Producers who don’t play keys — how are you handling chord progressions?

feedback wanted

I’m curious how beatmakers here approach chord progressions if you don’t play piano.

Do you:

•	Use MIDI packs?

•	Draw chords in manually?

•	Use a generator?

•	Just stick to simple triads?

I’ve noticed a lot of chord tools technically “work,” but they don’t always feel musical or emotionally cohesive.

I’ve been building something for myself to experiment with more tension/release and alternate chord suggestions inside a progression, and I’m trying to make sure it’s actually useful and not just another generic generator.

Before I go deeper with it:

What makes a chord progression tool actually helpful to you?

And what makes you avoid them?

Would love to hear how you all approach it.

Posted Feb 19, 2026, 3:12 PM UTC

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