Flow Chord Pad

The Flow Chord Pad is the fastest way to build chord progressions in Kiwisonic. It's 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 required.

Why It Matters

Most beginners stare at a list of chords and wonder "which one sounds good next?" The Flow Chord Pad answers that question visually. Green means it sounds great. You press the key. Done. The grid reshuffles so the best next options are always front and center. You can build a professional-sounding chord progression in seconds.

Layout

┌─────┬─────┬─────┐
│  7  │  8  │  9  │
│ Em  │ F   │ G   │
├─────┼─────┼─────┤
│  4  │  5  │  6  │
│ Am  │ Bdim│ C   │
├─────┼─────┼─────┤
│  1  │  2  │  3  │
│ C   │ Dm  │ Em  │
└─────┴─────┴─────┘

The grid shows the diatonic chords of your current key (the 7 chords built from the scale), arranged from low (bottom-left) to high (top-right). After each chord selection, the grid reorders so the best-ranked next chords move toward the center.

Color Coding

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

The ranking comes from Kiwisonic's harmony engine, which uses functional harmony rules (how chords typically move in real 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 grid reshuffles — the best next chords move to the center
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:

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.

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)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Tips

• Start with green — when in doubt, always pick a green chord. You'll get a solid, musical progression every time.
• Use yellow for interest — after 3-4 green picks, throw in a yellow chord to keep things from sounding predictable.
• Red for drama — a single red chord before a green resolution creates a powerful emotional moment.
• Try genre switching — place the same chord, then switch genre profiles to see how the rankings change. A "boring" I-IV-V in folk becomes a sophisticated ii-V-I in jazz by viewing it through a different lens.
• Build a 4-chord loop — the most common song structure in pop. Pick 4 green/yellow chords and loop them. You now have a verse.