Explore chord progressions for music production. Choose from major or minor progressions, select your key, and discover MIDI files with different moods and styles.
Bright, happy, and uplifting chord progressions
I - vi - IV - VDark, melancholic, and emotional chord progressions
i - VI - III - VIIA chord progression is a sequence of chords played in succession that forms the harmonic foundation of a piece of music. These sequences create the emotional backbone of songs and determine the overall mood, feel, and direction of your composition.
In music theory, chord progressions are typically written using Roman numerals (like I, IV, V, vi) that represent the scale degree of each chord's root note. This system allows musicians to transpose progressions to any key while maintaining the same harmonic relationships.
Each progression in our library includes free MIDI files that you can import directly into BrowserDAW or any other DAW to start creating your own music. Perfect for producers, songwriters, and musicians looking for inspiration.
Start by selecting major for bright, happy, and uplifting songs, or minor for darker, more emotional compositions. The mode sets the overall emotional character of your track.
Each key has its own sonic character. Some keys are more common in certain genres—for example, C major is often used in pop, while E minor is popular in rock and metal.
Browse progressions by mood to find the perfect emotional fit for your track. From dark and mysterious to bright and uplifting, each mood category contains progressions that evoke specific feelings.
Preview any progression directly in BrowserDAW, or download the MIDI file to use in your favorite DAW. All MIDI files are free to use in your productions.
The "Pop Progression"
Used in: Let It Be, No Woman No Cry, With or Without You
The "Minor Pop"
Used in: All Along the Watchtower, Zombie, Boulevard of Broken Dreams
The "Jazz Turnaround"
Used in: Fly Me to the Moon, Autumn Leaves, Take the A Train
The I-V-vi-IV progression (also known as the "four chord progression") is the most widely used progression in popular music. In the key of C major, this would be C-G-Am-F. It's been used in hundreds of hit songs across pop, rock, country, and more.
Major progressions typically sound bright, happy, and uplifting, while minor progressions tend to evoke darker, more emotional, or melancholic feelings. The difference lies in the intervals between notes in the scale—minor scales have a flattened third degree.
Roman numerals represent the scale degree of each chord's root. Uppercase numerals (I, IV, V) indicate major chords, while lowercase (i, ii, vi) indicate minor chords. For example, in C major: I=C, ii=Dm, iii=Em, IV=F, V=G, vi=Am, vii°=Bdim.
Yes! All chord progression MIDI files on BrowserDAW are free to use in your personal and commercial music productions. Chord progressions themselves cannot be copyrighted—they are the building blocks of music available to all musicians.