Techno harmony is simpler than it sounds, and the sound matters as much as the notes. Below are five loops to start from, played on the piano's built-in techno synths. The first one is already loaded. Press Play, then play along on your keyboard, your computer keys or a MIDI keyboard.

🎹 Five techno chord progressions to play right now

Each Load this loop link puts the chords, tempo, sound and rhythm into the piano above. Nothing to download.

1. The melodic cycle: Dm – Bb – F – C

D minor, natural minor scale: i, VI, III, VII. Four chords that never land. C at the end wants to go somewhere, and it just goes back round to D minor. That restless circle is why this shape turns up so often in melodic techno. Played as off-beat stabs it pushes. Switch the rhythm to one chord per bar and it turns into something more emotional.

👉 Load this loop · Techno Stab, off-beat stabs, 124 BPM

2. The two-chord pulse: Em – D

E minor down to D major and back, i to VII. Two chords, one bar each. There is barely any harmony here at all, and that is the point. The stab rhythm does the work, and the drop of a whole step gives the loop a lean-forward feel that suits a peak-time track.

👉 Load this loop · Techno Stab, off-beat stabs, 128 BPM

3. The Detroit stab: Dm7 – Gm7

D minor 7 to G minor 7, i to iv, two bars each. Add a 7th to a minor chord and it stops sounding sad and starts sounding soulful. Short minor 7th stabs like these are a big part of the Detroit techno sound. The Detroit Chord synth rings on a little longer than Techno Stab, so each hit has a tail.

👉 Load this loop · Detroit Chord, off-beat stabs, 126 BPM, two bars per chord

4. The dream loop: Em – Bm – C – Am

E minor: i, v, VI, iv. The minor v (B minor rather than B major) keeps everything soft. Nothing pulls hard towards home, so the loop floats. Played as a held pad it sits behind the drums and fills the space without fighting the kick.

👉 Load this loop · Deep Pad, one chord per bar, 122 BPM

5. Static harmony: Dm9

One chord. That's it. A lot of techno sits on a single chord for minutes at a time, and the movement comes from the sound instead of the notes. Load this one, press Play, then drag the Filter slowly from left to right over a few bars. You'll hear the chord go from a dull hum to bright and open without a single note changing.

👉 Load this loop · Deep Pad, held, 122 BPM, two bars

🌀 What makes chords sound like techno

Play D minor as one long chord, then play it as off-beat stabs. Same three notes. The first sounds like a hymn. The second sounds like a club.

• Minor keys. Almost everything above is in D minor or E minor. My guide to minor chords in techno explains why those two keys come up so often.
• Off-beat stabs. The kick lands on every beat, so the chords go in the gaps, on the "and" of each beat. Loops 1, 2 and 3 above all play this way.
• Few chords, lots of repetition. One, two or four chords, round and round. The track changes slowly, so the chords don't have to.
• The filter. Opening and closing the filter is how a static loop builds and drops. Every built-in synth sound has a Filter control in the strip above the keys.
• Tempo. Techno usually sits somewhere around 120 to 135 BPM. The loops above run from 122 to 128.

⚙️ Make your own techno progression

The piano on this page is the quick version. To build your own loop, press Open in the full Piano Studio above the keys. Your current loop comes with you.

1. Choose Techno Stab, Deep Pad or Detroit Chord from the sound menu. They're under "Synths (built in)".
2. In the Chord Assistant, set Scale to Natural minor and pick a key. D or E is a good start.
3. Press + on two to four chords. Chord i (the first one) should almost always be in there.
4. Under your progression, set Rhythm to Off-beat stabs, set the tempo to around 125, and press Play loop.
5. Sweep the Filter while it plays, then save it with Download loop or record a melody over it and export the MIDI file to your DAW.

Found one you like? Press Share and you get a link that opens your loop, sound and rhythm included, ready to play.

These three synth sounds are made inside your browser, so they're good for sketching ideas. When you're ready for the real thing in your DAW, I compare the best options, including a free one, in Top 7 Synth Plugins for Techno Pads.

🧭 Quick FAQs

What key is techno usually in?

Mostly minor keys, with D minor and E minor among the most common. Any minor key works, though. Change the Key in the piano above and every chord button moves with it.

Why do techno chords sound short and choppy?

Because they're played as stabs: short hits on the off-beats, with a filter that snaps shut straight after each one. That's exactly what Techno Stab and the Off-beat stabs rhythm do.

Can I use the audio from these loops in my own tracks?

The three built-in synth sounds use no samples, so a loop you save with them carries no sample credit. The chord progressions themselves are shared by thousands of tracks. What you build on top is yours.

How do I get the chords into my DAW?

Open the loop in the full Piano Studio with the button above the keys. In the Recording panel, add your progression as the chord track, then press Export MIDI. It opens in Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, Reaper and any other DAW.