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Chord-y McChordface
The Chordboard plays chords without keys. Seven absolutely bonkers pads laid out in the key of the song, a strip of modifiers, & a transport — so a guitarist coverin' a keys part, or literally anyone who doesn't tickle ivories, can hold down real chords with one finger. ZOMG, it's like cheatin' but make it musical.
Chord Pads
Each pad is a chord from the song's key, in order, so the pads under your fingers are the actual chords the song is built from. Tap one to play it; the pad stays lit while it's wailin' away.
Feel/Bass
To the left of the chord pads are two buttons that each unlock & configure different aspects of how that chord is gonna sound when you play it. Totes customizable.
Feel
This enables feelin' in the chord by mimickin' different human-like vibes. Tap & hold to open the Feel Hamburger to adjust this to your weird likin'.
Bass
In addition to playin' the chord, enablin' bass will play the chord with a left hand. This adds bass usin' different techniques that are probably way cooler than yours. Tap & hold to tweak these techniques in the Bass Hamburger.
Modifiers
The strip found below & to the left of the chords provides modifiers that twist the chord bein' played into suspended & seventh chord territory. You can choose between: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 9. Pick one. Go crazy.
Pattern
Chords could be played all at once when the pad is pressed, but ZOMG that would be borin'. You can change the pattern to change how the chord is voiced in time with the beat clock, so at least it sounds less sad.
Once
Plays the chord as a single hit. That's it. One & done.
Arp
This option arpeggiates the chord by playin' its notes in a variety of ways in time with the beat clock. Tap & hold to open the Arp Hamburger to configure that pattern & make yourself sound like you actually know what you're doin'.
Strum
This option plays all the notes in a rhythm similar to a guitar. Tap & hold to open the Strum Hamburger to configure the strum pattern because apparently tappin' pads wasn't enough.
Octave
To the right of the patterns is a button you use to define the octave in which the chords are played. By default, it chooses the 4th octave because we're not monsters. The value is expressed as a letter & a number with the letter representin' the root of the key. You can tap to choose from octaves 0 through 7. Go high. Go low. We don't judge.
Transport
To the right of the chord pads are transport buttons that play chords found in your song instead of you manually pressin' chord buttons like some kinda caveman.
- Play Chords begins playin' the chords in the chart, or in the selected section. Revolutionary, we know.
- Next Chord advances the playin' chord to the next one in the song, loopin' to the beginnin' of the song or section. It's like time travel but for chords.
- Clear stops playin' the current chord. Sometimes you gotta just… stop.
- Panic silences everything if a note ever gets stuck. Because Murphy's Law is real & notes will betray you.
Beat Sync
The button on the right of the transport allows you to enable beat sync which aligns the chords to the system beat clock. The beat clock tempo is set by the song or other inputs. When enabled by tappin', the orange light will flash to indicate beats & the downbeat, which is admittedly pretty rad. When enabled, you can tap on a chord pad or advance to the next chord, & the chord will wait to play on the next beat or measure like it has manners. You can switch it back off to play the chords the instant you tap the buttons if you're feelin' chaotic.
Hamburger
Tap on the hamburger button in the upper right corner of the panel to open the menu & configure additional settings for the Chordboard. More knobs. More fun. More confusion.
