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**[[mididocs:index|MIDIdocs]]** ======Chords====== [[http://midibox.org/forums/topic/19067-mididocs-seqv4-chords-discussion-thread/|Forum Discussion Thread]] - for comments, corrections, or questions about this article When you initialize a track as a CHORD track type, the first parameter layer is a special "chord" layer. Data on this layer is represented as upper or lower case letters with an octave offset. The letters on CHORD layers are not related to note names - For example, an "A" is not necessarily an A chord. {{chord.gif}} When not transposed, the chords in a chord layer are all C chord variants. A-P are C major chords and variants, a-p are C minor chords and variants. You can play other chords by transposing the chord track (either by external keyboard, or with a loopback bus track). For example: To play a D major chord, choose an "A" chord type (C Major, root position), and send a D note to transpose the chord track. To play an E minor chord, choose an "a" chord type (C Minor, root position), and send an E to transpose the chord track. If you're not up on your music theory, you might want to use [[forceScale|Force-To-Scale]] when transposing chords to ensure that your results are always in key. When not transposed, the 32 chord letters correspond to the following chords: * **A-C:** Major I, Major II, Major III (transposed variants) * **A:** C Major (Root position) (notes: C E G) * **B:** C Major (1st inversion) (notes: E G C) * **C:** C Major (2nd inversion) (notes: G C E) * **D-F:** Root note, 3rd note, 5th note (single notes) * **D:** note: C * **E:** note: E * **F:** note: G * **G,H:** Root+3rd, Root+5th * **G:** notes: C E * **H:** notes: C G * **I-N:** Maj6, Maj7, Maj8, Maj9, Maj10, Maj12 (4-note chords) * **I:** C Maj6 (notes: C E G A) * **J:** C Maj7 (notes: C E G B) * **K:** C Maj8 (notes: C E G C) * **L:** C Maj9 (notes: C E G D) * **M:** C Maj10 (notes: C G C E) * **N:** C Maj12 (notes: C G C G) * **O-P:** Sus4 and Maj+ * **O:** C Sus4 (notes: C F G) * **P:** C Maj+ (notes: C E G#) * **a-c:** Minor I, Minor II, Minor III (transposed variants) * **a:** C Minor (Root position) (notes: C D# G) * **b:** C Minor (1st inversion) (notes: D# G C) * **c:** C Minor (2nd inversion) (notes: G C D#) * **d-f:** Root note, 3rd Min. note, 5th note (single notes) * **d:** note: C * **e:** note: D# * **f:** note: G * **g,h:** Root+3rd min, Root+5th * **g:** notes: C D# * **h:** notes: C G * **i-n:** Min6, Min7, Min8, Min9, Min10, Min12 (4-note chords) * **i:** C Min6 (notes: C D# G A) * **j:** C Min7 (notes: C D# G B) * **k:** C Min8 (notes: C D# G C) * **l:** C Min9 (notes: C D# G D) * **m:** C Min10 (notes: C G C E) * **n:** C Min12 (notes: C G C F#) * **o-p:** CoG and Min+ * **o:** CoG (notes: C F G) * **p:** C Min+ (notes: C E G#) ====Adding Notes to Chord Tracks==== Chord tracks can have additional NOTE [[layersintro|Parameter Layers]]. You can enter notes on these layers, and they will be played along with any chords on that step. ====Example: Playing a Chord Progression==== This example is based on TK's [[http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_seq_manual_tut3.html|Tutorial on how to use chords, transposition, and loopback to play a chord progression]] - that tutorial has audio examples and detailed steps. I'll summarize it briefly here, and give an example of how to play the same progression in a different key. To play a iii-vi-i-iii progression in C Major - Em-Am-C-Em - is relatively simple, because it's in the key of C. 1: set force to scale to C Major 2: Enter some chord letters in the chord track - Since force-to-scale is enabled, you can enter pretty much any chord letter - the C minor variants will be forced-to-scale to fit the C Major scale anyway. 3: Initialize a different track as a note track on your SEQ, set the MIDI out port to one of the BUS ports. Enter a progression of notes as follows: E-A-C-E. 4: Set the transpose source on your chord track to the same bus that your NOTE track is on. ...Transpose + Force-to-scale will ensure that your chord track plays an Em-Am-C-Em progression. ===Playing the same progression in Eb Harmonic Minor=== Notes in Eb Harmonic Minor are: Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb D Eb Chords in Eb Harmonic Minor are: i: Eb Minor (notes: Eb Ab Cb) ii: F Diminished iii: Gb Augmented (notes: Gb Bb D) iv: Ab Minor v: Bb Minor vi: Cb Major (notes: Cb Eb Gb) vii: D diminished So, a iii-vi-i-iii progression in the key of Eb Harmonic Minor is: Gb Augmented - Cb Major - Eb Minor - Gb Augmented. To play that progression, use the same chord track from the previous example, and: 1: set force to scale to Eb Harmonic Minor. 2: clear your NOTE bus track, and enter this progression of notes: Gb - Cb - Eb - Gb ...Transpose and force-to-scale will ensure that your chord track plays a Gb Augmented - Cb Major - Eb Minor - Gb Augmented progression. ====Resources==== * [[http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_seq_manual_tut3.html|Tutorial on how to use chords, transposition, and loopback to play a chord progression]] - with audio examples. * [[http://midibox.org/forums/topic/19026-chordnote-handling-relative-to-selected-scale/?p=166212|Forum Thread discussing in detail how chord tracks and transposition/force-to-scale works on the SEQ]] * SOURCE CODE: [[http://svnmios.midibox.org/filedetails.php?repname=svn.mios32&path=%2Ftrunk%2Fapps%2Fsequencers%2Fmidibox_seq_v4%2Fcore%2Fseq_chord.h|seq_chord.h]] * SOURCE CODE: [[http://svnmios.midibox.org/filedetails.php?repname=svn.mios32&path=%2Ftrunk%2Fapps%2Fsequencers%2Fmidibox_seq_v4%2Fcore%2Fseq_chord.c|seq_chord.c]]
