ChordPulse Manual

17JUL2014, edited by PEARSCH, IAeSR. v1.0

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Arpeggio, Arrangement points, Chord inversions, Clear Loop, default inversion, Deleting chords, Delete
Page From Sequence, Edit menu, File menu, Hot keys, Insert Page Into Sequence, Loop From This Bar,
Moving and copying chords, Options menu, Play menu, refrain, Repeat All, Repeat Off, Repeat Page,
slash chord, Splitting chords, Selecting chords, semitones, Sound mix, Transposing chords, Voice
Leading

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 ChordPulse Manual
Contents | Previous | Next

0 Installation
1 Music styles and tempos
2 Key shift and transpose
3 Sound mix
4 Working with chords
5 Chord types
6 Slash chords
7 Chord inversions
8 Chord pages
9 Loops and repeat mode
10 Arrangement points
11 File menu
12 Edit menu
13 Play menu
14 Options menu
15 Hot keys
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0 Installation
ChordPulse Lite (freeware); ChordPulse Player (freeware); ChordPulse (full version)

Before you install, please make sure that you are logged on as Administrator or as a user with
Administrator privileges. The installation wizard will guide you through the process.

Updating & upgrading

You can update/upgrade to a newer version by simply installing the new release over the old one.

Uninstall

Select Uninstall from the Start menu folder of ChordPulse.

System requirements

- Windows XP/Vista/7 operating system

- 1 GHz or faster processor
- 1024x768 or higher resolution monitor
- Sound card
- 64 MB of free RAM
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1 Music styles and tempos

Changing music style

To change the music style, simply click on "Style" or the name of the actual style below "Style". A
menu appears where you can select a new style.

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The tempo will change to the new style's tempo automatically. If you want to keep the actual tempo
while switching between styles, activate "Lock Tempo".

By default, when you change the music style, the volume levels of the accompaniment (drums, bass,
chords) will be fixed at their current values. If you want the volume levels to be set to their default
values when changing styles, deactivate "Lock volume levels".

Changing tempo

You have several options to adjust the tempo. First of all, you can use the " Tempo" slider:

For fine adjustments you can use the + and - buttons on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click
the + and - buttons next to the "Tempo" slider. This way you can increase or decrease the tempo by 1
BPM (beats per minute). In addition, you may click on "Tempo" or the BPM value displayed below it
(on the black display) and select from a menu of several BPM values.

Reset tempo

You can revert to the style's default tempo anytime by clicking on the button next to the
"Tempo" slider. The yellow light on the button indicates that the tempo is set to default.
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2 Key shift and transpose

Click on "Key" or the "#"/"b" symbol displayed below "Key" to change the key of your song/session
by -5, -4, -3, ..., +4, +5, +6 semitones. A small box pops up where you can select the semitone
shift:

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You can switch back to the original key at any time by clicking on " 0". You can also choose whether
you want to use sharp or flat notes here.

Transpose

Independently of "Key Shift", you can transpose the whole session, the actual page, or selected
chords. Choose "Transpose..." from the "Edit" menu to open the Transpose dialog:

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3 Sound mix

You can adjust the global volume of ChordPulse using the " Master" slider. The sound levels of the
drums, bass and chord sections of the accompaniment can be controlled independently:

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Use these volume controls to adjust the sound mix to your tastes, or to turn down tracks completely,
thereby creating space for your "live" instrument. For example, turn down "Chords" and you get a
drum machine with bass. Turn down "Drums" and you get a bass and chords only accompaniment, so
you can practice as a drummer. Or simply use the default volume mix and sing along with the full
accompaniment.

Mute sound

To mute the sound of ChordPulse, click on the button to the left of the "Master" slider.
Alternatively, press M on your keyboard.

Reset sound mix

You can reset the sound mix (i.e. the sound levels of drums, bass, and chords) anytime by clicking on

the button next to the "Chords" slider. The yellow light on the button indicates that the sound
mix is reset.
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4 Working with chords

Adding chords

Move the mouse to the empty area on the right of the last chord. A " +" symbol will appear. Click on it
to add a new chord to the chord progression:

To insert a chord before an existing chord, right-click on the chord and select " Insert" from the
menu.

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Playing from a chord

Position the mouse over the bottom-left corner of a chord. A play symbol will appear. Click on it to
start playing from that chord.

Resizing chords

To change the length of a chord drag the right edge of the chord to the desired position. The small
vertical lines below the chords indicate the bar lines. In the example below, the first chord lasts for 2
bars, the second for 1.5 bars, the third for 0.5 bar:

Splitting chords

Right-click on a chord and select "Split" from the menu to split it into two.

Selecting chords

Click a chord to select it, click it again to deselect it. Hold down [ CNTRL] and click on multiple chords
to select them simultaneously. To select a block of chords, hold down [ Shift] and click on the first and
last chord.

Deleting chords

Right-click on a chord and select " Delete" from the menu to delete it. Alternatively, select the chord
(left-click) and press [Delete] on the keyboard.

Moving and copying chords

Selected chords can be moved by simply dragging them with the mouse. Hold down [ Ctrl & C] to
copy the selection instead of moving it.

Alternatively, you can use the cut/copy/paste commands of the chord menu ( right-click on a chord)
or the standard Ctrl+X/Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V hot keys.

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Transposing chords

To transpose a chord or group of chords, first define your selection. Then, right-click on any of the
selected chords and choose "Transpose" from the menu.
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5 Chord types

Double-click on the chord you want to change. The chord edit box will open:

Click on a musical note to set the chord root. Click on the " maj","m","+", etc. buttons to change the
chord type. You can choose from the following types:

maj major 7 half-diminished seventh

m minor o7 diminished seventh

+ augmented 6 major sixth

o diminished m6 minor sixth

M7 major seventh sus suspended fourth

7 dominant seventh 2 major second

m7 minor seventh m2 minor second

+7 augmented seventh sus2 suspended second

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If the chord edit box is open, a single click on a chord is enough to select it for editing. To quit edit
mode, simply click on an empty area.
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6 Slash chords

Double-click on a chord to open the chord edit box. Click the button to define a slash chord.
The musical note buttons will be split:

Clicking on a musical note sets the chord root, clicking on the area below sets the bass note. In the
above example, the slash chord G/F is selected. A second click on the same bass note selector raises
the bass by an octave (indicated by an arrow):

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7 Chord inversions

Use the buttons in the chord edit box to shift a chord by one inversion up or down.

The chord inversion is relative to a default inversion selected automatically and individually for each
chord by ChordPulse in order to reduce distances in pitch between different chords, thereby providing
smoother transitions from chord to chord.

Note that the bass note is not affected by the chord inversion function (e.g. moving the chord C,E,G
one inversion up to E,G,C does not change the bass note to E). The bass can be set independently

with the button (see slash chords).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION - VOICE LEADING:

Voice leading is the movement of the musical notes from one chord to the next. In a more general
way, voice leading is the relationship between the pitches of simultaneously moving voices, tones or
parts in a musical composition.

Voice leading can follow "the law of the shortest way" when chord notes move as few semitones as
possible (smooth voice leading).

Example: When a C major chord in the root position (C,E,G) is followed by an inverted Em chord
(B,E,G), the middle and high notes remain the same while the lowest note changes by one semitone
only, resulting in a very smooth voice leading.

Find more information about voice leading on Wikipedia.

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8 Chord pages

Chord progressions can be structured on chord pages. 36 unique chord pages are available, identified
by a symbol from A to Z and from 0 to 9. For example, you can place the chords for the verse of a
song on page V, and then set the chords of the refrain on page R, and the bridge on page B, etc. This
way, you can conveniently structure and restructure your chord progressions. For instance, V V R V R
B R R defines a typical song structure.

The maximum length of a chord page is 16 bars. If this is not enough, simply use more pages (e.g.
page V and W for a verse that is 32 bars long).

Navigation

When there are several pages, simply click on a page to view or play it. Press [Space] to start playing
from that page. Press [Space] again to stop. Press [Home] to start playing from the first page.

Sequencing pages

Move the mouse to the empty area on the right of the last page. A " +" symbol will appear. Click on it
to add a new page to the page sequence:

To insert a page before an existing page, right-click on the page and select " Insert Page Into
Sequence" from the menu. To delete a page, right-click on it and choose "Delete Page From
Sequence" from the menu.

To change a page in the sequence, double-click on it to bring up a small box where you can select a
different page:
There is an alternative way to define a page sequence. Select "Edit Page Sequence As Text" from
the "Edit" menu. A window opens where you can define the sequence using your keyboard:

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9 Loops and repeat mode

Repeat mode

There are three repeat modes: "Repeat All" plays the session repeatedly, "Repeat Page" plays the
actual page repeatedly, and "Repeat Off" plays the session once. You can set the repeat mode either
by selecting the appropriate item in the "Play" menu or by clicking on the Repeat switch on the
display:

Alternatively, press [R] on the keyboard to select the repeat mode.

Custom loop region

Independently of the repeat mode, you can define a custom loop region.

Click on the bar (below the chords) where you want the loop to start and move the mouse, holding
down the left button, to the bar where you want the loop to end. Alternatively, right-click the bar
where you want the loop to start and select "Loop From This Bar", then go to the bar where you
want the loop to end, right-click, and select "Loop To This Bar" from the menu.
Activate/deactivate loop

Right-click on the yellow line representing the loop region or on the bar area (below the chords)
anywhere and select "Activate Loop"/"Deactivate Loop" from the menu. Alternatively, press [ L] on
the keyboard to activate/deactivate the loop.

Clear Loop

Right-click on the yellow line representing the loop region or on the bar area (below the chords)
anywhere and select "Clear Loop" from the menu. Alternatively, press [ C] on the keyboard to clear
the loop.
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10 Arrangement points

You can add a music arrangement point at any beat in your music in order to customize your
accompaniment. For example, you can start with a chords-only backing, then switch on the bass four
bars later, and finally add the drums yet another four bars later.

Arrangement points can be used to define song breaks and endings. ChordPulse lets you control
'Drums', 'Bass', and 'Chords' independently to provide many options for your music. In addition, you
can use two or more arrangement points for a given song break or ending and enjoy even more
variety.

An arrangement point is effective until the next arrangement point or the end of the chord page,
whichever comes first. This also means that each chord page starts with the default music
arrangement.

Adding Arrangement Points

Move your mouse a few pixels above the top of the chords at the desired beat:
Left-click on the symbol to add an arrangement point and open the editor:

Alternatively, right-click on the symbol to add an Arrangement Point by choosing a preset

from the following menu:
Editing arrangement points

You can select different modes and audible parts of 'Drums', 'Bass' and ' Chords' independently to
define various music arrangements.

The 'Drums' section consists of four parts:

[k]: kick drum, [s]: snare drum, [h]: hi-hat, [+]: other percussion

The 'Chords' section consists of three layers (a,b,c). The actual musical content of these layers varies
with the music style. Typically, layer ' a' is a sustained sound (e.g. organ, strings, or synthesizer pad),
layer 'b' is a rhythmic/percussive component, and layer ' c' is an additional decorative item (e.g. a
guitar arpeggio).

You can refine the music arrangement by adjusting the volume levels of individual parts/layers by
using the Session Mixer (open it from the 'Play' menu or press [M] on the keyboard).

Arrangement Point menu

To access this menu, do one of the following:

- click the icon in the Arrangement [top-bar] Point Editor

- right-click the diamond shape [above the chord] representing an arrangement point
- right-click in an empty space in the Arrangement Point Editor

Using this menu you can cut, copy, paste, or delete music Arrangement Points and select from
several arrangement presets.

Example: adding a song ending

You can define a song ending in a few clicks:

1. Select 'Repeat Off' by clicking on the repeat mode sensor:

2. Add an arrangement point at the start of the last bar of your song: right-click the symbol
above the chord at the desired position and select 'Drum Break + Sustain Bass & Chords' from the
menu:

You may also experiment with the following:

- changing the inversion of the last sustained chord (e.g. one inversion up)
- using two or more bars instead of one
- moving the Arrangement Point back or forward by one or more beats
- adding a short fade out effect
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11 File menu
New

Initializes the workspace.

Open...

Opens a file dialog where you can locate and open saved session files. ChordPulse session files have
the extension "cps".
Recent files...

Here you can find a list of the most recently used 20 files so you can quickly and conveniently access
your sessions.

Save

This saves changes made to the session since you last saved.

Save As...

Use this command to save the actual session to a new file.

Save As MIDI File...

Saves the music to a standard MIDI file (format 0 or 1). This function ignores master volume, mute,
tuning, and loops.

Save Chords As Text...

Saves the chords of the actual session to a text file:

Session Notes...

You may add notes about the actual session here. It will be stored in the session file.

Session Links...

You may store up to 5 links to files or web pages in your ChordPulse session:

If a link is specified, a "Link" sensor will appear above the session name:

This sensor lets you open the file or web page with a single click.

Global Notes...

Store your general notes and reminders in this place.

Exit
Exits the application.

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12 Edit menu

Undo

Click this to undo the last performed action (or use the hot key: Ctrl+Z).

Redo

Click this to redo the last undone action (or use the hot key: Ctrl+Y).

History...

The history window shows your last performed actions with the most recent at the bottom. Click on
any action to go to that point in one step.

Preset Chord Progressions...

This window contains a selection of chord progressions for easy access. Most of them are commonly
used in different styles of music, while others are just useful examples or building blocks for further
experimentation.

Select a chord progression and click on "Replace Page" (or simply double-click on a progression) to
overwrite the actual chord page (previous chords will be deleted).
Click on "Add To Page" to add the selected chord progression to the actual chord page (without
deleting previous chords).

Transpose...

This opens the Transpose dialog where you can transpose selected chords, the actual chord page, or
the whole session.
Clear Page

Deletes all chords on the actual chord page.

Cut/Copy/Paste Chords

Use these commands to cut/copy/paste selected chords.

Delete Chords

Deletes selected chords.

Select All Chords On Page

Selects all chords on the actual chord page.

Edit Page Sequence As Text...

You can quickly define a sequence of chord pages by editing a string of characters. For example, you
type in VVRVRBRR, press [Enter], and you have defined a sequence of 8 chord pages with verse ( V),
refrain (R), and bridge (B) pages in the given order.
Clear Page Sequence

Use this command to delete the chord page sequence. This does not affect the content of chord pages
(all chords on all pages will be left unchanged).
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13 Play menu

Play From Actual Page

Plays the session/song from the actual chord page.

Play From Start

Plays the session/song from the beginning (first chord on first page).

Play From Loop Start

Plays the session/song from the start of the custom loop region (if any).

Stop

Stops playing. [Use the space bar for faster response.]

Repeat All

Plays the session repeatedly.

Repeat Page

Plays the actual chord page repeatedly.

Repeat Off

Plays the session once.

Fade Out...

Set an optional fade out time for your song:

Mixer...

Make fine adjustments to volume levels in your session. Optionally, store your settings as a custom
mix for the actual music style.

In the 'Drums' section, you can control the loudness of kick drum, snare drum, hi-hat, extra
percussion, ride cymbal, crash cymbal, and fx (splash and china) cymbals. Note that these
sliders (blue labels) are actually controlling MIDI note velocities and not volume levels.

The 'Chords' section consists of three layers ( a,b,c). The actual musical content of these
layers varies with the music style. Typically, layer ' a' is a sustained sound (e.g. organ,
strings, or synthesizer pad), layer ' b' is a rhythmic/percussive component, and layer ' c' is an
additional decorative item (e.g. a guitar arpeggio).

Use the three buttons to reset all sliders for 'Drums', 'Bass', and 'Chords',
respectively.

Music style's custom mix

Click on the button to store your mix as the actual music style's custom mix. Later,

you can load that remixed music style from within any session by clicking on the icon
next to the name of the music style, for example:

Accompaniment...

This gives you access to some accompaniment options for the session level:

Auto cymbal

Defines how often the crash cymbal will be hit automatically. By default, the frequency is
determined by the actual music style's default value. You can overwrite this value and
specify a custom one.
Restart music style on page change

If activated (default), the accompaniment pattern will be restarted when a chord page
switches to the next one in the page sequence.

Repeat music style segment in loops

If enabled, the accompaniment pattern will be synchronized to the song position whenever a
loop restarts (similarly to a CD player).

If disabled (default), the accompaniment pattern will loop independently (i.e. it will play its
full length pattern regardless of the length of the loop). This way it is possible, for example,
to define a short progression (e.g. two chords in two bars) and have an 8-bar
accompaniment pattern playing its full length without restarting after the first two bars
every time.

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14 Options menu

Precount...

Set the MODE, SOUND, DELAY, and LOUDNESS of precount:

Reference Tones...

Tune your instrument using this function. Select pitch, octave and repetition rate. Alternatively, tune
ChordPulse to your instrument by changing the frequency of the A440 reference.
Visual Transpose...

You can set a visual transpose for the chords and musical notes you see in ChordPulse. This will not
affect the actual pitch at which the music plays. Visual transpose is useful for transposing instrument
players (like saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, etc.) and also for guitar players using a capo.

Please note that visual transpose applies to:

- chords (as seen on the main display)

- chord editor
- "Save Chords As Text..." function (in File menu)
- "Note-Octave Matrix" visualization
- "Chord & Bass Notes" visualization

but it does not apply to:

 - "Piano Keyboard" visualization
(The piano keyboard will always show what a piano player would play.)

If you activate visual transpose (change it from the default C to any other musical note), then each
time ChordPulse starts you will see a reminder for three seconds.

Show Musical Notes

Visualizes the musical notes that are currently being played by the backing band. You can select from
the following visualization modes:

- Piano Keyboard
- Wide Piano Keyboard
- Note-Octave Matrix
- Chord & Bass Notes

In "Note-Octave Matrix" mode, the musical notes are shown in a grid. The vertical position indicates
the octave of the note.

Show Actual & Total Time

Shows/hides the actual play position and total length of the session.

Show Bars

Shows/hides bar lines below chords.

Show Bar Numbers

Shows/hides bar numbers next to the 1st, 5th, 9th, etc. bar lines.

More...

Select this to display more options:

Midi output device

Select a General Midi compatible midi output device to be controlled by ChordPulse. If there are more
devices available, select the one that sounds best in your opinion.

Midi channels used

Select the midi channels ChordPulse uses to communicate with your midi device. One channel is used
for drums (always midi channel 9) and six additional channels are used by different instruments of the
accompaniment.

Warning before deleting an unsaved session

If on a warning is displayed before opening a session, starting a new session or leaving the
application with an unsaved session.

Flat notes by default in new session

Selects flat notes to be used by default in new sessions. Otherwise sharp notes will be selected.

Automatically close "Style" / "Tempo" / "Key shift" selector

If this is enabled, the "Style" / "Tempo" / "Key shift" selector closes automatically after clicking on its
buttons (e.g. selecting a music style). Otherwise, the selector stays open after the first mouse click, so
you can try different settings conveniently (e.g. search for music styles).

Model White

Select white version of ChordPulse.

Model Wide

Select wide version of ChordPulse.

Model - Key shift buttons

Show key shift buttons (reset/+/- key shift controls) in main window.

Display text color

Select a color for the text used on the main black display.

Chord colors

Select a coloring method for the chords:

"Match text": all chords have the same color: "Display text color"
"Alternating": chord colors match "Display text color",
but every 2nd chord is darker
"Spectrum": chords are colored based on their bass notes
"Pastel spectrum": a less saturated version of "Spectrum"

Color gradient for slash chords

If this option is enabled, the bottom part of a slash chord will be colored based on the bass note, the
top part will be colored based on the chord root note, with a smooth gradient between the two colors.
If disabled, the chord will have a single color based on the bass note.

Chord & page look

Select a style for the chord and page sensors.

Chord cursor

Show/hide the chord cursor below the chords. The chord cursor shows which chord is actually being
played. In pulse mode, the cursor pulsates with a frequency based on the current BPM.

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15 Hot keys
You can use the following hot keys for added convenience when working with ChordPulse:

Action Hot key

Play/Stop from actual page Space

Play from START Home

Play from LOOP START Enter

Stop/Play Space

Tempo +/- +/-

Key shift +/- Up/Down arrows

Select repeat mode R

Activate/deactivate LOOP L

Clear LOOP C

Select precount mode P [Set the MODE, SOUND, DELAY, and LOUDNESS]

Show mixer M

Show session notes N [You may add notes about the actual session here]

Show/hide reference tones T

Mute U

Undo Ctrl+Z

Redo Ctrl+Y

History H

Cut chords Ctrl+X

Copy chords Ctrl+C

Paste chords Ctrl+V

Select all chords on page Ctrl+A

Delete selected chords Del

Close active window Esc

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