Posts tagged “chords”
Jul 2, 2026
How chords fit a key: diatonic and borrowed chords
Some chords fit a key and some are borrowed from a parallel scale. This interactive guide lays both sets on a grid you can play, so you can see which chords belong, what a borrowed chord really is, and how many you can use before the key blurs.
Jun 19, 2026
How to make trap melodies: the five types every producer should know
Trap melodies are everything in the beat except the drums and 808. Learn the five melody types, from dark one-chord loops to call-and-response, without theory.
May 11, 2026
How to write cinematic chord progressions for any emotion
Cinematic chord progressions get easy to write once you understand the theory behind them. This article covers that theory and shows eight playable examples, each with a short breakdown of why it works.
Mar 20, 2026
How to use cadences to keep a loop from sounding static
A cadence is a section marker, not just a classical chord trick. Use faster end-of-loop chord changes, bass fills and drum fills to give a repetitive loop structure.
Mar 9, 2026
How to make soulful chord progressions
Soulful chord progressions get easy to write once you understand the harmony behind them. This article explains that theory and works through playable examples, each with a short breakdown of why it works.
Jan 27, 2026
How to make dark chord progressions
Dark chord progressions hold an atmosphere tense but not energetic, an ominous bed for rap. This article explains the theory and works through playable examples, each with a short breakdown of why it works.
Jan 17, 2026
How to make wavy chord progressions 🌊
Wavy chord progressions use the same lush chords as soul but in a calmer, more drifting way. This article explains the theory and works through playable examples, each with a short breakdown of why it works.
Jan 10, 2026
Trap chord progressions: a complete guide
Trap chord progressions stay simple in harmony but syncopated in timing. Progressions in A minor, off-bar chord lengths, sustained vs arpeggiated voicing, and the sounds that sit chords in the background.
Nov 2, 2025
How to make a chord progression sound better: an interactive voicing tutorial
Voicing turns a flat chord progression into a full, smooth one. An interactive tutorial: play every example and click any note to hear it, from plain triads to range-normalized voicings.
Aug 28, 2025
How to write chord progressions: a beginner's guide with interactive examples
Chords are simpler than they look. Pick a key, stack three notes, put four in a row. A no-theory 101 guide with playable major, minor and emotion examples.
Aug 17, 2025
Chord progressions for every emotion: an interactive emotion wheel
Every chord carries a mood, and a progression is the movement between moods. Spin the interactive emotion wheel to hear playable chord progressions for joy, dread, nostalgia and more.
May 6, 2025
How to make a pluggnb beat: jazzy chords, bells and bouncy plugg drums
Make a pluggnb beat: minor-key 7th and 9th chords, the one-semitone tension trick, bell melodies with grace notes, and sparse plugg drums that bounce.
Apr 25, 2025
Drill chord progressions: playable dark loops and why they work
Drill chord progressions with playable examples: two-chord minor loops, Phrygian menace, droning roots and the dissonant notes that create the tension.