Key | i | ii° | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Am | Bdim | C | Dm | Em | F | G |
| E | Em | F#dim | G | Am | Bm | C | D |
| B | Bm | C#dim | D | Em | F#m | G | A |
| F# | F#m | G#dim | A | Bm | C#m | D | E |
| C# | C#m | D#dim | E | F#m | G#m | A | B |
| G# | G#m | A#dim | B | C#m | D#m | E | F# |
| D# | D#m | E#dim | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# |
| Bb | Bbm | Cdim | Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab |
| F | Fm | Gdim | Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb |
| C | Cm | Ddim | Eb | Fm | Gm | Ab | Bb |
| G | Gm | Adim | Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F |
| D | Dm | Edim | F | Gm | Am | Bb | C |
Many minor-key songs swap the minor v for a major V (E instead of Em in A minor), which pulls harder back to i. It comes from the harmonic minor scale, and several progressions below use it.
Common chord progressions
| Progression | What it does |
|---|---|
| I–V–vi–IV C – G – Am – F C major | The four-chord pop progression. Its nickname, the Axis progression, comes from a 2008 comedy medley that showed how many hits use it. |
| I–vi–IV–V C – Am – F – G C major | The '50s or doo-wop progression, common in the 1950s and early 1960s. |
| vi–IV–I–V Am – F – C – G C major | The pop progression started on its minor chord: the same four chords with a darker pull. |
| I–IV–V C – F – G C major | The three chords of the 12-bar blues. |
| ii7–V7–Imaj7 Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 C major | The ii–V–I, the standard cadence of jazz, usually played with seventh chords. |
| i–VII–VI–V Am – G – F – E A minor | The Andalusian cadence, a name taken from flamenco: four chords stepping down to a major V. |
Wikipedia's article on I–V–vi–IV lists songs that use it or one of its rotations, from the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden" (1978) to Adele's "Someone like You" (2011). The sources for the names and dates in this table are the Wikipedia articles on the I–V–vi–IV progression, the '50s progression, the ii–V–I progression and the Andalusian cadence.
Sad chord progressions
A progression sounds sad when it leans on minor chords and starts or comes to rest on one. These five are good starting points:
| Progression | What it does |
|---|---|
| vi–IV–I–V Am – F – C – G C major | Starts on the minor chord, so the loop leans minor even though three of its four chords are major. |
| i–VI–III–VII Am – F – C – G A minor | The same four chords heard from A minor. Which chord feels like home decides whether a loop sounds major or minor. |
| i–iv–VI–V Am – Dm – F – E A minor | Two minor chords, then a major V that pulls back to i. |
| IV–iv–I F – Fm – C C major | Borrows the minor iv from C minor. The one-note change from F to Fm (A down to Ab) is the bittersweet moment. |
| i–VI–VII Am – F – G A minor | Climbs from VI to VII and falls back to i at the top of the loop. |
Pop chord progressions
Pop leans on I–V–vi–IV and its rotations: the same four chords started from a different one. In C major they are C – G – Am – F, G – Am – F – C, Am – F – C – G and F – C – G – Am. Here is the first one in every key:
| Key | I–V–vi–IV |
|---|---|
| C major | C – G – Am – F |
| G major | G – D – Em – C |
| D major | D – A – Bm – G |
| A major | A – E – F#m – D |
| E major | E – B – C#m – A |
| B major | B – F# – G#m – E |
| F# major | F# – C# – D#m – B |
| Db major | Db – Ab – Bbm – Gb |
| Ab major | Ab – Eb – Fm – Db |
| Eb major | Eb – Bb – Cm – Ab |
| Bb major | Bb – F – Gm – Eb |
| F major | F – C – Dm – Bb |
R&B and lo-fi chord progressions
R&B, neo-soul and lo-fi lean on seventh chords: a fourth note stacked on each triad that softens it. Add sevenths to any progression above, or start from these:
| Progression | What it does |
|---|---|
| ii7–V7–Imaj7 Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 C major | The jazz cadence with sevenths. Looped, it is a ready lo-fi bed. |
| Imaj7–vi7–ii7–V7 Cmaj7 – Am7 – Dm7 – G7 C major | A turnaround: four chords that lead straight back to the first. |
| IVmaj7–iii7–ii7–Imaj7 Fmaj7 – Em7 – Dm7 – Cmaj7 C major | Steps down the scale one chord at a time. |
| iiø7–V7–i Bm7b5 – E7 – Am A minor | The minor-key cadence: a half-diminished ii and a dominant V resolving to i. |
For more color, take a seventh up to a ninth: Cmaj9 is C, E, G, B and D.
Trap chord progressions
For trap, a good starting point is a minor key and a short loop of two to four chords, with the 808 playing the roots. Voice the chords as a pad, piano, bell or choir and leave space for the melody.
| Progression | What it does |
|---|---|
| i–VI Am – F A minor | Two chords that share two notes (A and C stay, E moves up to F): the simplest dark loop. |
| i–iv Am – Dm A minor | Home and the minor four: heavy and plain, room for the melody. |
| i–VI–III–VII Am – F – C – G A minor | The four-chord minor loop from the sad list, a little more movement. |
| i–iv–V Am – Dm – E A minor | The major V (E instead of Em) adds tension before the loop restarts. |
| i–bII Am – Bb A minor | A half step up and back: the dark rub of the Phrygian mode. |
Using a progression in a beat
- Find the key. Building around a sample? The Key and BPM Finder reads its key and tempo in your browser.
- Pick the chords. Read the key's row in the tables above and choose a progression.
- Give each chord a bar (or two) and loop four or eight bars.
- Voice the chords close together. Keep the notes two chords share where they are and move the others by the smallest step. Close voicings sound smoother than jumping between root positions.
- Put the roots in the bass. The root is the note a chord is named after. If an 808 plays them, how to tune an 808 has each note's frequency.
- Change one thing at a time. An inversion, a seventh or one borrowed chord, such as iv in a major key, goes a long way.
Chord Glide in Kiln
Smooth voice leading is also something a synth can do as you play. Kiln Synthesizer has Chord Glide: in Poly, turn it on and each note of a chord slides from the nearest note of the chord before, on the same glide time and curve as mono glide. Voices never cross, chords of different sizes work, and it adds no latency.
