Bored with using the same chords and chord progressions time and again? Chord progression generators are the perfect way to quickly generate new ideas.
Not all music producers are proficient at the piano or have a thorough understanding of music theory. That’s okay! You don’t necessarily need these abilities to make good music.
While learning about chords and chord progressions is a great lifelong practice, chord progression generators can help jumpstart your creativity.
Arguably they may also aid in learning how different chord progressions work and provide guidance on what to learn next.
What’s a chord progression generator?
Chord progression generators use MIDI data to create chord progressions based on various music theory rules.
While chord progression generators eliminate the need for users to have a robust grasp of music theory or keyboard skills, even superior producers use them to quickly discover inspiration and test out chord progression ideas.
Having a chord progression generator in your plugins folder (even a pack of free MIDI chords) is an excellent great way to keep inspired and maintain exploring different aspects of music theory.
In case you’re curious about incorporating chord progression generators into your music-making workflow, don’t worry. Listed below are the 6 best chord progression generators available right now!
1. ChordJam Lite
ChordJam Lite is an extremely versatile chord progression generator that opens up so many avenues for inventive expression.
It provides tons of settings that you could control with its intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
If you’re searching for chord progressions in a particular key, scale, mode, or style you’ll discover plenty of inspiration.
It works with single-note input, so you just have to tap into a single-note melody to begin discovering ideas and an inventive direction.
It additionally works as a really powerful arpeggiator with deep control over each arpeggio pattern, chord, and even velocity values for each note in the arpeggio.
Out of all the chord progression generators available on the market, this one is undoubtedly a cut above the rest.
2. Ableton Live
Whereas Ableton Live is the greatest referred to as a DAW, designers made it in particular for creation and inspiration.
In addition to its many stock VST instrument plugins, it also has some fairly spectacular chord and scale functionality that make it simple to begin generating interesting chord progressions.
Push gives an incredibly intuitive tactile interface that may be mapped to scales and chords automatically.
It goes well beyond the chord generator category and might really regard as an instrument.
It’s especially powerful when paired with its companion DAW controller, the Ableton Push 2.
However, even without Push, Ableton’s scale and chord modes provide excellent chord generation capabilities–especially when you take into account the extensions Max for Live provides with its chord generator tool.
3. MIDI Chord packs
Searching for something free that you can use instantly? Check out some free MIDI chord packs.
They work as pre-generated chord progressions that you could drag and drop into a MIDI roll and play with any VST instrument.
There’s a ton of them available on the web, and, we’ve put a handful of MIDI chord progression packs together ourselves.
So if you limit your budget (to free choices), seize some MIDI chords and begin playing chord ideas in your DAW’s MIDI roll!
4. Captain Chords Epic
Captain Chords Epic may be worth a look if you’re looking for a truly professional option.
With its genre-categorized chord progressions, intuitive workflow, rhythm generator, and arpeggiator, you can quickly start generating some pretty interesting ideas.
It comes with settings to add complexity and velocity to your progressions. And even its personal sound library with preset sounds and controls for sound design.
In case you have a MIDI keyboard you may also use it to control the chord generator’s output.
5. Xfer Cthulu
Xfer Cthulu is possibly one of the earliest and most legendary chord progressions generators.
It basically functions as an enormous MIDI pack library with simple controls. This makes it easy to sift through and find interesting areas of inspiration.
Particularly, I assumed its collection of Bach chorale-inspired MIDI packs was interesting for its classic, nostalgic sound.
Considering that it was designed in collaboration with EDM legend Deadmau5, this is a wonderful choice for producers in that genre that are comfortable working with old-school interfaces.
6. Chord Prism
Chord Prism is another chord generator with an interesting interface that presents creative chord choices that are simple to use, manipulate and create with.
Its keyboard-centric design clearly shows precisely what chord the generator is set up to produce based on its parameters—key, chord progressions, voice leading choices, chord playing effects, and velocity.
It’s a fairly simple interface that provides a decent amount of control over the chords it’s generating, so if you’re searching for something easy and fast this could possibly be your best bet.