Thanks for the link and all these informative answers. Its a shame I don’t know lua.
I’m building a traditional chords from scales guide just as .txt files for reference.
I know the cycle of fifths is good for determining how many sharps or flats a major or minor scale has. This is the ‘scales only’ version of the cycle.
There is also a version of the cycle that gives a chord for each scale degree (image below). Pretty good as as compositional tool. Its the basis of all classical music. I’m not a big classical fan to be honest but I want to name chords correctly for my guide.
My problem is to do with describing chords from scales other than major or minor.
In cycle of fifths G# would usually be described as Ab, but specifically in the context of A harmonic minor chords from scale guide I guess I should probably name the chords with G# as the root note as ‘G# chords’ rather than ‘Ab chords’ because to get a harmonic minor from normal minor I have to sharpen (G to G#).
A minor ( A B C D E F G )
A harmonic minor ( A B C D E F G# )
Its a problem because the chords should be named according to the notes of the G# major scale (usually Ab Major).
G# Major is a funky and stupid looking major scale with six sharps and one double sharp. Ab Major would be better if only describing the scale ( and not naming chords in the context of A harmonic minor ) as it just has 4 flats, no double flats, nothing weird (Ab Bb C Db Eb F G).
I just wanted to check here if G# or Ab is better for naming G# chords in the context of chords from scale - A harmonic minor…I think I will end up going with G#, but it will be annoying ( six sharps and a double sharp ). Any advice for me?
Sorry I know the classical stuff is unnecessary and boring for renoise (renoise doesnt have diatonic rule or flats).
diatonic rule - for example, you cant have an A and then an A# in one scale. A must progress to B, so it must be described as A then Bb.
You must always go from A to B, B to C etc…the point I’m making is that trackers don’t have this rule. In trackers its always all sharps and chords are described ( as in the arp command ) with number formulas representing semitones up from the root note rather than being described in terms of intervals (based on harmonic series) such as minor 3rd, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th and so on…for example: All Major chords are just 047 chords, all minor chords are just 037 chords, the notes are always written with sharps, never flats.
I just want to get these chords named correctly in context. There are many per scale. I dont want to have to go back and do corrections afterwards, its a big job to get this guide finished. Consider all the other chords for each note in a a scale apart from the main ones:
Even just for the note D (in the context of ‘chords from scale - A harmonic minor’) so far I have these ‘D chords’:
Dmin: D F A
Dm7: D F A C
Dm9: D F A C E
Dm6: D F A B
Dmadd9: D F A E
Dm6add9: D F A B E
D5: D A
Dsus2: D E A
Ddim: D F G#
There are many more than just these to be made and all off them have inversions and voicings…If I get all this information extracted I will be arpeggiator and phrase king. Plus, if I name them in two ways; ‘the renoise way’ (all sharps, no diatonic rule) and the ‘classical way’ I can not only write quickly and accurately but also describe my chord progressions and arps to fancy instrumentalists like ukelele players, guitarists or keyboardists.
Cycle of fifths - chords (mentioned at the beginning):