how to write a chord progression

a chord progression is the order of chords under a melody, and most good ones follow a simple pull: they move away from home toward a point of tension, then come back. you can write one as chord symbols above the staff in a score, or as Roman numerals that work in any key.

use Roman numerals, so the progression works in any key.
move away from home (I) and back, ending phrases with a cadence.
start from a known progression, then change one chord.

what is a chord progression?

a chord progression is the series of chords under a melody, in order. it sets up the harmony of a song or piece, creates tension and release, and tells the listener where home is. most progressions are written as Roman numerals, such as I–V–vi–IV, so the same pattern can be played in any key.

1. build the chords of your key

take the scale of your key and stack every other note on each step. in a major key that always gives the same pattern of chord types, which is why progressions are written in Roman numerals: the numerals work in any key. upper case means major, lower case means minor, and ° means diminished.

the chords of C major and G major, by Roman numeral
numeral	in C major	in G major	job in the progression
I	C	G	home (tonic)
ii	Dm	Am	leads toward V (predominant)
iii	Em	Bm	a softer stand-in for I
IV	F	C	leads toward V, or straight home (predominant)
V	G	D	tension that wants to resolve to I (dominant)
vi	Am	Em	the relative minor, often used in place of I
vii°	B°	F♯°	a lighter version of V

2. move away from home and back

the most reliable shape is tonic, then predominant, then dominant, then tonic: I, then ii or IV, then V, then I. you can stretch any stage, repeat it, or skip the predominant, and it still sounds like it is going somewhere. the end of a phrase is called a cadence, and four kinds cover nearly everything:

authentic cadence, V to I: the strongest "the end" sound.
plagal cadence, IV to I: softer, the "amen" at the end of a hymn.
half cadence, a phrase that stops on V: sounds like a question waiting for an answer.
deceptive cadence, V to vi: the ear expects I and gets the relative minor instead.

3. start from a progression people already know

I–V–vi–IV (C, G, Am, F): the loop under a huge number of pop songs.
I–vi–IV–V (C, Am, F, G): the 1950s doo-wop progression.
ii–V–I (Dm7, G7, Cmaj7): the basic move of jazz harmony.
12-bar blues: four bars of I7, two of IV7, two of I7, then V7, IV7, I7 and a final V7 that turns the form around.
i–iv–V–i in a minor key (Am, Dm, E, Am): note the V is major. raising the seventh note of the scale (G to G♯ in A minor) gives the strong pull home that the plain minor v chord (Em) lacks.

you can use a familiar progression freely. chords on their own aren't owned by anyone, and the melody and rhythm you put over them are what make a song yours.

4. add one surprise

once the basic shape works, change one chord. borrowing from the parallel minor is the easiest way in: in C major, swap F for F minor (iv) on the way back to C, or put a B♭ (♭VII) before the final C. a secondary dominant is the next step: play the V of the chord you are heading to, so A7 before Dm, or D7 before G.

5. connect the chords smoothly

a progression sounds better when each voice moves as little as possible. keep any note the two chords share in the same voice, and move the other notes by step. C to F keeps the C, moves E up to F and G up to A. use inversions, like C/E or G/B, to keep the bass line moving by step.

a three-staff score in C minor with bells, strings and 808 bass; the strings hold C minor, then A flat major — a two-bar loop in C minor, engraved in notei. the strings play i (C minor, C E♭ G), then VI (A♭ major, A♭ C E♭): two chords that share two notes, so only one voice has to move.

6. write it down and listen

write the chord symbols above a melody, or as block chords on a staff, then play it back. your ear is the final test. the circle of fifths is a quick map of which keys and chords sit near each other; ours is here, free to use.

in notei you can put chord symbols above the staff and hear them with sampled instruments, and you can ask the built-in assistant why a chord works or what to try next, in plain language. on the paid tiers, notei can also harmonise a melody you've written, so you can compare its choices with your own. see the features page for the rest.

common questions about chord progressions

what is the most common chord progression?

in pop music, I–V–vi–IV (in C major: C, G, Am, F) is one of the most used, along with its rotation vi–IV–I–V. in jazz the basic building block is ii–V–I, and the 12-bar blues runs on I, IV and V.

what is a ii–V–I?

three chords built on the second, fifth and first notes of a key: in C major, Dm7, G7 and Cmaj7. each root falls a fifth to the next, which gives the strongest pull home in jazz harmony. the walking bass guide writes a bass line over one.

how many chords should a progression have?

most songs loop a progression of two to four chords, often one chord per bar. that is enough to set up tension and release; longer progressions work too, but a short loop is easier for players and listeners to follow.

how do I write a progression in a minor key?

use the chords of the minor scale, i, iv and v in A minor, but raise the seventh note for the V chord, so it is E major (E G♯ B) and not E minor. that raised note gives the V chord the pull back to i that a minor v lacks.

sources

related guides: how to harmonize a melody, how to voice chords, how to make a lead sheet and the chord identifier. terms are explained in the music notation glossary.

this guide is part of the how to write sheet music series. notei publishes it, and notei is our product.

written and checked by the notei team. how these guides are written and corrected.

last updated 28 october 2026 by notei

try it in notei