How to Find Chords for a Melody: A Step by Step Guide

You have a melody. Maybe you hummed it into a voice memo, maybe it's a little piano loop in your DAW. Now you want chords under it, but which ones? Good news: you don't need a music theory degree. With a simple step by step method you'll find chords that fit, and then you pick the ones that sound best by ear.

Quick answer

First find the key of your melody. Write down the seven chords in that key. For each bar, find the most important melody note (held long or landing on the beat) and pick a chord that contains that note. Listen, swap, and keep what feels right.

Step 1: find the key of your melody

Everything starts with the key. It tells you which chords "belong" with your melody.

• Got the melody as audio? Drop the file into Beat Lab. It gives you an estimate of the key (and the BPM). It's an estimate, so always double check it by ear.
• By ear: sing or play your melody and find the note where it feels finished, like coming home. That's usually your root note. If the whole thing sounds dark or sad, you're probably in a minor key. If it sounds open and happy, it's often major.

Not sure if it's major or minor? This article on major and minor shows you how to hear the difference.

Step 2: write down the chords in that key

Every key has seven chords you can build using only the notes of its scale. In C major (white keys only) those are:

C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and Bdim

A minor uses exactly the same notes, it just starts on A:

Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G

In another key the pattern simply moves along. How that works, with a table for every key, is explained in which chords go together.

Step 3: find the most important melody note in each bar

You don't need a new chord under every note. Usually one chord per bar (or per two bars) is plenty. In each bar, look for:

• notes that land on beat one;
• notes that are held for a long time;
• notes the melody keeps coming back to.

You can ignore quick passing notes for now. They'll simply run over the top.

Step 4: pick a chord that contains that note

A basic chord is made of three notes. If your important melody note is one of them, melody and chord lock together. In C major (and A minor) it looks like this:

Melody note	Chords that contain that note
C	C, F, Am
D	Dm, G, Bdim
E	C, Em, Am
F	Dm, F, Bdim
G	C, Em, G
A	Dm, F, Am
B	Em, G, Bdim

So every note gives you three options. The diminished chord (Bdim) sounds tense and shows up less often in beats, so most of the time you'll pick from the other two.

Step 5: let your ears decide

This is the fun part. The same melody note sounds different over a different chord. An E over C feels stable and bright. That same E over Am instantly sounds more melancholic. Play the options back to back and pick what fits the vibe of your track. There's no wrong answer as long as it sounds good.

Example: a melody in A minor

Say your melody has these important notes on beat one of four bars: C, A, G and B.

1. Bar 1, note C: pick Am (A, C, E).
2. Bar 2, note A: pick F (F, A, C).
3. Bar 3, note G: pick C (C, E, G).
4. Bar 4, note B: pick G (G, B, D).

That gives you Am, F, C, G, a progression you'll hear in loads of pop songs and beats. Want it darker? Try Em (E, G, B) in bar 3 instead of C.

Step 6: build it out in your DAW

• Start or end on the home chord. In A minor that's Am, in C major it's C. It gives the loop a sense of rest.
• Keep it simple. Four repeating chords leave room for a rapper or singer.
• Put the root in the bass. A bassline or 808 on the root of each chord fills things out right away.
• Check for clashes. If you hear a grinding note on a strong beat, the melody is often a half step away from a chord note (for example an F over a C chord). Pick a different chord or make that note shorter.

Faster: start with the chord progression generator

Rather hear something first? With the free chord progression generator you pick a mood (Dark, Sad, Chill, Happy, Epic or R&B), your key and tempo. You get a four chord progression you can play right away. Line your melody up against it in your DAW and use the table above to check whether the important notes fit. Sounds good? Download the MIDI: you get the chords plus a bassline on the root notes, a solid starting point for your 808.

Chords and melody done? Finish your beat with drums and 808s from the NameOnTheBeat sample packs. For help writing the melody itself, check out how to make a melody for your beat.

FAQ

Do I need to know music theory to find chords for a melody?

No. If you know the key and use the table above, you'll get a long way. The rest is listening and trying things out.

Can one melody have more than one good chord progression?

Yes. Because every note fits into several chords, you can put different progressions under the same melody. That's a great way to give a hook a new color later in the song without changing the melody.

What if my melody has a note that's not in the key?

If it's a quick passing note, you can often just leave it. If it lands on an important beat, you might be in a different key than you thought, or your melody is borrowing a note from another key. Check the key again, for example with Beat Lab.

How many chords do I need?

For most beats three or four chords are enough. Repetition works: it gives the listener something to hold on to and leaves space for the vocal.