What Is a Chord Progression Generator and How Do You Use One?

A chord progression generator is a tool that proposes sequences of chords for you to audition, edit, and export. You use one when you want a harmonic starting point without working out every chord by hand. Chordico (chordi.co) is a browser-based example: it describes itself as "a sketch pad for writing chord progressions" and lets you save, share, and download MIDI chords. It requires JavaScript enabled in your browser, and the site's own description does not state a price, so treat the free/paid question as unconfirmed until you check the app itself.

What the tool actually does

A generator does not write a finished song. It produces candidate progressions — ordered chords, usually with a key and a suggested number of bars — that you can loop, swap, and rearrange. The useful part is speed: you hear a harmonic idea in seconds instead of spelling out chords on an instrument or in a piano roll.

Chordico frames itself as a sketch pad rather than a full production suite. That framing matters for expectations: you get a place to draft and capture ideas, then move them elsewhere to finish.

How to use one, step by step

1. Open the app with JavaScript enabled. Chordico's page states plainly that the app needs JavaScript. If the interface doesn't load, that's the first thing to check, not a sign the tool is broken.
2. Set your starting conditions. Pick a key and, if the tool offers it, a mood, genre, or complexity level. These constrain the generator so its output fits the context you have in mind.
3. Generate and audition. Play the progression back. Listen for whether the movement between chords feels like the direction you want — tension, release, repetition.
4. Refine. Swap individual chords, reorder them, or shorten and extend the loop. Most of the value comes from this step, not the first generated result.
5. Save and share. Chordico supports saving and sharing progressions, which is useful for keeping a library of ideas or sending a sketch to a collaborator.
6. Download MIDI. Export the chords as a MIDI file and import it into your DAW. From there you can assign instruments, adjust voicings, and build the arrangement around it.

Expected result: a MIDI file containing your chord progression, ready to drop onto a track in your DAW, plus a saved or shared link to the sketch.

Where generated progressions fit in real songwriting

Treat the output as raw material, not a final answer. A few practical ways to use it:

• As a harmonic skeleton. Import the MIDI, then rewrite the rhythm and voicings so the chords serve your melody rather than the other way around.
• As a comparison set. Generate several progressions in the same key and keep the one whose movement surprises you in a useful way.
• As a collaboration handoff. Share the saved progression so a co-writer can hear the same harmonic idea before you both commit to an arrangement.

The common failure mode is accepting the first result. Generators are good at plausible; you still have to decide what's interesting.

Limitations to expect

• JavaScript is mandatory. Chordico's page explicitly notes this. No JavaScript, no app.
• Browser-based means browser-dependent. Behavior can vary across browsers and devices; if something looks wrong, try a different browser before assuming the tool is at fault.
• Pricing is not stated in the source material. Don't assume the tool is free just because it runs in a browser — verify on the site.
• A generator won't finish the song. It handles chord choice and ordering; melody, rhythm, arrangement, and production remain yours.

Quick decision guide

If your goal is a finished track, a generator is a starting point, not a shortcut. If your goal is to stop staring at a blank piano roll, it's a fast way to get a first draft of the harmony and move on to the parts only you can write.