Notes/Production note

How to make Suno follow your chord progression

2026.10.13

If you type "Fmaj9 - E7 - Am9" into Suno's Style or Lyrics field, the song you get back will not use that progression. Suno does not read chord names as instructions; it fills the gaps with common progressions.

The only way a progression reaches Suno is as sound.

Steps

1. Turn the progression into a short audio file

Prepare an MP3 that plays your progression with only keys and pads (we'll call it the "bed"). Programming it in a DAW or playing it by hand both work.

• At least 2 minutes long
• No melody, bass or drums (Suno traces mechanical programming and the song turns stiff)
• The exception is odd meters: in 7/8 or 11/8 the meter won't come through without drums

2. Listen to the bed on its own and fix it

Before uploading, check that the bed sounds good by itself. Suno will not fix a weak progression for you.

• Eight or more chords before the loop repeats keeps it from going flat
• Avoid the stock four-chord loops (vi-IV-I-V and the like)
• Keep common tones and move the other voices by a half or whole step for smooth connections

3. Upload it to Suno as audio

In Style, describe how it sounds instead of naming chords. For example:

descending minor seventh chain, II-V turnaround feel

4. Generate several takes and pick

Even with a good bed, not every take will follow it. When one drifts, revisit the bed before tweaking the Style wording.

If the progression still won't come through, lower Audio Influence: Suno then treats the bed as a looser reference and fills in the rest.

← Notes