R&B chord progressions

Smooth progressions in 9th chords over an R&B beat. Generate new ones in any key and mood, lock what you like, and download them as MIDI.

Dreamy r&b · C major

How to use it

  1. Generate. The tool opens on R&B: 9th chords and an R&B beat at 90 BPM. Pick a key and a mood, and press Generate.
  2. Make it yours. Lock the chords you like and swap the rest for others that fit. Drag cards to change the order. Want it rawer or churchier? Pick Neo soul or Gospel in the Genre menu.
  3. Take it away. Download it as MIDI at your tempo, with the drums if you like.

What makes a progression sound R&B

  • Extended chords. Maj9, m9 and 9 chords. The added 9th gives R&B its soft, lush colour, which is why the tool opens on Extended.
  • Moves borrowed from jazz and gospel. The ii–V–I, and walk-downs like IV–iii–ii–I where every chord steps down to the next.
  • Few chords, lots of groove. Many R&B songs loop two or four chords and let the rhythm and the voicings do the rest.

Famous R&B chord progressions

In C, the minor one in A minor. Play one, or open it in the tool to change its key and download it.

  1. The Just the Two of Us progression

  2. The R&B ii–V–I in 9ths

  3. The neo soul walk down

  4. The minor R&B loop

The 7th chords of C major

R&B starts from these and adds the 9th on top:

More chord progressions

Heard a progression you love?

A chord for every half bar, from anything your Mac plays.

Questions

What chords are used in R&B?

7th and 9th chords: maj9 on I and IV, m9 on ii, iii and vi, and 9 (dominant) on V. Plain triads sound too bare for most R&B.

What is the Just the Two of Us progression?

IVmaj7–III7–vi7, then a quick turn back: Fmaj7, E7, Am7 in C. It's from Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers' "Just the Two of Us", and it has turned up in R&B, hip hop and lofi tracks ever since.

How do I get neo soul chords?

Pick Neo soul in the Genre menu. You get neo soul progressions in 9ths over a laid-back, swung beat.

How do I use these progressions in my DAW?

Download MIDI and drag the file onto a keys or synth track in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio or GarageBand. It has one chord per bar at your tempo. With Include drums on, the R&B beat comes along as General MIDI drums on channel 10.

Can I use these progressions in my songs?

Yes. Chord progressions can't be owned, and what you make with them is yours.

Piano sounds by the Salamander Grand Piano (Alexander Holm), CC BY 3.0. Guitar sounds from the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios.

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