How a Pattern Interacts with a Chord
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As a segment containing a Style Track or Pattern Track plays, it encounters various chords in the Chord Track. With each chord, the pattern notes adjust to fit the chord and its scale. For example, if you design a pattern to play steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of a chord and scale, the pattern plays different notes when it encounters a 2C major chord and a 2G7 chord.
The notes you insert into a pattern are calculated not as specific pitches, such as C, D, or E, but according to their function in the chord, such as step 1, 2, or 3 of the chord's underlying scale. In most cases it is easiest to create a pattern using a 2CM7 chord for composition. As the pattern originally designed on a 2CM7 chord encounters various chords in a segment, the notes in the pattern adjust to fit the scale used in each chord.
The following table shows the resulting notes of a pattern containing steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 when encountering various chords in a segment.
| Original pattern notes based on 2 C M7 | Chord | Resulting notes |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2FM7 | F, A, Bb, C, D, E, F |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2AbM7 | Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2G7 | G, A, B, C, D, E, F |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2Bb7 | Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2Em7 | E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D |
Additional factors can influence the result when a pattern encounters a chord. These include:
Using 6th chords
Pattern notes designed to play on the 7th step play on the 6th. For more information, see Using a 6th in Place of a 7th.
Play mode of the pattern
Some play mode settings cause 7ths to be omitted, or cause other behaviors in the pattern. For more information, see Play Mode.
Inversion boundaries of the pattern
If the chord causes the pattern notes to exceed the boundaries for the range of a part, some notes may transpose up or down an octave. For more information, see Inversion Boundaries.
Legality of chord inversions
If you do not allow inversions to be used for a chord, the range for some pattern notes may change. For more information, see Chord Inversion Tab.
The following table shows how a pattern containing steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 can be affected by other factors and special cases.
| Original pattern pitches based on 2CM7 | Chord encountered | Special factor | Resulting notes | Comments |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2CM6 | Chord has 6th, but no 7th. | C, D, E, F, G, A, A | |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2CM (no 7) | Play mode: chord. | C, D, E, F, G, A (7 omitted). | |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2BbM7 | High chord. | Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A (F, G, and A transpose one octave down). |
Because high F, G, and A are outside the inversion boundary, they play an octave lower. |
| C, D, E, F, G, A, B | 2BbM7 | High chord, but 2nd inversion not allowed. | Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A (G and A transpose one octave down). |
The 2nd inversion is not allowed, so F cannot be used as the lowest note in the pattern. |