Custom Chords

Controls: Sgram/PT Dialog >> Pitch-to-MIDI >> Setup

Click on the Chord button that identifies the Chord Pattern control to open the Custom Chords dialog.

The left column of the dialog consists of 12 buttons, showing the 12 different symbols that may be assigned to custom chords. Those are the characters that may be used in any Chord Pattern. (They are not specific to a Voice Setup.)

The next column shows the name of each custom chord.

To the right of each name are 4 numbers showing the actual chord notes, as semitones relative to the root. (The root is not shown, but would always be 0 relative to itself.) Chord notes that are not used are shown as '---'. For example, a Major chord would be '4', '7', '---', '---'.

The default Custom Chords are shown at the end of this topic. They have been chosen so that, unlike the Standard Chords, the "root" is not the lowest note. They are the same as ordinary chords that are shifted down, so that they are compatible with a melody note in the normal root position.

For example, the first one (symbol !, name Maj @ -4 (a)) is a Major chord shifted down by 4 semitones. If the original was a C, it would have included notes C, E, G. The shifted version is A flat, C, E flat.

Click on one of the symbol buttons to edit that chord. The current name and note values will appear in edit fields at the bottom of the dialog, next to the chord symbol.

Notes may have any value from -63 to +63 semitones relative to the root. MIDI only allows notes from 0 to 127 (middle C is 60), so at the time the chord is played the actual notes will be limited to that range.

Important: Unused notes are entered as a single minus sign, not as '---' (which will produce an error). The single minus sign you enter will appear in the control as '---'. (It is stored internally as -64, which will become apparent if you scroll the control.)

Besides their obvious use for playing chords that are not in the standard Chord Pattern Character Table, Custom Chords can be used to play quick riffs using the Arpeggio option. (See the Arpeggio Riffs section in that topic.) This treats the chord as an arbitrary series of up to 5 notes. Unlike a "normal" chord, you can repeat a note or leave a gap. For example, '4', '4', '---', '7' is a valid Custom Chord. (Enter '0' to repeat the root.)

Default Custom Chords:

Character, chord name, and semitones from root (always present). (Unused chord notes not shown appear as '---' in dialog.)

!   Maj @ -4   (a)       -4, +3
@   Maj @ -7   (F)       -7, -4
#   Maj @ -12  (C-1)     -12, -8, -5
$   Maj @ -19  (F)       -19, -15, -12
(   5th @ -7   (F)       -7
)   5th @ -12  (C-1)     -12, -5
%   7th @ -4   (a)       -4, +3, +6
:   7th @ -7   (F)       -7, -3, +3
*   min @ -3   (A)       -3, +4
/   min @ -7   (F)       -7, -4
^   min @ -12  (C-1)     -12, -9, -5
~   min @ -15  (A-2)     -15, -12, -8

See also Chord Pattern Character Table, Chord Pattern, Voice Pattern Overview, MIDI Voice Setup Dialogs, Pitch-to-MIDI dialog, Pitch Track Toolbox - Overview