What Are the Alternatives and All Chords in Key Sections on AutoChords.com?

The Alternatives section suggests other progressions that are likely to sound good alongside your main progression, using the circle of fifths to find them. The All Chords in Key section lists every standard chord that belongs to the key you selected, so you can add an extra chord to your progression. Both sections sit below your main progression and are meant to help you expand or vary what you already have.

Alternatives: finding progressions that fit your main one

Once you've picked a feel and key, AutoChords shows your chosen progression under Main Progression. The Alternatives section then "does some magic with the circle of fifths to find some progressions that will probably sound good with the main progression."

What that means in practice:

  • The alternatives are chosen because they relate to your main progression through the circle of fifths, so they tend to work musically next to it.
  • The key might not match exactly in some of these alternatives. That's expected, not a bug.
  • Because the key can shift, these are useful for mixing things up — for example, dropping in an interesting chorus or bridge in your song.

Each alternative is shown as a chord with its notes listed underneath, and has Edit / Export controls, the same as the main progression.

When to use Alternatives

Use this section when your main progression feels fine on its own but you need a contrasting section. Pick an alternative, check whether its key shift suits the mood you want for a chorus or bridge, and edit or export it if it works.

All Chords in Key: the full palette for your chosen key

The All Chords in Key section "shows you all of the standard chords in the key you've chosen."

Its stated purpose is straightforward: "If you want to put an extra chord in your progression to change it up, pick from one of these."

So the workflow is:

  1. Choose your feel and key.
  2. Review the main progression.
  3. If you want to add a chord rather than swap the whole progression, open All Chords in Key and pick one of the standard chords listed there.
  4. Like the other sections, each chord shows its notes and offers Edit / Export.

When to use All Chords in Key

Use it when you want a small change — an extra chord inside the existing progression — rather than a new section. Because every chord listed belongs to the key you selected, anything you pick will stay in key.

How the two sections differ

Section What it gives you Key behavior Best for
Alternatives Progressions likely to sound good with your main one, found via the circle of fifths May not match your key exactly Choruses, bridges, contrasting sections
All Chords in Key All standard chords in your chosen key Always in your selected key Adding one extra chord to vary the progression

A practical example

Say you've generated a progression in G major and it works for a verse. You want a chorus that feels different but still connected. Open Alternatives, try one of the suggested progressions, and accept that it may sit in a slightly different key — that shift is part of what makes the chorus stand out. If instead you just want to stretch the verse by one chord, go to All Chords in Key, pick a standard chord from the list, and slot it in without leaving G major.

Both sections use the same chord display format — chord name, notes in the chord, and Edit / Export — so once you've learned one, the other works the same way.

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