Chord Network

A place to grow chord progressions.

How it works

  1. Grow Start from a key and pick a chord. The likely next chords sprout from it, so keep choosing and a progression grows. Tap the key's center to change key or mode.
  2. Answer Add a chorus or bridge with + and it's written to answer your main progression. Tap ↻ for another idea.
  3. Roll The dice roll a fresh progression, or a wild card that changes everything. Re-dress keeps the chords and rolls new voicings.
  4. Choose a style In the key's center: gospel (lush ninths, secondary dominants), cinematic (open add9s, chromatic mediants), rock (power chords, borrowed ♭VI–♭VII), or mix your own.
  5. Dress a chord Tap a chord in the strip twice to dress just that one: a sus4 here, a 13th there. Chords you dress stay put when the dice re-dress the rest.
  6. Play and export Pick how it plays (sustain through strum) and what it sounds like (keys, Rhodes, pad, organ or nylon), then export the whole song as MIDI.

Reading the network

Color: what a chord does

  • restChords that feel like home. The progression can settle here.
  • awayChords that move off from home and open things up.
  • tensionChords that pull, and want to resolve somewhere.

Line: what kind of chord it is

  • thick & brightA likely next move. Faint, thin branches are the surprises.
  • zig-zagA diminished chord: tense, usually passing through.
  • dashedBorrowed from a neighboring key, for extra color.
  • dottedA passing move, like a secondary dominant (V7/vi) aimed at the next chord.
  • wavyA suspended chord: the third swapped for a 2nd or 4th, waiting to land.
  • hollowA power chord: root and fifth only, neither major nor minor.

Shortcuts

Space
play / stop
⌘Z
undo (add ⇧ to redo)
⌫
remove the last chord
1–4
switch sections
R
roll (add ⇧ for a wild card)
S
next playback style
V
next voice (keys, Rhodes, pad, organ, nylon)
M
metronome
D
re-dress the chords (yours stay put)
G
next chord style (triads, gospel, cinematic, rock)
F
frame every section
N
start over in a new key (undo brings it back)
Esc
close menus
For the nerds

Built with

  • TypeScriptthe whole app
  • Vitebuild and dev server
  • Tonalkeys, modes and chords
  • Tone.jssynths and playback
  • @tonejs/midiMIDI export
  • Vercelhosting
Chord Network
tap anywhere to begin