This is a suggestion for an optional intelligent chord entry system.

This post is an expanded recap of my comments that were a part of this thread: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=293013#Post293013 That thread had comments about the little light green chord entry window in BIAB 2015. I would like to go farther and suggest a new feature.

The chord entry system is the first thing you work with, and where you spend much time. Now, if you make a mistake typing a chord in the Chordsheet, nothing happens. This can be especially puzzling because BIAB has a few cases where special syntax is required. We often see posts in the forum by new users asking, "How can I enter this chord that is in the fakebook chart I have" etc.

To enter a chord, I would like BIAB to behave more like, say, Microsoft Word and your Internet browser. It could flag a chord that is typed incorrectly or especially a chord type that is not supported, and put you into a smart edit mode, rather than have the full entry just disappear. BIAB should allow you to see and fix the chord rather than just expect you to retype it and hope you got it right. It might function like my iPhone, with artificial intelligence suggestions for chords as I type (again, this would need to be optional, like turning off autocorrect on your smartphone that some people hate).

Here are some examples of how I think this new chord editor window might work:

As I type FMa it underlines in red as incomplete syntax, and presents F, FMaj7, FMaj9, FMaj9#11 etc. for me to click on.

If I type FBaj7 and press Enter, the chord underlines in red, giving me an opportunity to edit the error. BIAB could say, "Chord type not supported" and even give me some suggestions I could click on to fix the entry. It should recognize that maybe I was intending to type FMaj7.

Or as another example, I type FMaj7#11 and press Enter. It would underline in red, say the chord is constructed correctly but is a chord type not supported by BIAB. It would not only suggest FMaj9#11, but also put up a green message about how I could consider creating a chord shortcut that would make this replacement automatic in the future. Optimally, it would offer to create that shortcut for me.

Suppose I type HMaj7. The new BIAB chord edit window flags it, recognizes the error, and presents a list of the twelve tones I might have meant, even using the key signature in place at that cell to present the proper enharmonic spelling (A# rather than Bb, say).

Again, this system should be optional. It should assist new users, but more advanced users may wish to turn it off and have the program behave as it does now, and type using only the cell in the Chordsheet.

BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.