Harmony

Harmony is what happens when multiple notes sound together. It’s what makes music feel happy, sad, tense, or resolved. This guide teaches harmony through Strudel’s powerful chord and voicing system, with a focus on jazz harmony—the richest harmonic tradition in Western music.

What is Harmony?

When you play a single note, that’s melody. When you play multiple notes at the same time, that’s harmony:

A single note (melody):

note("c4").room(.5)

Multiple notes together (harmony):

note("<[c3,e3,g3]>").room(.5)

The second example plays three notes at once—this is called a chord. Chords are the building blocks of harmony.

Your First Chord

Writing [c3,e3,g3] every time is tedious. Strudel has a shortcut—the chord() function combined with voicing():

chord("C").voicing().room(.5)

That’s it! chord("C") specifies a C major chord, and voicing() turns it into actual notes.

Multiple chords in sequence:

chord("<C Am F G>").voicing().room(.5)

This plays four chords, one after another. The < > brackets create a sequence that cycles through.

Major vs Minor: The Two Flavors

Every chord has a quality—major or minor. This is the most important distinction in harmony:

Major = bright, happy, resolved
Minor = dark, sad, mysterious

Major chord:

chord("C").voicing().room(.5)

Minor chord:

chord("Cm").voicing().room(.5)

Side by side:

chord("<C Cm C Cm>").voicing().room(.5)

Notation: C = C major, Cm = C minor. You can also write C- for minor.

Pop & Rock Progressions

Before diving into jazz, let’s explore the chord progressions that power most popular music. These use simple major and minor chords—no fancy extensions needed.

Understanding Roman Numerals

Musicians use Roman numerals to describe chord progressions. Each number represents a chord built on that note of the scale:

In the key of C major, the scale is: C - D - E - F - G - A - B

Number	Note	Chord	Type
I	C	C	Major
ii	D	Dm	minor
iii	E	Em	minor
IV	F	F	Major
V	G	G	Major
vi	A	Am	minor
vii°	B	Bdim	diminished

Uppercase = Major, lowercase = minor

This system lets you play the same progression in any key. “I-V-vi-IV” in C is C-G-Am-F, but in G it’s G-D-Em-C.

The I-V-vi-IV: The Most Popular Progression

This four-chord progression appears in hundreds of hit songs:

I-V-vi-IV in C = C - G - Am - F

chord("<C G Am F>").voicing().room(.5)

Songs using I-V-vi-IV:

“Let It Be” — The Beatles
“No Woman No Cry” — Bob Marley
“With or Without You” — U2
“Someone Like You” — Adele
“Demons” — Imagine Dragons

Try it in different keys:

In G:

chord("<G D Em C>").voicing().room(.5)

In D:

chord("<D A Bm G>").voicing().room(.5)

The I-vi-IV-V: The 50s Progression

This “doo-wop” progression defined 1950s rock and roll:

chord("<C Am F G>").voicing().room(.5)

Songs using I-vi-IV-V:

“Stand By Me” — Ben E. King
“Every Breath You Take” — The Police
“Earth Angel” — The Penguins

The vi-IV-I-V: The Emotional Minor Start

Starting on the minor chord creates a more emotional, melancholic feel:

chord("<Am F C G>").voicing().room(.5)

Songs using vi-IV-I-V:

“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi
“Africa” — Toto
“Grenade” — Bruno Mars

The I-IV: The Two-Chord Wonder

Sometimes two chords are all you need:

chord("<C F C F>").voicing().room(.5)

Songs using mostly I-IV:

“Achy Breaky Heart” — Billy Ray Cyrus
“Jamming” — Bob Marley
Many folk and country songs

Adding Bass to Pop Progressions

Make your progressions fuller by adding a bass line with rootNotes():

chord("<C G Am F>").layer(
x => x.voicing(),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.5)

With a simple drum beat:

stack(
chord("<C G Am F>").voicing().gain(0.6),
chord("<C G Am F>").rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600),
sound("bd bd bd bd"),
sound("~ sd ~ sd")
).room(.4).cpm(30)

Power Chords: Rock Guitar Sound

In rock music, “power chords” use just the root and fifth—no third. This creates an ambiguous sound that works with distortion:

chord("<C5 G5 A5 F5>").voicing()
.s('sawtooth')
.distort(2)
.lpf(1500)
.room(.3)

Classic rock riff:

stack(
chord("<E5 E5 A5 E5 E5 B5 A5 E5>").voicing()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .distort(2.5)
  .lpf(1200)
  .gain(0.6),
sound("bd ~ bd ~ bd ~ bd bd"),
sound("~ ~ sd ~ ~ ~ sd ~")
).room(.3).cpm(35)

Strumming Patterns

Add rhythm to your chords with .struct():

Basic strum (all beats):

chord("<C G Am F>").voicing()
.struct("x x x x")
.room(.5)

Down-up strum pattern:

chord("<C G Am F>").voicing()
.struct("x ~ [x x] ~")
.room(.5)

Syncopated rhythm:

chord("<C G Am F>").voicing()
.struct("x ~ x ~ ~ x ~ x")
.room(.5)

Complete Pop Song Structure

Here’s a full pop arrangement with drums, bass, and chords:

stack(
// Chords
chord("<C G Am F>").voicing()
  .struct("[~ x] [~ x]")
  .gain(0.5),

// Bass
chord("<C G Am F>").rootNotes(2).note()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(500)
  .gain(0.6),

// Drums
sound("bd ~ bd ~"),
sound("~ sd ~ sd"),
sound("hh*8").gain(0.4)
).room(.4).cpm(30)

Acoustic Ballad Style

Softer, arpeggiated chords for ballads:

n("0 1 2 1 0 1 2 1").chord("<C G Am F>").voicing()
.room(.5)
.cpm(25)

With bass:

stack(
n("0 1 2 1 0 1 2 1").chord("<C G Am F>").voicing().gain(0.5),
chord("<C G Am F>").rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(400)
).room(.5).cpm(25)

Minor Key Pop

Many modern pop songs use minor keys for emotional depth:

Am-Em-F-G (minor progression):

chord("<Am Em F G>").voicing().room(.5)

Cm-Ab-Eb-Bb (darker feel):

chord("<Cm Ab Eb Bb>").voicing().room(.5)

With full arrangement:

stack(
chord("<Am Em F G>").voicing().struct("[~ x] [~ x]").gain(0.5),
chord("<Am Em F G>").rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(500),
sound("bd ~ bd ~"),
sound("~ sd ~ sd"),
sound("hh").euclid(8,8).gain(0.3)
).room(.4).cpm(28)

Country & Folk Progressions

Country music often uses the I-IV-V progression:

chord("<G G C D>").voicing().room(.5)

Country train beat:

stack(
chord("<G G C D>").voicing().struct("x ~ x ~").gain(0.5),
note("<g2 g2 c2 d2>").s('sawtooth').lpf(500),
sound("bd ~ bd ~"),
sound("~ sd ~ sd"),
sound("hh").euclid(8,8).gain(0.4)
).room(.4).cpm(35)

Reggae: Offbeat Chords

Reggae emphasizes the offbeats (the “and” of each beat):

chord("<C G Am F>").voicing()
.struct("~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x")
.room(.5)
.cpm(22)

With reggae drums:

stack(
chord("<C G Am F>").voicing().struct("~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x").gain(0.5),
chord("<C G Am F>").rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(500),
sound("bd ~ ~ bd ~ ~ bd ~"),
sound("~ ~ ~ ~ sd ~ ~ ~").gain(0.8),
sound("hh").euclid(8,8).gain(0.3)
).room(.4).cpm(22)

Moving to Jazz: Adding the Seventh

Now that you’re comfortable with basic progressions, let’s add more color. Jazz adds a seventh note to chords for richness.

Seventh Chords: The Jazz Sound

Jazz rarely uses plain major/minor chords. It adds a seventh note for richness:

Plain C major (3 notes):

chord("C").voicing().room(.5)

C major seventh (4 notes):

chord("C^7").voicing().room(.5)

The seventh adds sophistication. There are three main types of seventh chords:

Major 7th (^7)

Smooth, dreamy, resolved. Used on the “home” chord in jazz.

chord("C^7").voicing().room(.5)

Minor 7th (m7 or -7)

Mellow, relaxed. Very common in jazz.

chord("Cm7").voicing().room(.5)

Dominant 7th (7)

Bluesy, tense, wants to resolve. The engine of jazz harmony.

chord("C7").voicing().room(.5)

Compare all three:

chord("<C^7 Cm7 C7>").voicing().room(.5)

The ii-V-I Progression: Jazz Foundation

The ii-V-I (two-five-one) is the most important progression in jazz. Nearly every jazz standard contains it:

ii = minor 7th chord built on the 2nd note of the scale
V = dominant 7th chord built on the 5th note
I = major 7th chord built on the 1st note (home)

In the key of C:

ii = Dm7 (D minor 7)
V = G7 (G dominant 7)
I = C^7 (C major 7)

chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 C^7>").voicing().room(.5)

The ii-V creates tension that resolves to the I. This is the heart of jazz harmony.

Classic recordings featuring ii-V-I:

“Autumn Leaves” — the entire song is built on ii-V-I progressions
“All The Things You Are” — Jerome Kern’s standard
“Satin Doll” — Duke Ellington

ii-V-I in Different Keys

The same pattern works in any key:

In F:

chord("<Gm7 C7 F^7 F^7>").voicing().room(.5)

In Bb:

chord("<Cm7 F7 Bb^7 Bb^7>").voicing().room(.5)

In G:

chord("<Am7 D7 G^7 G^7>").voicing().room(.5)

Voicing Dictionaries: Different Styles

Strudel includes multiple voicing dictionaries—different ways to play the same chords. Use .dict() to select one:

Default (ireal)

Full, rich jazz voicings:

chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").voicing().room(.5)

Lefthand

Rootless voicings—what jazz pianists play with their left hand while soloing:

chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").dict('lefthand').voicing().room(.5)

Guide Tones

Just the 3rd and 7th—the essential notes that define each chord:

chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").dict('guidetones').voicing().room(.5)

Triads

Simple three-note chords—good for pop/rock:

chord("<Dm G C Am>").dict('triads').voicing().room(.5)

Compare them all on the same progression:

chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>*4")
.dict("<ireal lefthand guidetones triads>")
.voicing().room(.5)

Voice Leading with anchor() and mode()

Voice leading is the art of moving smoothly between chords. Good voice leading keeps notes close together rather than jumping around.

The anchor() Function

anchor() tells the voicing where to center. Voicings will cluster around this note:

Without anchor (might jump around):

chord("<C^7 F^7 Dm7 G7>").voicing().room(.5)

With anchor at C5 (smooth):

chord("<C^7 F^7 Dm7 G7>").anchor("c5").voicing().room(.5)

Higher anchor for brighter sound:

chord("<C^7 F^7 Dm7 G7>").anchor("g5").voicing().room(.5)

Lower anchor for darker sound:

chord("<C^7 F^7 Dm7 G7>").anchor("g3").voicing().room(.5)

The mode() Function

mode() controls whether voicings go above or below the anchor:

below (default) — top note at or below anchor
above — bottom note at or above anchor
root — root note in bass position

chord("C^7").mode("below").anchor("c5").voicing().room(.5)

chord("C^7").mode("above").anchor("c4").voicing().room(.5)

chord("C^7").mode("root").anchor("c3").voicing().room(.5)

Adding Bass with rootNotes()

Jazz typically has a bass player playing the root notes. Use rootNotes() to extract bass notes from chords:

Just the bass notes:

chord("<C^7 A7 Dm7 G7>").rootNotes(2).note().room(.5)

Combining Chords and Bass with layer()

The layer() function lets you create multiple parts from the same chord progression:

chord("<C^7 A7 Dm7 G7>").layer(
x => x.voicing().room(.5),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(800)
)

Piano comping with bass (jazz rhythm section):

chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>*2").layer(
x => x.struct("[~ x]*2").dict('lefthand').voicing(),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.5).cpm(32)

The .struct("[~ x]*2") creates the classic jazz comping rhythm—playing on beats 2 and 4.

Walking Bass Lines

In jazz, the bass often “walks”—playing a note on every beat, moving stepwise between chord tones. You can create walking bass patterns:

Simple root motion:

chord("<C^7 A7 Dm7 G7>*2").layer(
x => x.struct("[~ x]*2").dict('lefthand').voicing(),
x => x.rootNotes(2).struct("x x x x").note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.5).cpm(32)

With chromatic approach notes:

stack(
chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").struct("[~ x]*2").dict('lefthand').voicing(),
note("d2 e2 f2 f#2 g2 a2 b2 bb2 c2 d2 e2 eb2 a2 b2 c3 c#3")
  .s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.5).cpm(32)

Jazz Blues: 12-Bar with 7ths

The jazz blues takes the standard 12-bar blues and enriches it with jazz harmony:

Basic Jazz Blues in F:

chord(`<
F7 Bb7 F7 Cm7 F7
Bb7 Bo F7 Am7 D7
Gm7 C7 F7 D7 Gm7 C7
>`).voicing().room(.5).cpm(28)

Jazz Blues with Rhythm Section:

let chords = chord(`<
F7 Bb7 F7 [Cm7 F7]
Bb7 Bo F7 [Am7 D7]
Gm7 C7 [F7 D7] [Gm7 C7]
>`)
stack(
chords.struct("[~ x]*2").dict('lefthand').voicing(),
chords.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.5).cpm(32)

The Turnaround: I-vi-ii-V

The turnaround is a progression that leads back to the beginning. It’s used at the end of sections:

chord("<C^7 Am7 Dm7 G7>").voicing().room(.5)

With tritone substitution (advanced):

chord("<C^7 Eb7 Dm7 Db7>").voicing().room(.5)

Turnaround with rhythm section:

chord("<C^7 Am7 Dm7 G7>*2").layer(
x => x.struct("[~ x] [x ~]").voicing(),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.5).cpm(36)

Extended Chords: 9ths, 11ths, 13ths

Jazz often uses extended chords that add more notes above the 7th:

9th Chords

Add color without changing the function:

chord("<Dm9 G9 C^9>").voicing().room(.5)

Altered Dominants

For maximum tension, use altered chords (b9, #9, b13):

chord("<Dm7 G7b9 C^7>").voicing().room(.5)

chord("<Dm7 G7#9 C^7>").voicing().room(.5)

chord("<Dm7 G7alt C^7>").voicing().room(.5)

Arpeggios: Chords as Melody

An arpeggio plays chord notes one at a time instead of together. Use n() with chord() to select individual notes:

Basic arpeggio:

n("0 1 2 3").chord("C^7").voicing().room(.5)

Arpeggio pattern over chord changes:

n("0 1 2 3 2 1").chord("<C^7 Am7 Dm7 G7>").voicing().room(.5)

Jazz arpeggio with rhythm:

n("0 [0,2] 1 [1,3]").chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>")
.voicing().fast(2).room(.5).cpm(30)

The arp() Function

You can also use .arp() to create arpeggio patterns:

chord("<C^7 Am7 Dm7 G7>").voicing().arp("0 1 2 3").room(.5)

chord("<C^7 Am7 Dm7 G7>").voicing().arp("0 2 1 3 2 0").room(.5)

Beyond Jazz: Pop Progressions

Jazz harmony enriches other genres too. Here’s the famous I-V-vi-IV pop progression with jazz voicings:

Simple triads (pop style):

chord("<C G Am F>").dict('triads').voicing().room(.5)

With 7ths (neo-soul style):

chord("<C^7 G7 Am7 F^7>").voicing().room(.5)

Pop with bass:

chord("<C G Am F>").layer(
x => x.dict('triads').voicing(),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.5).cpm(30)

Blues Harmony

Blues uses dominant 7th chords throughout, even where major or minor would normally go:

12-Bar Blues in E:

chord(`<
E7 E7 E7 E7
A7 A7 E7 E7
B7 A7 E7 B7
>`).voicing().room(.5).cpm(25)

Shuffle Blues with Bass:

chord("<E7!4 A7!2 E7!2 B7 A7 E7 B7>").layer(
x => x.voicing().struct("x [~ x] x [~ x]"),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(400)
).room(.5).cpm(28)

Neo-Soul & R&B

Modern R&B uses rich extended chords and smooth voice leading:

chord("<C^9 Am9 Dm9 G7b13>")
.anchor("c5")
.voicing()
.s('sawtooth')
.lpf(1500)
.room(.4)
.cpm(24)

Neo-soul with rhythm section:

chord("<C^9 Am9 Dm9 G7b13>*2").layer(
x => x.struct("[~ x]*2").voicing().s('sawtooth').lpf(1500),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sine').lpf(400)
).room(.4).cpm(24)

Bossa Nova

Brazilian jazz features flowing rhythm and minor 7th cycles:

chord("<Am7 Am7 Dm7 E7>").layer(
x => x.struct("x ~ [x ~] ~ x ~ ~ ~").voicing(),
x => x.rootNotes(2).struct("x ~ ~ x ~ x ~ ~").note()
).room(.4).cpm(35)

“Girl From Ipanema” style:

chord("<F^7 F^7 G7 G7 Gm7 Gb7 F^7 Gb7>").layer(
x => x.struct("x ~ [x ~] ~").voicing(),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600)
).room(.4).cpm(35)

Modal jazz, pioneered by Miles Davis on “Kind of Blue”, uses fewer chord changes and focuses on scales/modes:

So What / Impressions style (Dm7 for 8 bars, Ebm7 for 8 bars):

chord("<Dm7!4 Ebm7!4>")
.dict('lefthand')
.voicing()
.struct("[~ x] [~ x]")
.room(.5)
.cpm(36)

Quartal voicings (stacked 4ths, characteristic of modal jazz):

note("<[d3,g3,c4,f4] [d3,g3,c4,f4] [eb3,ab3,db4,gb4] [eb3,ab3,db4,gb4]>")
.struct("[~ x] [~ x]")
.room(.5)
.cpm(36)

Complete Jazz Combo Examples

Swing Standard

stack(
// Piano comping
chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>*2")
  .dict('lefthand')
  .struct("[~ x] [x ~] [~ x] x")
  .voicing()
  .gain(0.6),

// Bass
chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>*2")
  .rootNotes(2)
  .note()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(600)
  .gain(0.7),

// Drums
sound("hh").euclid(6, 8).gain(0.4),
sound("rim").euclidRot(2, 8, 4).gain(0.3)
).room(.3).cpm(40)

Medium Swing Blues

let chords = chord(`<F7 Bb7 F7 [Cm7 F7] Bb7 Bo F7 [Am7 D7] Gm7 C7 [F7 D7] [Gm7 C7]>`)
stack(
chords.dict('lefthand').struct("[~ x]*2").voicing().gain(0.5),
chords.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600).gain(0.6),
sound("hh").euclid(6, 8).gain(0.3),
sound("rim").euclidRot(3, 8, 4).gain(0.25)
).room(.3).cpm(36)

Bossa Nova

stack(
chord("<Am7 Am7 Dm7 E7>*2")
  .struct("x ~ [x ~] ~ x ~ ~ ~")
  .voicing()
  .gain(0.5),

chord("<Am7 Am7 Dm7 E7>*2")
  .rootNotes(2)
  .struct("x ~ ~ x ~ x ~ ~")
  .note()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(600)
  .gain(0.6),

sound("rim").euclid(5, 8).gain(0.3),
sound("hh").euclid(8, 8).gain(0.2)
).room(.4).cpm(35)

Ballad

chord("<C^9 Am9 Dm9 G7b13>")
.layer(
  x => x.voicing().s('supersaw').lpf(2000).attack(0.1).release(0.5).gain(0.3),
  x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sine').lpf(300).gain(0.6)
)
.room(.5)
.slow(1.5)

Uptempo Bebop

stack(
chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7 Dm7 G7 Em7 A7>")
  .dict('guidetones')
  .struct("~ x ~ x")
  .voicing()
  .gain(0.5),

chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7 Dm7 G7 Em7 A7>")
  .rootNotes(2)
  .note()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(500)
  .gain(0.6),

sound("hh").euclid(8, 8).gain(0.3),
sound("rim").euclidRot(3, 8, 2).gain(0.25)
).room(.3).cpm(55)

Chord Symbol Quick Reference

Symbol	Name	Character
C	Major	Bright, happy
Cm or C-	Minor	Dark, sad
C7	Dominant 7	Bluesy, wants to resolve
C^7 or CM7	Major 7	Smooth, dreamy
Cm7 or C-7	Minor 7	Mellow, relaxed
Cdim or Co	Diminished	Tense, unstable
Caug or C+	Augmented	Mysterious, floating
C9	Dominant 9	Rich dominant
C^9	Major 9	Lush, beautiful
Cm9	Minor 9	Warm, sophisticated
C7b9	Dominant b9	Tense altered
C7#9	Dominant #9	”Hendrix chord”
C7alt	Altered dominant	Maximum tension
Csus	Suspended	Ambiguous, floating
C6	Major 6	Vintage jazz
Cm7b5 or Ch	Half-diminished	Minor ii chord

Voicing Dictionary Reference

Dictionary	Character	Best For
ireal	Full, rich	General jazz comping
ireal-ext	Extended	Complex jazz voicings
lefthand	Rootless	Piano left-hand, trio settings
guidetones	Minimal (3rd+7th)	Sparse arrangements, sketching
triads	Simple 3-note	Pop, rock, folk

Common Jazz Progressions

Progression	Chords (in C)	Usage
ii-V-I	Dm7 G7 C^7	Foundation of jazz
I-vi-ii-V	C^7 Am7 Dm7 G7	Turnaround
iii-vi-ii-V	Em7 Am7 Dm7 G7	Extended turnaround
Jazz Blues	F7 Bb7 F7…	12-bar with substitutions
Rhythm Changes	Bb^7 Gm7 Cm7 F7…	”I Got Rhythm”
Coltrane Changes	C^7 Eb7 Ab^7 B7…	Giant Steps

More Jazz Styles

Cool Jazz

Cool jazz features a relaxed, laid-back feel with softer dynamics and slower harmonic rhythm:

chord("<C^9 C^9 Dm9 Dm9 Em9 Em9 Dm9 G7b9>")
.anchor("c5")
.voicing()
.s('sawtooth')
.lpf(1200)
.room(.4)
.cpm(28)

Cool Jazz with bass:

chord("<C^9 Dm9 Em9 Dm9>*2").layer(
x => x.struct("[~ x] ~ [~ x] ~").voicing().s('sawtooth').lpf(1200),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(500)
).room(.4).cpm(30)

Latin Jazz

Latin jazz combines jazz harmony with Afro-Cuban rhythms like the clave:

stack(
chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").struct("x ~ x ~ ~ x ~ x").voicing().gain(0.6),
chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(600).gain(0.7),
sound("rim").euclid(5, 16).gain(0.4)
).room(.3).cpm(45)

Montuno pattern:

stack(
n("0 2 4 2 0 2 4 2").chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").voicing().gain(0.5),
chord("<Dm7 G7 C^7 A7>").rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(500).gain(0.6),
sound("rim").euclid(5, 16).gain(0.35)
).room(.3).cpm(50)

Funk & Soul

Funk uses rhythmic chord stabs with 9th and 13th chords:

chord("<E9!4 A9!2 E9!2>")
.struct("x ~ [~ x] ~ x ~ [x ~] ~")
.voicing()
.s('sawtooth')
.lpf(2000)
.room(.3)
.cpm(28)

Funk with bass and drums:

stack(
chord("<E9!4 A9!2 E9!2>")
  .struct("x ~ [~ x] ~ x ~ [x ~] ~")
  .voicing()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(2000)
  .gain(0.5),
note("e2 ~ e2 ~ e2 g2 a2 ~")
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(600)
  .gain(0.7),
sound("bd").euclid(5, 8),
sound("sd").euclidRot(2, 8, 4),
sound("hh").euclid(8, 8).gain(0.4)
).room(.3).cpm(28)

Gospel

Gospel uses rich extended chords and dramatic resolutions:

chord("<C^7 C^7/E F^7 Fm7 C^7/G G7 C^7 C^7>")
.voicing()
.room(.5)
.cpm(25)

Gospel with passing chords:

chord("<C^7 Dm7 Em7 Ebm7 Dm7 Db7 C^7 C^7>")
.voicing()
.room(.5)
.cpm(28)

Lofi Hip-Hop

Lofi beats combine jazz harmony with lo-fi drums:

stack(
chord("<Dm9 G7 C^9 Am9>")
  .struct("[~ x] [~ x]")
  .voicing()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(900)
  .gain(0.4),
chord("<Dm9 G7 C^9 Am9>")
  .rootNotes(2)
  .note()
  .s('sawtooth')
  .lpf(400)
  .gain(0.5),
sound("bd ~ ~ bd ~ ~ bd ~"),
sound("~ ~ sd ~ ~ ~ sd ~"),
sound("hh").euclid(5, 8).gain(0.3)
).room(.4).cpm(22)

Lofi with vinyl crackle feel:

stack(
n("0 2 1 3").chord("<Dm9 G7 C^9 A7b9>").voicing()
  .s('sawtooth').lpf(1000).gain(0.35),
chord("<Dm9 G7 C^9 A7b9>").rootNotes(2).note()
  .s('sawtooth').lpf(400).gain(0.5),
sound("bd").euclidRot(3, 8, 0),
sound("sd").euclidRot(1, 4, 2).gain(0.8)
).room(.5).cpm(20)

Chord Progressions by Feel

Happy & Uplifting

chord("<C G Am F>").dict('triads').voicing().room(.5)

Melancholic & Reflective

chord("<Am F C G>").voicing().room(.5)

Mysterious & Tense

chord("<Cm7 Fm7 Abm7 Db7>").voicing().room(.5)

Dreamy & Floating

chord("<C^9 E^9 Ab^9 B^9>")
.anchor("c5")
.voicing()
.s('supersaw')
.lpf(2000)
.attack(0.1)
.release(0.5)
.room(.6)

Dark & Cinematic

chord("<Cm Gm Ab Eb>")
.voicing()
.s('sawtooth')
.lpf(800)
.room(.5)
.slow(1.5)

Energetic & Driving

chord("<Am F C G>*2").layer(
x => x.struct("x x x x").voicing().gain(0.6),
x => x.rootNotes(2).note().s('sawtooth').lpf(500)
).room(.3).cpm(35)

What You Learned

chord() creates chord symbols, voicing() turns them into notes
Major (C) = bright, Minor (Cm) = dark
7th chords: C^7 (major 7), Cm7 (minor 7), C7 (dominant 7)
The ii-V-I progression is the foundation of jazz
dict() selects voicing styles: ireal, lefthand, guidetones, triads
anchor() controls voicing placement for smooth voice leading
rootNotes() extracts bass notes from chords
layer() combines multiple parts from one chord progression
Extended chords (9, 11, 13) and altered dominants add color
n() and arp() create arpeggios from chords
Jazz harmony enriches pop, blues, bossa nova, and other genres

What is Harmony?

Your First Chord

Major vs Minor: The Two Flavors

Pop & Rock Progressions

Understanding Roman Numerals

The I-V-vi-IV: The Most Popular Progression

The I-vi-IV-V: The 50s Progression

The vi-IV-I-V: The Emotional Minor Start

The I-IV: The Two-Chord Wonder

Adding Bass to Pop Progressions

Power Chords: Rock Guitar Sound

Strumming Patterns

Complete Pop Song Structure

Acoustic Ballad Style

Minor Key Pop

Country & Folk Progressions

Reggae: Offbeat Chords

Moving to Jazz: Adding the Seventh

Seventh Chords: The Jazz Sound

Major 7th (^7)

Minor 7th (m7 or -7)

Dominant 7th (7)

The ii-V-I Progression: Jazz Foundation

ii-V-I in Different Keys

Voicing Dictionaries: Different Styles

Default (ireal)

Lefthand

Guide Tones

Triads

Voice Leading with anchor() and mode()

The anchor() Function

The mode() Function

Adding Bass with rootNotes()

Combining Chords and Bass with layer()

Walking Bass Lines

Jazz Blues: 12-Bar with 7ths

The Turnaround: I-vi-ii-V

Extended Chords: 9ths, 11ths, 13ths

9th Chords

Altered Dominants

Arpeggios: Chords as Melody

The arp() Function

Beyond Jazz: Pop Progressions

Blues Harmony

Neo-Soul & R&B

Bossa Nova

Modal Jazz

Complete Jazz Combo Examples

Swing Standard

Medium Swing Blues

Bossa Nova

Ballad

Uptempo Bebop

Chord Symbol Quick Reference

Voicing Dictionary Reference

Common Jazz Progressions

More Jazz Styles

Cool Jazz

Latin Jazz

Funk & Soul

Gospel

Lofi Hip-Hop

Chord Progressions by Feel

Happy & Uplifting

Melancholic & Reflective

Mysterious & Tense

Dreamy & Floating

Dark & Cinematic

Energetic & Driving

What You Learned