chordslol

Genre

R&B chord progressions

Rhythm and Blues combining soul, funk, and contemporary production

What makes it sound like this

Harmonic fingerprints.

  • Gospel-influenced progressions
  • Extended chords
  • Syncopated rhythms
  • Chromatic bass lines

Where it lives

Common keys.

The tonal centres r&b keeps coming back to — usually because they sit well on the instruments the style was built on. Each key page carries its full diatonic chord set, and links its relative minor for the darker corners of the genre.

4 progressions

The changes r&b runs on.

Written in roman numerals, then spelled out in the key of C. Every chord links to its own page; where the pattern has a full progression page of its own, that link is on the card.

Smooth R&B

Imaj7 — IIImaj7 — vi7 — ii7

Smooth chromatic movement

90s R&B

vi7 — III7 — vi7 — ii7 — V7

New jack swing progression

Vocabulary

The chords that define the sound.

Not just which qualities r&b reaches for, but those qualities built on the roots the genre actually plays in. Every chord links to its shapes, audio, and voice-leading notes.

Minor 7th

Smooth R&B sound

Major 7th

Sophisticated harmony

Minor 9th

Neo-soul influence

Dominant 9th

Contemporary R&B