Chord Structure Guidelines
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The lower octave of the chord scale keyboards on the Chord/Scale Tab represents the 12 pitches (from C to B) directly below 2C. The second octave represents the 12 pitches (from C to B) directly above 2C. As a chord root, 2C does not denote the pitch C in a specific octave, such as middle C. It is a median, nontransposing chord root that does not transpose the notes of an instrument into a different range when a pattern encounters the chord. For more information, see Purpose of Chord Level Range Restrictions.
When designing chords, observe the following guidelines:
There must be a chord that contains either three or four notes in each level. Although you can enter more than four notes in a level, only the lowest four notes are used, and any other notes are ignored. Chord structures on each level typically consist of steps 1, 3, 5, and optionally 7 of a seven-note scale. This means there is one scale tone (scale step 2) between the root and 3rd of the chord, and one scale tone (scale step 4) between the 3rd and 5th of the chord. If the chord includes a 7th, there is one scale tone (scale step 6) between the 5th and 7th of the chord.
The chord root on each level must be between 1C and 2B.
The chord tones in a level cannot be spread farther than the range of two octaves. You can use any interval between the tones of a chord (you are not limited to third intervals), so long as the outer two tones are not more than two octaves apart. If the chord exceeds two octaves, the warning shown in the following illustration is displayed.
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If this warning is displayed, click OK and remove either the highest or lowest note from the chord level.
Note Each of the four levels in the chord for composition must use notes that are within a major 7th interval; that is, less than one octave. For more information, see Chords for Composition.
For more information about how to design chords using the Chord Properties window, see the following topics: