Chorder

Published: December 26, 2021

Last updated: 5 days ago

Link here.

This is an idea I had played with in my head for a while as an example of a new type of 'software instrument' that does not derive from real or even physically possible analogues. I also took the chance to learn some chord theory which I'm also interested in.

Even the fundamental structure and mechanism is still a work-in-progress, but the initial motivation was to build a tool that facilitates chord-playing by exposing the parameters/dimensions a musician would consider when playing and composing chords and chord progressions. The goal is to make modulation of those parameters/dimensions more natural and concise, or in other words, to shorten the delay and mindshare from intent to execution of a desired chord.

Currently with the first UI iteration, the left hand controls what chords to play (chord root, diminished/augmented, suspended), and the right hand controls voicing via a 3x3 grid that directly maps to root/third/fifth and their octaves, respectively. I plan to move to a less direct/mechanical set of controls for voicing. Examples of more abstracted parameters would be # voices, spacing, and maybe proximity to a previous chord (prefer to keep notes that were played previously).

If you're reading this and have any ideas please let me know, I'd love to talk about this or more chord theory and music in general.