To assign a chord in the Chord Chart you have to select its Root note and type in the Chord Menu. The program will immediately construct the chord and place it in the score.

Double-click on the beat to which you want to assign the chord to call multi-level Chord Menu or cursor to the beat and press <Enter>. The key-like Note menu with note names on the "keys" will appear. You can select the chord's root note moving the mouse or using <up> or <down> keys on your keyboard

On selecting the root note the Chord Menu with basic chord types (major, minor, 7, etc.) will appear:

On selecting the chord type the next hierarchical menu will appear, where you can select possible chord extensions and alterations:

Click on the chord type or extension to confirm your selection. The chord will immediately be assigned to the measure and beat you called the menu from.

The program not only constructs a chord, but also automatically selects its inversion, considering the previous chord's melodic position and preferred settings (see Program Chords construction settings ).

You can manually change chord inversion simply pressing <+> or <-> keys either in Chord Menu or after assigning the chord. In this case the automatic selecting of the next chord inversion will depend on the settings you just made.

The program constructs all possible chord inversions to all types and extensions of chords.

4 inversions of C9 chord, called by simply pressing <+> key:

It's very important to perform smooth voice leading in a chord progression, which means to avoid jumps of voices while going from one chord to another. The same time the most important is the melodic line on top of the chords. The algorithm of chord constructing and connecting employed in Rhythm'n'Chords, along with a possibility of manual chord inversion selecting, lets you create smoothly joined multi-voice chord progressions with minimum efforts.

Chord progression created by Program Chords from the Chord Menu:

The notation of the same chord progression:

In Chord Chart you can assign a chord with Bass note different from the Root note. In this case Bass is separated from the chord symbol by "/" sign. To enter such a chord you have to select main chord (see Selecting a chord from the Chord Menu ), then call the Bass note menu by pressing the <\> key and select the required note:

(Alternatively you can right-click the mouse and select "/Bass" from contextual menu.)

You can quickly enter Program Chords from your computer keyboard. Press a key corresponding to the Root note and then underlined keys to select chord types (m, 7, sus, …) to enter the chord. Press shift to enter sharp or flat notes. To quickly enter the Bass note after entering the chord press <\> key (to call the Bass note menu), then press a key corresponding to the Bass note.

After you created a chord progression you can change inversion of any chord. Be aware that this may break the voice leading line (undesired voice jumping) in chord connections. To automatically correct positions of all the following chords after performing some editing select Smooth Position from the contextual menu.

You can enter chords to the Chord Chart from an external MIDI keyboard. First you have to activate a Cakewalk track to which the plug-in is assigned, then turn off echo mode in Project options (select "none"). Press MIDI IN button on the virtual piano keyboard and right-click the same button to select Single finger or Root Position mode. Now if your MIDI routing is correct you can enter program chords from your MIDI keyboard.

Single Finger is a chord identification mode, used in auto accompaniment music workstations (pressing one key calls corresponding major chord, the same key with a black key below it calls minor chord, the same key with a white key below it calls dominant seventh chord, the same key with a white and a black keys below it calls minor seventh chord). This mode lets you enter only 4 chord types.

Root Position is a chord identification mode allowing you immediately select any chord from Chord Menu in a simple way: just play its piano version on MIDI keyboard (keep in mind that the root note should be the lowest voice in the incoming chord). You can omit perfect fifth in any chord, also you can omit the third in all major chords. The chord extensions may be played in 1 octave range with 1 hand, and the program will immediately create its wide guitar version. For instance, you need to enter G7, 9, 13. Press 'g' (root note), 'a' (9th), 'e' (13th), 'f' (7th) in 1 octave range ('g' should be the lowest note). On receiving the chord via MIDI the program identifies the chord (its root note, type, extensions and alterations), calculates its melodic position, constructs wide 5 or 6 voice guitar-type chord and enters it in the score according to the cursor position. Cursor to the next place in the score (click the mouse or use <left> or <right> keys) and repeat the procedure for the next chord. Entering the chord in already used position will automatically rewrite the chord with the new one.

The settings for automatic chord construction are in the Voice Control page.

Factory settings:

Chord Position is the main melodic position (upper voice note) of the chord, which the program will consider while automatic chord position selection (default is ‘e3’);

Span is the range (in semitones) of possible positions which the program will consider while automatic chord position selection (default is 7).

Upper Voice is the lowest possible note of the upper chord voice (default is ‘e3’ according to standard tuning of the 6 string guitar's 1st string).

Lower Voice is the lowest possible note in the lower chord voice (default is ‘e1’ according to standard tuning of 6-string guitar's 6th string).

Close VII assigns close position of the 1st and the 7th in the seventh chords with root note in upper voice and ninth chords with 9th in the upper voice:

Double III doubles the 3rd to an octave in major, minor and seventh chords with 3rd in upper voice:

Double V doubles the 5th to an octave in seventh chords with 7th in upper voice:

Double VII doubles the 7th note to an octave in seventh chords with 7th or root note in the upper voice:

All changes made to these settings will affect only the chords you select after making the settings. If you want to apply the changed settings to already created score, you have to select /Smooth position/Refresh from the contextual menu.

For advanced users, able to construct more sophisticated or non-standard chords, who may not be satisfied with automatic harmonic abilities of the program we have provided an ability of manual chord construction. The only limitation for custom chord creation is that they may include no more than 6 voices. There are several ways of entering a Custom chord: click the mouse on the notes on virtual keyboard, play it on an external MIDI keyboard, load a MIDI track with chords from CakeWalk. In all cases you have to name your chord and specify its root note. Custom Chord names will be underlined in the score so that you can easily distinguish them from the Program Chords. Chord inversion change does not work with Custom Chords.

See also:

Entering chords from virtual keyboard

Entering chords via MIDI in Straight Mode

Editing chord name and root note

Importing chords from Cakewalk tracks

Assigning Bass

Click the mouse on a key to enter the note into chord. Click already entered note to delete it from a chord. Click Clear icon to delete the entire chord, alternatively press <Delete> key on your computer keyboard (NC (No Chord) symbol will appear in this case). Editing a Program Chord turns it into a Custom Chord with the same name underlined.

You can enter chords from an external MIDI keyboard. Activate a CakeWalk track with the plug-in and disable Echo Mode in Project Options window (select None). Press the MIDI IN button on virtual keyboard, right-click the same button and select Straight from appearing contextual menu. If you plugged your MIDI keyboard correctly, you can use it to enter the chords.

All the notes you play on a MIDI keyboard will appear on the virtual keyboard, the same time the chord symbol named User1 will appear in the score (the lowest note will be considered as the root note).

All custom chords except those created from Program Chords will automatically be named User1, User2, etc. To name them:

• Right-click the key on virtual keyboard to set the root note (R symbol will appear on the key and the root note in the name will change to the one you selected);

• Double-click the chord name, type in the new one and press <Enter>.

You can import chords from a Cakewalk track into Chord Chart:

• Copy track to clipboard and paste it to the required measure;

• Select a track and drag it to Chord Chart window.

All chords will be imported into Chord Chart's measures with names User1, User2, etc.

You can assign Bass note to a Custom Chord by shift-right-clicking on the note on virtual keyboard (shouldn't be higher than the root note). B symbol will appear on the key, and "/" with Bass note will appear on the chord name.

You can audition the chords in Chord Chart in many ways.

Manual auditioning

Automatic auditioning

Remote control via MIDI

Turning chord auditioning on and off

Settings

Number of voices

• Click on a chord symbol or on the division on the staff;

• Click on the speaker symbol on virtual keyboard;

• Press <P> on your computer keyboard to audition current chord;

• Press <O> key on your computer keyboard to hear previous chord as well as the current chord on key release;

• Press <Tab> or <Ctrl>+<Right> keys to audition/cursor to the following chords;

• Press <Shift>+<Tab> or <Ctrl>+<Left> to audition/cursor to previous chords;

• Press <1>, <2> ... <6> to audition the voices of current chord separately.

(If no sound refer to Troubleshootings)

NOTE! The mode works only if there are no MIDI events in the rhythm track.

Select Auto audition from Audition menu (shift-click on the speaker button on toolbar)

Put Cakewalk into Play mode. The program will play all chord changes in required measures.

(If no sound refer to Troubleshootings)

If you plugged your MIDI keyboard correctly, you can audition the chords by playing the keyboard in the Left Hand zone. Open Additional Parameters/Keyboard Zones page with the hint keyboard. The keys for chord auditioning via MIDI (remote control) are colored in dark green: