7.3 Entering and Editing Chords

7.3.1 Master Track Inspector 2

The control panel opens after right-clicking on a chord section in the master track. Then click on the tool if necessary. In contrary to the Master Track Inspector 1 (see above) only settings for the selected (highlighted) harmony are made here.

▹ Master Track – Object Properties for the selected chord section Chord ▹ Each harmonically available chord can be set via the selection menu. If required, you can also define a bass note that differs from the chord root and possibly also an alternative voicing. ▹ The correct chord symbol appears in the ruler as the result. There is a preview function (Play button above the chord root) and the possibility to play the chord via a connected MIDI keyboard (Record button above the chord root). Temporary key, bar or tempo changes “Scale”, “Chord Rules”, “Tempo” and “Beats Per Bar” display the options previously selected in “Master Track Inspector 1” in gray (disabled). By activating and entering other values, temporary changes of key, bar or tempo▹ temporary changes of key, bar or tempo are possible for the duration of the chord section..

7.3.2 Chord Browser

The ▹ Chord Browser is helpful when defining or changing chord types. Simply drag an entry from the list to a harmony in the master track.

7.3.3 Manual Input and Editing of Chord Symbols

Chord symbols can easily be entered or changed using the keyboard in manual input mode.

• Click on a chord section, five round buttons are displayed.
• Selection of the keyboard top right.
• A ▹ text input field for chord symbols appears, the active chord is selected.
• The chord symbols are now entered via the keyboard. For the use of progressions, the individual ▹ symbols are simply separated by a blank space.
• The editing is completed with Enter/Return and the symbols appear in the master track. Chords with a different key are displayed in red.

7.3.4 Circle of Fifth

(Theoretical basics see chapter 7.1)

RC presents a circle of fifths editor for the chord selection if required. The precondition for a perfect function is the use of one of the diatonic keys major, natural minor or a church mode.

• Click on a chord section, five round buttons are displayed
• Selection of the circular icon in the upper left corner
• A ▹ window with the circle of fifths appears directly below the selected section. There the scale triads are laid out as buttons. When you click on it, the corresponding chord sounds and its symbol is immediately transferred to the active section in the ruler.
• When you select another section in the ruler, the window moves with it, and the selected harmony is highlighted at its position in the ring.
• The Chord Builder, which can be activated by clicking on the ▹ “hamburger” symbol in the Options menu at the top right is used to enter ▹ four-, five- or six-part chords.

7.3.5 Chord Selector

The Chord Selector opens in a separate freely positionable window.

• Options
  The Options menu in the upper right corner contains the setting options for Color, Preview and MIDI.
• ▹ For Master Track
  As in the Master Track Inspector 2, every possible chord can be selected here, depending on the filter setting, but the harmonies in the Chord Selector are arranged according to different order classifications (Chord List, Scale Degrees, Palette, Builder, Circle Of Fifth) as sounding buttons. Chord ruler and chord selector are coupled with each other as already described in chapter 7.3.4. This means that a click on a section in the ruler immediately affects the display in the Chord Selector and vice versa.
• ▹ For Chord Progression
  In this operating mode the chord ruler and the selection in the Chord Selector are decoupled. Any changes in one of the two editors leave the values in the other unchanged. When working with chord connections in the Chord Selector, unintentional changes in the Master Track can be avoided.
• For Preview
  Chord Playback Selection for the Preview Function
  – ▹ in the Phrase Editor,
  – ▹ in the Phrase Browser,
  – ▹ in the main window when clicking on a phrase.

7.3.6 Quick Suggestions

The Quick Suggestions dialog offers ▹ chord alternatives for the selected section. This is done under consideration of the preset key, the selected chord rules as well as the preceding and following harmonies. Under “More suggestions…” you can also find suggestions ▹ for several following chords möglich. With every click on the dice, RC always generates new variants. The ▹ level of predictability is adjustable. The chord connection rules can be changed in the ▹ Chord Rules Editor if required.