House chord progressions

House harmony is simple on purpose: a short loop of three or four chords that repeats under the whole track. These are the progressions that keep coming back in house music, in A minor and C major. Play them, take the MIDI, or open one in the generator and make it yours.

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The minor anthem loop

A minor
AmiFVICIIIGVII

i, VI, III, VII. The minor four-chord loop under a huge share of house and EDM drops.

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Minor with a lift

A minor
AmiDmivGVIICIII

i, iv, VII, III. Starts dark and ends on a major chord, so the loop always wants to go round again.

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Piano house

C major
CIGVAmviFIV

I, V, vi, IV. Bright and familiar; played as stabs on a piano it is pure 90s piano house.

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Two-chord groove

A minor
AmiGVII

i to VII. Two chords leave the groove room to do the work, common in tech house and minimal.

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Sevenths turnaround

C major
Dm7ii7G7V7Cmaj7Imaj7

ii7, V7, Imaj7. The jazz turnaround, used in soulful and disco-flavoured house.

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Making them sound like house

  • Keep the loop to one chord per bar, or one per two bars, and let the drums and bass carry the movement.
  • Play the chords as short stabs on the offbeat for a classic house feel, or hold them as pads for a deeper one.
  • Put the bass on the root of each chord, an octave or two below, and keep it out of the way of the kick.

Every progression on the site, in every key, as MIDI in one zip: free MIDI chord progressions.

More chord progressions

Chord progressions by key

Play these chords with VISIONS OF TOMORROW →71 Serum 2 presets for house and techno, with pads, keys, plucks and stabs made for chords like these. $29.

Or start with the free pack: 24 sounds from all three packs, and a 25% code for the full packs a few days later.

Questions

What key is most house music in?

Minor keys are the most common, and A minor, F minor and G minor come up a lot because they suit both the bass and the vocal range. Any key works; transpose the MIDI to fit your track.

How many chords does a house progression have?

Usually two to four, repeating every two, four or eight bars. Short loops keep the focus on the groove.

Why do house tracks use the same progressions?

Because they work on a dance floor: they loop without a clear ending, so the track can run for minutes without feeling stuck. The sound, the voicing and the rhythm of the chords are what make each track different.

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