Choose a chord progression, then check it by ear

A chord progression generator answers “What could I play next?” Tunenoodle builds progressions from style templates in a selected key and mode. It runs locally and lets you audition a harmonic idea immediately. The audio chord analyzer answers “What might be playing here?” It examines a recording and returns timed chord estimates, an estimated key and tempo.

The distinction determines your output. The generator exports playable MIDI notes. The analyzer exports a TXT or CSV timeline. Use MIDI when you want to develop the notes in an instrument track, or use the timeline when you want a listening and practice reference. Add instrument parts, voicings and fingering as you develop the arrangement.

Start in C major if you want to see the relationships without sharps and flats. I–V–vi–IV becomes C–G–Am–F: C contains C–E–G; G contains G–B–D; Am contains A–C–E; F contains F–A–C. Uppercase numerals here mean major triads; lowercase means minor. Play the sequence slowly and listen for the changing sense of tension and return as the roots move.

You can give this same loop different moods through melody, register, rhythm and bass movement. If your sung phrase strains at its highest note, move the progression to a more comfortable key. Keep the progression while testing the transposition.

Choose C, major and Pop. The generator offers several patterns; inspect the displayed names and choose the one you want. Each chord lasts one bar in 4/4. At 100 BPM a beat lasts 0.6 seconds, so four one-bar chords last 9.6 seconds. Tap four beats on each chord and hum the same short melody over two loops.

First listen to the roots C, G, A and F. Then notice the shared notes: C and Am share C and E, while Am and F share A and C. In your DAW, try moving notes by the smallest useful distance rather than keeping every chord in the same root-position shape. Export the MIDI, then use your DAW’s piano roll for those detailed voicing changes.

1. Choose key, mode and style. Start with soft keys so a dramatic timbre does not hide the harmony.

2. Preview each chord, then loop the progression and sing the proposed melody. Change the key if the range is wrong; change the pattern if the phrase cannot resolve.

3. Set a practical tempo and download MIDI. The file contains note and timing information, not the preview recording.

4. Import it into a DAW instrument track. Confirm tempo handling, instrument sound and note length. Add rhythm, inversions or sevenths there.

5. For a reference recording instead, open the analyzer with an audio file within 20 MB and five minutes. Start at balanced sensitivity, listen at each important change, and export a timeline only after checking it.

Chord recognition compares features in the audio with a vocabulary of chord shapes. A pitch-class summary groups notes across octaves, making it useful for finding the likely chord family; identifying the bass note and the full voicing takes additional listening. Tunenoodle’s analyzer labels major and minor triads, giving you a compact harmonic outline to check at your instrument.

For example, C/E may appear as C because both contain C, E and G, with E placed in the bass in the inversion. Cmaj7 may also receive a C label while its added B needs to be identified by ear. Find a sustained passage, listen to the bass, then play the proposed chord against it. Strong drums, distortion or a moving vocal can complicate a short frame, so compare nearby moments. An unknown label is a good place to investigate; balanced sensitivity gives you a useful starting density of estimates.

Why does the MIDI sound different? MIDI contains instructions; the receiving instrument produces the sound. Choose a suitable patch and compare at a similar volume.

How can I use the results for guitar or piano? Take the estimated chord names and times as a practice outline, check them by ear, then choose fingerings and voicings that fit your instrument and melody.

What if two progressions use the same four chords? Their order, harmonic rhythm, melody and voicing can still make different music. Judge the musical phrase, especially its final note, instead of counting unique chord names.