So here are the more detailed explanations, now:

Time Signature:
The Time Signature is by default assumed to already have been set before the Chord Generator was opened. However, to a certain degree the user still can decide to use another Time Signature:
  • If he had a 4/4 time signature before opening the chords generator, he can still change it into 3/4 within the chords generator
  • If he had a 3/4 time signature before opening the chords generator, he can still change it into 4/4 within the chords generator
  • If he had for example a 2/4 time signature or a 5/4 time signature before opening the chords generator, he now can either keep it or change it into 4/4 or into 3/4
  • If he had for example a 4/4 time signature before opening the chords generator and now wants e.g. a 2/4 time signature or a 5/4 time signature, he has to close the Chords Generator again and first set the Time Signature within the general song settings.
  • The user should also get the option „Random Time Signature“ – which lets the Software decide between 4/4 and 3/4.

Key:
The Key is by default assumed to already have been set before the Chords Generator was opened. However, the user still can change it. All 12 Major Keys and all 12 Minor Keys should be available here – plus three options to let the software choose the key: „Random Key“, „Random Major Key“ and „Random Minor Key“.

Songform:
The Songform is by default assumed to already have been set before the Chords Generator was opened. However, the user still can change it, but within the Chords Generator he only has a few standard options (e.g. Intro-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Outro, Intro-Verse-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Outro, simply an 8-bar-section, a 12-bar-song, „Random“)

Style:
The Style is by default assumed to already have been set before the Chords Generator was opened (or to get its final definition after the Chords Generator has done his work). However, the user can also change the style within the Chords Generator, but here he only has a few standard options (e.g. one simple Blues-Style, one simple Jazz-Style, and a few more very simple styles – and, in this case particularly interesting: „Random from all available Styles“).

Different Chords:
The user can define a range for how many different chords he wants in the result. Examples:
  • If the user chooses the default setting „Min 1“ & „Max 7“, the software will pick a number which will then result into a leadsheet that has either 1 chord only or 2 different chords or 3 different chords or 4 different chords or 5 different chords or 6 different chords or all 7 possible chords (7 chords possible, since only basic diatonic triads and no harmonic or melodic minor will be used)
  • If the user chooses „Min 4“ and „Max 6“, the software will pick a number which will then result into a leadsheet that has either 4 different chords or 5 different chords or 6 different chords
  • If the user chooses „Min 2“ and „Max 2“, the resulting leadsheet will consist out of exactly 2 different chords => a 2 Chords-Song, mainly meant for super-beginners (and not totally unrealistic, see e.g. “Achy Breaky Heart”)
  • The user can even choose „Min 1“ and „Max 1“ – so the whole „song“ will have only one same chord. Why should anybody want that? Well, maybe the user simply wants to let the software decide which one chord he will practice today in all different inversions. Or maybe he wants to practice improvising over one specific chord (he could do this also by looping a bar or a small one-chord section, but within a complete leadsheet to which he can later add a melody it is less boring). Or the like.

Chord Lengths:
With this setting, the user can define that
  • he doesn’t want too quick chord changes => then he changes min. chord length from 1/4 Bar to e.g. 1 Bar
  • he absolutely doesn’t want too long same-chord-phrases => then he changes max. chord length
  • he wants a specific chord length for the whole leadsheet; e.g.: min 1 & max 1 would change the chord at the first beat of each bar, but never within a bar

Chord Type Exclusions:
As already mentioned above, users might want to exclude either Diminished Chords or Minor Chords or Major Chords or even two of them (e.g.: as an almost total beginner to keep it super-easy, or at a later stage to do a drill-training for just one type)

Message in case of impossible combination:
  • There exist for sure a couple of combined settings that are practically impossible (e.g. min number of different chords 6 & max number of different chords 1; or: min number of different chords 1 & max number of different chords 1 & max Chord Length 4 in a 12-bar-leadsheet).
  • There are for sure different ways how the software could treat these impossible combinations – I’ve just chosen one of them here: Putting an according message above the OK-Button and deactivating the OK-Button.
  • The number of potential impossible combinations is still quite small, since the tool is very much reduced to a minimum of needed options – so it shouldn’t be a big problem for the software scripters to define the appropriate If-Then-Commands.

A couple of more remarks, in regard to overall aspects:
  • I also had thought about sliders instead of min & max dropdowns, but that would finally give less freedom to the user (or otherwise would need additional settings like tolerance-degrees or the like, which would finally make it more complicated only)
  • The result of this tool (a very simple leadsheet) would btw allow follow-up-features that might be quite interesting for future developments of the software, e.g. like discussed in this 25-ways-to-bottom-up-harmonize-a-song video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEOKDtkXGtE
  • In regard to the above mentioned strictly modular approach which could surround a Chord Generator as suggested here, you might also like to check out this thread: https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=676320

Well, this was quite a long explanation … but you can perceive that as a sign for how much I “suffer” from not having such a tool available yet ;-)
There are for sure always workarounds with compromises, but – if I may be honest: For this kind of tool I don’t want any workaround. Filling a leadsheet with chords so much touches the core competence of BiaB – and offering this also in a very beginner-friendly version must clearly be in the interest of PG.

Therefore: Come on, guys! ;-)

Final remark: In case of yet too unclear descriptions above, I might edit those explanations a bit more than just correcting spelling mistakes.


Last edited by MoveToGroove; 10/07/21 01:02 PM.
BiaB UltraPak+ 2026; Windows 10
Bass: Intermediate; Piano: Beginner
I came to this forum in order to suggest feature improvements for non-professional musicians like myself that use BiaB mainly as a playalong tool and as a learning tool