Chords


Adding chords

Move the mouse to the empty area on the right of the last chord. A "+" symbol will appear. Click on it to add a new chord to the chord progression:



To insert a chord before an existing chord, right-click on the chord and select "Insert" from the menu.


Changing chords

Double-click on the chord you want to change. The chord selector will open:



In the chord selector you can change the chord root, chord type, chord inversion, and define a slash chord (specify a bass note independently of the chord root and chord inversion).

While the chord selector is open, you can choose a different chord for editing with a single click on that chord (no double-click required). To close the chord selector, simply click in an empty area outside the selector.


Chord types and chord voicing

In the compact version (default) of the chord selector, you can choose from the following chord types:

	maj	major
	m	minor
	+	augmented
	o	diminished
	M7	major seventh
	7	dominant seventh
	m7	minor seventh
	+7	augmented seventh (7#5)
	7	half-diminished seventh (m7b5)
	o7	diminished seventh
	6	major sixth
	m6	minor sixth
	sus	suspended fourth (sus4)
	2	major second
	m2	minor second
	sus2	suspended second
	5	power chord

If you click on the "+" symbol (in the top-right corner of the chord selector), an extended version of the selector will be displayed:



Here you can choose from the following additional chord types:

	6sus	suspended sixth
	7sus	suspended seventh
	mM7	minor major seventh
	7b5	dominant seventh flat five
	7b9	dominant seventh flat ninth
	7#9	dominant seventh sharp ninth
	7alt	altered dominant seventh (7#5#9)
	9	dominant ninth
	m9	minor ninth
	M9	major ninth
	9sus	suspended ninth
	+9	augmented ninth (9#5)
	9b5	dominant ninth flat five
	69	major sixth ninth (6add9)
	m69	minor sixth ninth (m6add9)
	m11	minor eleventh
	13	dominant thirteenth
	m13	minor thirteenth
	M13	major thirteenth

Please note that patterns in some music styles may contain notes that are not included in the specified chord, for example, blues styles may add extra notes. Also, music styles may contain less notes than defined by the chord (e.g. power chords are played in some of the rock styles).

For more details and options regarding chord voicing, please see "Chord Voicing..." in the "Play" menu.


Playing from a chord

Position the mouse over the bottom-left corner of a chord. A play symbol will appear. Click on it to start playing from that chord.




Slash chords

Double-click on a chord to open the chord selector. Click the button to define a slash chord. The musical note buttons will be split:



Clicking on a musical note sets the chord root, clicking on the area below sets the bass note. In the above example, the slash chord G/F is selected. A second click on the same bass note selector raises the bass by an octave (indicated by an arrow):




Chord inversions and default voice leading

Use the buttons in the chord selector to adjust the inversion of the actual chord. This inversion is relative to a default inversion selected automatically and individually for each chord by ChordPulse in order to reduce distances in pitch between different chords, thereby providing smoother transitions from chord to chord. Also, different musical instruments may play the chord in different inversions and using different voicings depending on the actual accompaniment style.

The bass note is not affected by the inversion function (e.g. moving the chord CEG one inversion up to EGC does not change the bass note to E). The bass can be set independently with the button (see slash chords).


Resizing chords

To change the length of a chord, drag the right edge of the chord to the desired position. The small vertical lines below the chords indicate the bar lines. In the example below, the first chord lasts for 2 bars, the second for 1.5 bars, the third for 0.5 bar:




Splitting chords

Right-click on a chord and select "Split" from the menu to split it into two.


Selecting chords

Click a chord to select it, click it again to deselect it. Hold down [Ctrl] and click on multiple chords to select them simultaneously. To select a block of chords, hold down [Shift] and click on the first and last chord.


Deleting chords

Right-click on a chord and select "Delete" from the menu to delete it. Alternatively, select the chord (left-click) and press [Delete] on the keyboard.


Moving and copying chords

Selected chords can be moved by simply dragging them with the mouse. Hold down [Ctrl] to copy the selection instead of moving it.

Alternatively, you can use the cut/copy/paste commands of the chord menu (right-click on a chord) or the standard Ctrl+X/Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V hot keys.


Transposing chords

To transpose a chord or group of chords, first define your selection. Then, right-click on any of the selected chords and choose "Transpose..." from the menu.