Flow Chord Pad

The Flow Chord Pad is a 3x3 grid — like the numpad on your keyboard — showing the chords in your key, color-coded by how naturally they follow what you just played. Press a number, get a chord. No theory knowledge needed.

Why It Matters

Many beginners look at a list of chords and wonder "which one fits next?" The Flow Chord Pad helps answer that question visually. Green means it tends to work well. You press a key and the chord is inserted. The colors update to show what fits next, but the chords stay in the same positions so you can learn the layout.

Layout

Each chord sits at a fixed numpad position based on its scale degree:

┌─────┬─────┬─────┐
│  7  │  8  │  9  │
│ Am  │Bdim │ Cm  │   ← vi, vii°, parallel tonic
├─────┼─────┼─────┤
│  4  │  5  │  6  │
│  F  │ ♫/♪ │  G  │   ← IV, toggle, V
├─────┼─────┼─────┤
│  1  │  2  │  3  │
│  C  │ Dm  │ Em  │   ← I, ii, iii
└─────┴─────┴─────┘

(Example: C major key)

The 7 diatonic chords always sit at the same positions: I at numpad 1, ii at 2, iii at 3, IV at 4, V at 6, vi at 7, vii° at 8. Numpad 9 holds the parallel tonic — the tonic chord with the opposite quality (Cm in a major key, A major in a minor key), a common "mood shift" chord. Numpad 5 toggles between chord and note mode.

Color Coding

Each cell's background color tells you how well that chord follows your last selection:

The ranking is based on functional harmony rules (how chords typically move in Western music). When a genre profile is active, the rankings adapt — jazz promotes ii-V-I chains, folk favors I-IV-V, blues emphasizes dominant sevenths.

Basic Usage

1. Make sure a chord track is selected (guitar or sustain editor)
2. The Flow Chord Pad appears in the theory panel
3. Press a numpad key (1-9) to insert that chord at the current position
4. The colors update — green chords are the best next choices
5. Press the next key. Repeat.

Chord Duration

Triads vs. Seventh Chords

Toggle between two chord modes with the button above the grid:

• Triads — 3-note chords (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim). Clean, simple. Best for pop, rock, folk.
• Sevenths — 4-note chords (Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, G7, Am7, Bm7b5). Richer, more complex. Best for jazz, R&B, neo-soul.

The genre profile sets the default — jazz starts in seventh mode, folk starts in triad mode. You can override at any time.

How the Ranking Works

After each chord you place, the pad re-evaluates every chord in the key and updates the colors:

1. Functional harmony transitions — the engine knows that V→I is the strongest resolution, IV→V builds tension, vi→IV is a classic pop move, etc.
2. Circle-of-fifths distance — chords whose roots are a fifth apart get a small bonus (these transitions sound naturally smooth)
3. Genre overrides — when a genre profile is active, its custom transition table replaces the defaults. Jazz emphasizes tritone substitutions and secondary dominants. Blues favors I-IV-V with dominant sevenths.

The result is sorted into three tiers (Good, Neutral, Poor) and mapped to green/yellow/red. The chord positions never move — only the colors change.

Integration with Other Editors

The Flow Chord Pad works alongside all chord-consuming editors:

• Guitar Editor — chords placed via the pad appear in the chord progression strip
• Sustain Editor — chords become chord blocks with dynamics envelopes
• Arpeggio/Bass Editor — the pad's chords define what the arp pattern resolves against
• Piano Roll / Guided Melody — the pad's chord progression informs note recommendations (chord tones get green ratings on strong beats)
• Harmonic Timeline — you can also place chords directly in the strip above any melodic editor. These chords serve as the harmonic blueprint: the melody engine promotes chord tones, the bass engine follows chord roots, and the duration engine respects chord boundaries. See the Smart Harmony page for details.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Tips

• Start with green — when in doubt, pick a green chord. You'll tend to get a coherent progression.
• Use yellow for interest — after a few green picks, try a yellow chord to add variety.
• Red for drama — a red chord before a green resolution creates contrast and tension.
• Learn the positions — chords never move, so you'll quickly memorize where I, IV, V, and vi are. Numpad 1-4-6 (I-IV-V) is the most common progression in pop/rock.
• Numpad 9 for mood shifts — the parallel tonic (e.g. Cm in C major) adds a sudden dark or bright flavor. Great for bridges and pre-choruses.
• Try genre switching — place chords, then switch genre profiles to see how the rankings change. The same progression reads differently through a jazz lens than a folk one.
• Build a 4-chord loop — a common song structure in pop. Pick 4 green/yellow chords and loop them.