ChordBook v2.5c -- An Interactive Chord Book for Guitar

Copyright © 1996-2001 DRS Digital Image & Sound, Inc.  All Rights Reserved

General Usage Notes:

ChordBook v2.5c provides chord lookup for guitar in standard tuning, and additional chord processing for 70 non-standard guitar tunings.  ChordBook's purpose is simple--provide a way to create your own, customized chord listings....in the order and with the voicing YOU choose.

For starters, the Chord Library for standard tuning has 23 chord types in each key and has 3 to 6 different voices/fingerings each.  Simply select the key of the chord and it's type.  You preview it in the Chord Library window and when you find the correct voicing/fingering, draw it in the Diagram Editor.  

...But that's not all.  When you draw the Library chord in the Diagram Editor, all possible
notes in the chord are also plotted in the Neck View.   The Neck View provides additional chord lookup functions.  This window allows the browsing of chord fingerings over the neck and has a Name-that-Chord function which recognizes more than 60 different chord types in any key, in standard and non-standard tunings.  These user-created chord voicings may then be diagramed in the chord editor window.  So, if you don't find the voicing/fingering you need, you can experiment until you find the one you do!   The Neck View also provides a Name-that-Chord functionality.  Click in the chord you want (the notes you clicked will be displayed in blue), click the button with the question-mark on it, and a list of possible chord names will be displayed.  Select (highlight) one of the names, and you're ready to draw that chord in the Diagram Editor. 
 
The Chord Namer function allows you to click in the notes of a chord as you see them printed on the staff.  You can then hit the "name it" function (the button with the question mark on it) to get the name of the chord.  After the chord name is selected from the list, the chord can be "drawn" to the Neck View--and the chord voicing selected via the browse functions.

This program requires System 8.6 or higher and a PowerPC equipped Macintosh and CarbonLib.  This version is intented to be run on Mac OS-X with a G3 or higher processor.  For those running pre-Mac OS-X systems, we suggest you use v2.4, which is not dependent on the CarbonLib extension.   A color monitor with at least 400 lines is highly recommended.  QuickTime with the QuickTime Musical Instruments extension is required for sound output.

Unlockable Demo

ChordBook! is distributed as an unlockable demo.  In demo mode, ChordBook! is fully functional, expect that only chords in the key of C, D, and G are allowed in the diagram editor window.  Upon registering, DRS Digital Image & Sound, Inc. will send you an ID number which will register this program and remove the C, D, and G limitation.   More information is contained in the README file that came with this distribution.

Usage Examples:

1.  The first thing you might want to do is display some chords from the built-in library.  To do that, select the button with the chord diagram on it from the toolbar.  This will display the chord library window, which will allow you to preview all the chords in the library before you draw them in the diagram window.  

2.  Suppose you are writing a song and have a cool-sounding chord, but don't know the name of it.  You can use the Name-that-Chord function to name the chord.  First, clear the Neck View with the "Clear" button in the Neck View.   Then, enter your finger locations on the neck by clicking on the appropriate fret/string locations.  Click just above the neck drawing for an open string, and click on the 'X' below the neck for a string not played.  You can then use the "Play" button to verify that you entered the finger positions correctly.  When you are satisfied that the chord is entered correctly, click on "Name-that-Chord"--the button with the question mark on it.  If a valid name(s) is found, it/they  will appear in the "Chord Name Selector" box, located just below the neck drawing.  Select the most appropriate name (click on it so that it is highlighted) and select the "Draw"  button (the pencil), which diagrams the chord in the Diagram Editor.  When the chord is diagramed, it also sets up the intervals of the chord.  This means that you can now look at the steps or note names of the chord, and also "browse" the chord.

3.  Chord Browsing.  Once a chord has been drawn in the Diagram Editor, the finger positions or "voicing" of the chords may be browsed.   For example, in standard tuning, select and draw (to the Diagram Editor) a G major chord from the Chord Library.  In the Diagram Editor, the G chord is diagramed.  That chord is also drawn on the Neck View, and has a position marker everywhere a valid note in the G major chord occurs.  Note that the chord as diagramed is also highlighted in blue.  You can now "Play" this chord to hear the proper sound, you can "Show" chord notes or steps, or you can "Browse".  Now let's suppose that you need to play a G Major chord, but want a different fingering.  Furthermore, let's suppose that you want something other than what is supplied in the Chord Library.  You can simply "Browse" up or down to get different fingerings of the chord selected.  (Note:  You may not be able to play all these chords, and some will sound better than others!  Also note that on slower machines, complex chords--13th's, for example--sometimes take some time between "browse" mouse-clicks.)

4.  Non-Standard Tunings.  The built-in Chord Library is available only in standard tuning.  So, to select a chord in a non-standard tuning, you use the Chord Voice window (opened by selecting the toolbar button with the up/down arrows on it--the one right beside the Chord Library button) and choose the chord's key and type.  The "draw" button places intervals of that chord in the Neck View.   You can then use the "Show" buttons to start building your chords.  Click on the finger positions you want, and use the "Play" button to hear your creation.  Once you have entered one set of finger positions, you can "Browse" as in example 3 above, or select your own fingering and do a "Name-that-Chord" as in example 2 above.  This function is also available in standard tuning.

5.  Enjoy and have fun!