ChordEase: free MIDI software that makes chords easy

[ckorda]

I would like to introduce you to a new type of instrument. It's not a physical instrument, rather it takes the form of a realtime MIDI software that uses artificial intelligence to enhance ordinary MIDI instruments, so that you can approach them in a totally new way. The software does something unusual that takes a minute to understand, but maybe some members of this group will appreciate it and find ways to combine it with their own DIY projects.

 

Just to clear up any misunderstandings: This project is open source and I personally get nothing whatsoever out of it, other than the satisfaction of working on it. To the extent that people other than myself take interest in it, use it to create their own art, and commit time and effort to its further development, the project will thrive. I hope this happens, because I suspect it's potentially a game-changing application for certain musicians.

 

That said, here's some basic information about the project. ChordEase makes it easier to play music with complicated chords. No matter what the chords are, you can play as if they were all in the key of C. You don't need to play sharps or flats, because ChordEase automatically adds them for you. Though ChordEase is intended for jazz, it could be useful for any type of music that modulates frequently. ChordEase alters your notes in real time in order to make them harmonically correct, while preserving their rhythm and dynamics. By delegating rapid music theory calculations to ChordEase, you gain freedom to concentrate on other aspects of musical performance, such as feel and aesthetics.

ChordEase is a translator that takes MIDI notes as input, and produces MIDI notes as output. The input notes are translated to the current chord scale, so that the output notes fit the chord progression of a song. ChordEase supports various mapping functions which determine how the translating is done. ChordEase can handle multiple translations at once, so multiple performers can play through a single instance of ChordEase, using any number of MIDI instruments. ChordEase parameters can be remotely controlled via MIDI for additional effects. ChordEase can also record its own output as MIDI data.

 

For more information about this project, e.g. screenshot, download, and complete documentation:

http://chordease.sourceforge.net/