Guided Melody Editor

The Guided Melody Editor is a simplified alternative to the piano roll for writing melodies. Instead of showing all 88 piano keys, it displays only the notes in your current scale — typically 7 rows for diatonic scales or 5 for pentatonic. Each row is color-coded by how well it fits your musical context.

When to Use It

• You're new to music and don't know which notes to pick
• You want to compose quickly without worrying about wrong notes
• You prefer a cleaner, less cluttered view than the full piano roll

Layout

• Rows — one per scale degree, labeled 1-7 (or Do-Ti). The lowest degree is at the bottom.
• Columns — time steps, identical to the piano roll grid (1/4, 1/8, 1/16 resolution)
• Colors — each row's background color reflects the recommendation rating:
  • Green — sounds great as a continuation of what you just played
  • Yellow — works but adds tension or color
  • Red — creates strong tension (dissonant or unexpected)
• Colors update in real-time as your cursor moves and your last-played note changes

Editing Notes

Octave Control

The editor shows one octave at a time. Use the octave buttons or keyboard shortcuts to shift the visible register:

• Ctrl+Up — shift one octave higher
• Ctrl+Down — shift one octave lower

The current octave is shown in the toolbar (e.g., "Octave 4").

Chromatic Mode

By default, only scale tones are visible. Toggle Allow Chromatic in the toolbar to add thin half-rows between scale degrees for chromatic passing tones. These appear as narrower, dimmed rows — available but visually de-emphasized.

Ghost Notes

Notes from other tracks are shown as semi-transparent outlines, mapped to the corresponding scale degree. This helps you write melodies that complement what other instruments are playing.

Recommendation Engine

The color coding is powered by Kiwisonic's recommendation engine, which considers:

• Your instrument — piano tracks get counterpoint-focused suggestions, guitar tracks favor pentatonic patterns, bass tracks emphasize chord roots and fifths
• Your last note — suggestions promote smooth melodic motion
• Your genre profile — jazz allows wider intervals, folk stays conservative
• Your chord progression — chord tones are rated higher on strong beats

Switching Views

Click the Simple/Advanced toggle in the editor toolbar to switch between the Guided Melody Editor and the full Piano Roll. Both read and write the same underlying pattern data — your notes are preserved exactly when switching.

Keyboard Shortcuts