New Tool (3.0): Chord Extract

Renoise Tools
1

So, here’s my first tool for v3

This will scan all patterns on a given track to find chords (3 or more simultaneous notes). It will create a unique phrase for each chord it finds in the selected instrument.

You can then play each chord with a single note or play the chord progressions by stepping through the keyboard.

This is somewhat inspired by the Cthulhu plugin and other chord memorizers but doesn’t come with all the preset data, however you can use this with freely available midi files online to create your own chord sets.

Usage is simple, there is no GUI (yet), just select the track with your note data and select the instrument you want the chord phrases written to and run the tool.

Enjoy!

Update:
Added settings option so that you can set the minimum number of notes in a chord from 1 to 6.
Tool can also now be run from the track context menu.

1 Like
2

If you want examples of what it sounds like check these instruments out that I made while testing this. I basically found some Bach midi files online and turned them into chord sets…

Would be cool if other users could add their chord sets too :)

3

cheers bruv, no need for that cthululu :slight_smile:

4

Maybe I’m doing something wrong here, it doesn’t throw up an error notice, but this only works for instruments that contain one sound originally, right?

It doesn’t work with multi-sampled instruments?

edit;

nevermind, I thought it worked differently, scanning tracks making chords out of available, encountered notes…

5

This xrns was an part of a 2.7.0 template which is updated to 3.0.0 for this tool.

Chord list in the song comments. Roman Numeral named tracks.

Some chords have variations (I forget the music theory term), and the note variation is
above and below the chord line. Example…

.... .... vary ....  
note note note note  
.... .... vary ....  

I  
1 Major  
2 minor  
3 Diminished  
4 Augmented  
5 Suspended 2nd  
6 Suspended 4th  
7 Flat 5th  
8 6th  
9 minor 6th  
II  
1 7th  
2 minor 7th  
3 Diminished 7th  
4 Major 7th  
5 minor, Major 7th  
6 7/6  
III  
1 9th  
2 minor 9th  
3 Flath 9th  
4 minor, Flat 7th  
5 Augmented 9th  
6 9/6  
7 minor 9/6  
IV  
1 11th  
2 minor 11th  
3 Augmented 11th  
4 minor, Augmented 11th  
V  
1 13th  
2 minor 13th  
3 13th, Augmented 11th  
4 minor 13th, Augmented 11th
6

Almost forgot to mention, all chord inversions are included. Example…

  
C E G  
E G C  
G C E
7

I do! Thank you for this. :walkman:

8

this is groovy

9

Just tried the xrni`s,

Great work!

10

Thanks for the feedback y’all :)

Thanks but not quite yet, I would say this offers half of what Cthulhu offers because it doesn’t have an arpeggio mode, I’m looking at how to add that for a future tool.

Very useful, thanks for that. I noticed some of the chords are only two notes so I’ve updated the tool so you can set the minimum number of simultaneous notes it detects from 1 to 6.

11

The minimum should be three, the two that you’ve noticed are probably part
of a chord variation…

I forget the technical term for these variations, and I believe your
allowed to choose only one of these variations…

The following example is the first chord in track “II”, a 7th chord.

  
... .. D-5 .. F#5 .. ... .. C-5 .. E-5 .. G-5 .. A#5 ..  
... .. F-5 .. G#5 .. ... .. off .. off .. off .. off ..

Here is the same chord, but inverted.

D-5 .. F#5 .. ... .. ... ..  
E-5 .. G-5 .. A#5 .. C-6 ..  
F-5 .. G#5 .. ... .. ... ..  
off .. off .. off .. off ..
12

afta8,

Slightly off topic, but do you think there is possibility to add…
or maybe a different tool is needed for chord progressions ?

With all these chords opening Pandora’s box sort of speak,
I feel, without the chord progression chart, users who are not
accustomed to writing chord progressions might just blindly slap chords together
without the progression in mind… I just feel that my contribution
is half glassed.

The other half of me feels, well… ok, people can do what ever they want,
and I’ll just leave it at that.

I have a modified version of this chord progression chart…
http://www.roedyblack.com/PGS_Products_Charts/Chord_Progression_Chart.htm

13

something like this?

14

Ahh yes, thanks for the reminder. I’ve never used it, I’ll have to check it out sometime.

15

I would like to look at how to do this but I will need more time (this tool only took me a couple of hours to make). I have to admit my understanding of music theory is limited I don’t really get how chord progressions work, is a good progression entirely subjective or is their some kind of mathematical basis? I’m not sure, the progressor tool uses an algorithmic method so I should try and understand that first.

At the moment I am as you say just blindly slapping chords together and judging by what sounds right but there is no real method. It would be nice in a future version to be able to reorganise extracted chords based on their relationships to each other and also generate new chords.

Thanks for the link though, thats a useful staring point, the related site: www.howmusicreallyworks.com seems quite good too so I will do some reading up on it.

16

Ok, thanks for your thoughts and opinion on the matter. For now, your tool combined
with other tools, seems a good enough check point for the future.

I would say yes, it has some kind of mathematical basis. I have to check out the progressor
tool too and see if it coincides with what I’ve learned from the book.

Nothing wrong with using ears and having fun too. The technical side of things can sometimes
take the fun away… I suppose I was trying to do the same with all these chords when I did
them, trying to prep them for fun time instead of fun time turning into technical time.