Neo Soul Chord Progressions: 8 Soulful Loops (demos and free MIDI included)
HERE ARE 8 NEO SOUL CHORD PROGRESSIONS YOU CAN COPY, WITH DEMOS AND FREE MIDI!
What is a neo soul chord progression? It's a soul and R&B progression with a jazz twist: rich 9th, 11th and 13th chords, a few chords borrowed from outside the key, and smooth moves where whole chord shapes slide up and down. Played on a warm keys sound, it's the sound of neo soul.
Most neo soul guides are written for guitar, with chord names and nothing to hear. So for every progression below you get the exact piano notes, a screenshot of the piano roll in FL Studio, a demo so you can hear it, and the MIDI to drag straight into your beat.
If you're new to extended chords, start with our R&B chord progressions. This post builds on them with the moves that make neo soul sound like neo soul.
What makes neo soul chords different:
- Every chord is extended. 9ths, 11ths and 13ths are the default, not the exception. Plain triads almost never show up.
- Chords move as shapes. Neo soul keys players often keep the same hand shape and slide it up or down a half step or a whole step. That's called planing, and it's in progressions 2 and 4.
- Borrowed and swapped chords. The minor four, the flat seven and the tritone sub all come from outside the key, and they're what give neo soul its bittersweet colour.
- A slow, laid back tempo. Neo soul usually sits around 70 to 95 BPM, so every chord has time to ring. All the demos in this post are at 80 BPM, chords only, so you can hear every note. For drums to go with them, check out our boom bap drum patterns.
How to play neo soul chords on piano:
Every chord is written the way a keys player plays it: one bass note in the left hand, and 4 notes in the right hand. The notes are listed from the bottom up, with a + between the hands, so Gm9 (G + F A Bb D) means a low G in your left hand and F, A, Bb and D in your right hand.
The progressions are in F major and its relative minor, D minor. The free MIDI also has every progression in Ab major (F minor) and C major (A minor). In FL Studio, middle C is called C5, and black keys are shown as sharps, so Bb shows up as A#.
The demos are played on Prototype Dusty Felts, a soft felt piano. A Rhodes is the classic neo soul sound, so try these on an electric piano too.
1. The Minor Plagal Drop:
Bbmaj9 (Bb + A C D F), Bbm9 (Bb + Ab C Db F), Am7 (A + G A C E), Dm9 (D + F A C E)
The 4 chord (Bbmaj9) turns minor in bar 2: the A drops to Ab and the D drops to Db, and the bass doesn't move. That minor four is the most neo soul sound there is. Then it falls through Am7 to Dm9 for a soft, sad landing.
Minor plagal drop 80bpm F major
2. The Chromatic Slide:
Dm9 (D + F A C E), Ebm9 (Eb + Gb Bb Db F), Em9 (E + G B D F#), Ebm9
One hand shape, slid up a half step at a time and back down. Ebm9 and Em9 aren't in the key, but because every note moves together it sounds smooth instead of wrong. Try it with your left hand sliding too, like a bass player.
Chromatic slide 80bpm D minor
🔥 Pro Tip: any chord shape can slide. Hold a chord for 3 beats, then slide the same shape a half step up on beat 4 and back down, and you've got an instant neo soul move.
3. The 3-6-2-5:
Am11 (A + G C D E), Dm9 (D + F A C E), Gm9 (G + F A Bb D), C13 (C + E A Bb D)
Every bass note falls by a fifth: A, D, G, C. That's the circle of fifths, and it's why this one feels like it's always moving forward. The C13 at the end leads straight back to the start, or into an Fmaj9 if you want to land.
3-6-2-5 80bpm F major
4. The Flat Seven Float:
Fmaj9 (F + E G A C), Ebmaj9 (Eb + D F G Bb), Fmaj9, Ebmaj9
A two chord vamp. Ebmaj9 is the flat seven chord, borrowed from outside the key, and the whole shape just slides down a whole step and back up. It's dreamy and it never resolves, which makes it perfect for a long intro or a chill hook.
Flat seven float 80bpm F major
5. The Tritone Sub:
Gm9 (G + F A Bb D), Gb13 (Gb + E Ab Bb Eb), Fmaj9 (F + E G A C), D7#9 (D + F# A C F)
A normal 2-5-1 in F is Gm9, C13, Fmaj9. Here the C13 is swapped for Gb13, the chord a tritone away. They share the same two most important notes (Bb and E), so it still pulls to F, but now the bass slides down in half steps: G, Gb, F. The D7#9 at the end leads back into the Gm9.
Tritone sub 80bpm F major
6. The 4-5-3-6:
Bbmaj9 (Bb + A C D F), C9sus4 (C + G Bb D F), Am7 (A + G C E G), Dm9 (D + F A C E)
This one starts away from home on the 4 chord and never lands on the 1, so it keeps you waiting. The sus chord in bar 2 keeps it soft instead of a plain C7. It's a great hook progression because the end flows right back into the start.
4-5-3-6 80bpm F major
7. The Line Cliché:
Dm(add9) (D + F A D E), Dm(maj9) (D + F A C# E), Dm9 (D + F A C E), Dm6/9 (D + F A B E)
The chord stays D minor the whole time. Only one note in the middle walks down a half step each bar: D, C#, C, B. That moving inner line is called a line cliché, and it turns one chord into 4 bars of movement. Great for verses.
Line cliche 80bpm D minor
8. The Sus Resolution:
Gm11 (G + F A C D), C9sus4 (C + F G Bb D), C13 (C + E A Bb D), Fmaj9 (F + E G A C)
The C chord is held for 2 bars, but it changes inside: first as a sus chord (with an F), then as C13 (the F moves down to E). That small move releases the tension, and the Fmaj9 finally lands it.
Sus resolution 80bpm F major
Download The Free Neo Soul Chord MIDI:
All 8 progressions, each in 3 keys (24 MIDI files). Each file is 4 bars at 80 BPM with 2 parts: the chords exactly as you hear them in the demos, and a bass line on the root notes.
To use them in FL Studio, unzip the download, then drag a .mid file into the playlist or the channel rack. Not in the right key? Select all the notes in the piano roll and move them with the up and down arrow keys.
Make it sound like neo soul:
Push some chords early:
Neo soul keys rarely land exactly on beat 1. Try moving a few chords an 8th note early, so they arrive just before the bar, That push is a big part of the neo soul feel.
Keep the left hand low and simple:
One bass note per chord is enough, and it gives you space for a real bass line. Slide the bass into the next root, or let it play the root and the 5th.
Use a warm sound:
A Rhodes, a Wurlitzer or a soft piano works best. Roll off some high end with an EQ, add a little chorus or tape saturation, and keep the reverb short so the chords stay clear.
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CONCLUSION:
Neo soul chords come down to a few habits: extend every chord, move whole shapes instead of single notes, and borrow one chord from outside the key. Start with one of the progressions above, play it on a warm keys sound, and make it yours with a new key or a pushed rhythm.
To summarize, here's how to make neo soul chord progressions:
- Use 9th, 11th and 13th chords everywhere
- Slide whole chord shapes up and down
- Borrow the minor four, flat seven or a tritone sub
- Keep the left hand to one bass note
- Keep the tempo between 70 and 95 BPM
Thanks for reading and happy producing!
Written by Luke Alderson