MelodyMake

Sad chord progressions

Tap a progression to hear it loop. Pick any key and the chords respell themselves.

Minor progressions use A minor; major ones use A major.

  1. Minor pop loop

    i – ♭VI – ♭III – ♭VII

    AmFCG

    The most common minor loop in modern pop and film. It never resolves strongly, so it feels like longing rather than tragedy.

  2. Sensitive (vi start)

    vi – IV – I – V

    F♯mDAE

    The pop anthem chords, rotated to start on the minor vi. Same four chords, far more wistful.

  3. Borrowed minor iv

    I – III – IV – iv

    AC♯DDm

    Major IV turning into minor iv is the classic heartbreak move; Radiohead’s “Creep” is built on it.

  4. Andalusian cadence

    i – ♭VII – ♭VI – V

    AmGFE

    A stepwise walk down to a major V, heard from flamenco to “Hit the Road Jack”. Dark and dramatic.

  5. Natural minor cadence

    i – iv – v – i

    AmDmEmAm

    Built only from the natural minor scale. The minor v gives a soft, folk-like resolution with no sharp pull.

  6. Harmonic minor cadence

    i – iv – V – i

    AmDmEAm

    The same idea with a major V (from harmonic minor): the raised leading tone makes the return home feel inevitable.

  7. Falling minor

    i – ♭VII – ♭VI – ♭VII

    AmGFG

    Rocks between the lowered sixth and seventh without ever touching V. Brooding, unresolved.

  8. Minor plagal ending

    I – vi – IV – iv

    AF♯mDDm

    Ends on the borrowed iv. Loop it and the return to I sounds bittersweet every time.

Want your own? Loop, randomise and export any of these in the chord progression generator.

Why these progressions work

Sadness in harmony mostly comes from two things: minor chords sitting in the strong positions (the first chord, or the chord you land on), and borrowed chords from the parallel minor that darken a major key. The progressions below use one or both.

The Roman numerals describe each chord by its position in the key, so the same progression works anywhere: upper case is major, lower case is minor, ° is diminished, ø is half-diminished and ♭ marks a chord borrowed from outside the scale. To see which chords belong to a key, open chords in the key of C or any other key, or spin the circle of fifths.

More progressions

Questions

What makes a chord progression sound sad?

Minor chords in prominent positions, slow harmonic rhythm, and borrowed chords from the parallel minor (iv, ♭VI, ♭VII) in a major key. Tempo, register and the melody matter just as much as the chords.

What is the saddest chord progression?

There is no single answer, but i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII and the major-to-minor IV–iv change are the ones songwriters reach for most when they want an obviously sad sound.

Can a major key progression sound sad?

Yes. Starting on vi (vi–IV–I–V) or swapping IV for minor iv makes a major key sound melancholy without leaving it.

What key is best for sad songs?

Any key works; sadness comes from the chord choices, not the key itself. Pick the key that suits your vocal range, which you can check with the pitch detector.