Music theory for producers: chords, scales, and melody in your DAW

In C major, the practical checks are one loop: chords C, G, Am, and F, the voicing C4 E4 G4 then B3 D4 G4 then C4 E4 A4 then C4 F4 A4, and the melody E4, D4, E4, F4. You build that loop in PALETTE and VOICING, record the melody on a Pattern track, and copy the MIDI out.

Spell the chords

C major is the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The I chord is C major, spelled C, E, G. The V chord is G major, spelled G, B, D. The vi chord is A minor, spelled A, C, E. The IV chord is F major, spelled F, A, C.

Count C major on a keyboard: four semitones from C up to E, then three semitones from E up to G. Count A minor from A up to C (three semitones), then C up to E (four semitones).

The same functions in A major are A, E, F#m, and D. The Roman numerals stay I, V, vi, IV.

In this loop, G (V) goes to Am (vi). On the repeat, F (IV) goes to C (I). Those two moves are in harmonic function.

On the progression timeline, drag a voicing from PALETTE onto the timeline for each bar, then drag the right edge of a block to set its length. The block menu can show each name as a numeral, a letter, or solfege. In C, the solfege syllables for these roots are Do, Sol, La, and Fa. The same opening move, dragging voicings onto a progression, is where how it works starts.

Stack a voicing

A voicing is those chord tones placed in a register. Close position keeps C major inside one octave: C4, E4, G4. Open position spreads the same tones: C3, G3, E4. From C3 up to G3 is a fifth. From G3 up to E4 is a sixth.

Add B4 on top of C4, E4, G4 and the chord is Cmaj7: C4, E4, G4, B4. Move to G as B3, D4, G4, B4. G4 and B4 hold. C4 steps down to B3. E4 steps down to D4.

In VOICING, set VOICE COUNT to 3. The control runs from 1 to 12. Press Play Voicing on the VOICING top bar and listen for C, E, and G on a C button.

OCTAVE on the Dashboard is a register number from 1 to 7. Change it and press Play Voicing again to hear the same C, E, G chord in another register.

Spacing sets how far apart the voices sit. If C3 and E3 clash, turn on Low Interval Limits so the lower voices stay farther apart.

The keyboard display shows the chord voicing and the voice leading while those chords play.

Choose the inversion

An inversion keeps the chord tones and changes which one is lowest. Root position is C4, E4, G4. First inversion is C/E: E4, G4, C5. Second inversion is C/G: G3, C4, E4.

Voice-lead the four chords in three voices. C is C4, E4, G4. G is B3, D4, G4. Am is C4, E4, A4. F is C4, F4, A4.

Every voice either steps or holds. The bottom voice goes C4, B3, C4, C4. The middle voice goes E4, D4, E4, F4. The top voice goes G4, G4, A4, A4. G4 holds from C into G, and A4 holds from Am into F. That path is voice leading.

B is the lowest note of B3, D4, G4, so that G chord is first inversion. C is the lowest note of C4, E4, A4, so that Am chord is first inversion, Am/C. C is the lowest note of C4, F4, A4, so that F chord is second inversion, F/C.

INVERSION on the Dashboard reads Root, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th. Root puts C at the bottom of a C chord. 1st puts E at the bottom.

VOICE LEAD is the Dashboard ON/OFF switch for smooth motion between chords, stored at Song or Palette scope. Turn it on, move from the C block to the G block, and listen for a held G with the other voices moving by step.

BASS is its own ON/OFF control on the Dashboard, separate from INVERSION. Open COMPOUND CHORD in the chord picker to build a slash chord or a polychord in the Compound Chord window.

Put a scale over each chord

Over C, play C Ionian, the major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The chord tones inside it are C, E, and G.

C Lydian raises the fourth: C, D, E, F#, G, A, B. F# is the sharp 11 above C.

Over G, play G Mixolydian: G, A, B, C, D, E, F. The triad tones are G, B, and D. F is the flat seventh, the note that makes the chord G7.

Over Am, stay in C major with A Aeolian: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. The triad tones are A, C, and E.

A Dorian raises the sixth to F#: A, B, C, D, E, F#, G. C major's sixth is F. That swap to F# is a borrowed chords color.

Over F, the scale that stays inside C major is F Lydian: F, G, A, B, C, D, E. B is the raised fourth.

F Ionian, the F major scale, is F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E.

Bb major, spelled Bb, D, F, is bVII in C. Bb is the lowered seventh of C. Play F, then Bb, then C. The roots are F, Bb, C.

KEY on the Dashboard is the key letter. SCALE / CHORD shows the scale or chord name on the current voicing button. Bank templates often group related modes on one bank. Hold notes, open Listen for chord & scale from the Chord / Scale listen control or the progression block menu, pick a candidate, and press APPLY.

Chord quality decides which of those tones count as chord tones for generated notes. Major seventh on C includes B with C, E, and G. Dominant seventh on G includes F with G, B, and D.

Write the melody

Use one chord tone per bar: E4, then D4, then E4, then F4.

E4 is the third of C. D4 is the fifth of G. E4 is the fifth of Am. F4 is the root of F. Each pitch is also in the scale named for that bar. The line moves E to D, D to E, and E to F.

Add a passing tone in the C bar: E4, F4, G4, then D4, E4, and F4 on the later bars. F4 is scale degree 4 of C Ionian, between the chord tones E and G.

Record that line on a Pattern track.

1. Make a Pattern track the active track in SONG, then open TRACK.
2. Right-click Record and turn SNAP TO GRID on.
3. Enable Record and press Play. Space toggles playback from the Songbar.
4. Play E4, D4, E4, F4, one bar each. Incoming notes become piano-roll notes on this Pattern track only.

The Add tool (hotkey 2) draws E4, D4, E4, and F4 on the roll.

Note Type MIDI keeps a pitch fixed. With that type set, change the C block to F and E4 stays E4, the major seventh of Fmaj7.

Note Type Scale stores the note relative to the active scale, so the melody can transpose when you change scale.

Note Type Chord stores the note relative to a chord tone. Use it for an arpeggio that should follow the blocks. Note Type Voice follows the notes VOICING generated.

Function switches absolute and relative behavior. Right-click a note to convert between relative and absolute.

The Pattern roll is where you edit that melody. A Voicing track's roll previews the generated chord notes. Edit the chord by changing the rules in VOICING, then read the roll again.

New Pattern, Voicing, and Sequencer tracks can start on CymaSynth, the instrument bundled with Cymasphere. With CymaSynth loaded on the track, press Play and you hear the loop from that instrument. Open the CymaSynth editor from the track, or from MIXER in the standalone app, to change the preset.

Draft another progression

Open the progression menu and choose GENERATE to draft another loop, then play it and edit the blocks you want to keep, using the chord progression generator guide.

An AI assistant can operate Cymasphere while you decide what stays. See AI music composition tools.

Copy the voicing and the melody into the DAW with how to get a chord progression into your DAW as MIDI.