Chord Progressions

Riff accepts chord progressions as a space-separated list of chord symbols. The generator analyzes your progression to detect the key and builds a solo that resolves naturally over each chord change.

Chord Syntax

Type chords using standard notation. Each chord is separated by a space:

Am F C G

Supported Chord Types

| Syntax | Type | Example | |--------|------|---------| | C | Major | C major | | Cm | Minor | C minor | | Cdim | Diminished | C diminished | | Caug | Augmented | C augmented | | Cmaj7 | Major 7th | C major seventh | | Cm7 | Minor 7th | C minor seventh | | C7 | Dominant 7th | C dominant seventh |

You can use any root note: C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B.

Flat notation (Bb, Eb, etc.) is also supported and automatically mapped to the equivalent sharp.

Key Detection

Riff automatically detects the key of your chord progression using music theory analysis. The detected key determines which notes are "in-key" for the solo.

For example:

  • C Am F G → detected key: C Major
  • Am F C G → detected key: A Minor (relative minor of C)
  • Em Am B7 → detected key: E Minor

The key is displayed alongside your generated solo as the tonic and mode (e.g. "A Minor").

Example Progressions

Here are some common progressions to try:

| Style | Progression | |-------|-------------| | Pop / Rock | C G Am F | | Blues (12-bar) | A7 A7 A7 A7 D7 D7 A7 A7 E7 D7 A7 E7 | | Jazz ii-V-I | Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 | | Minor ballad | Am Em F C | | Metal | Em C G D | | Country | G C D G |

Tips

  • Longer progressions give the generator more harmonic variety to work with.
  • Mixing chord qualities (major, minor, dominant) creates more interesting solos because the generator adjusts note choices per chord.
  • Repeated chords are fine — a 12-bar blues uses plenty of repetition and the generator still produces varied phrases.