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    Capabilities
     

Can chordAlchemy tell me what chord I'm playing?
        Yes. chordAlchemy has an outstanding Reverse Chord Lookup capability. Use the Reverse Chord Lookup fretboard to click in your fingering then click Find Chord. chordAlchemy will reverse lookup the chord and it's enharmonic equivalents; e.g. a C6 chord is also an Am7 which is also a D9sus4(no root).
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      What are tonalEssentials?  
        TonalEssentials(tm) are notes needed to maintain the tonal characteristics of a specific formula. For example, a full Major 13th chord is made up of the major scale intervals: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. The "defining" intervals are the 1, 3, 7, and 13. The 5, 9, and 11 intervals are not critical to the tonal quality of a major 13th chord. In fact, trying to play a full 13th chord (7 notes) on a 6 string instrument would be quite a trick. chordAlchemy's chord theory engine implements tonalessential intelligence to ensure a robust and complete selection of chords.  
     
      Are scales supported?  
        Yes. In addition to chords, chordAlchemy supports single notes, intervals, and a large number of scales. If there is a scale that isn't pre-defined in the formula (chord) list, it can be created using the Real-Time Formula Modification capability.
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    How Do I...
      Lookup a chord?
       

To lookup a chord, use the Root drop down box in the Chord Lookup area to choose a root note, say B. Use the Chord List crop down box to pick a chord form, i.e. Maj9b5. As each of these drop downs are changed, the fretboard and chord diagrams automatically update.

You can slide the Chord Generation Window along the fretboard to control where on the fretboard chord diagrams are generated.

  
           
 
    Troubleshooting...  
      Error 7: Out of Memory  
        This is a known error on Windows XP Home Edition. The out-of-memory problem is fixed in revision 3.1.46 and later. Solution: Download the latest version of chordAlchemy.
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      Screen Appearance: Fretboard graphics don't line up with surroundings  
        Problem: DPI not set to Normal  
       

Solution: Set DPI to Normal

    1. Save any work and close down programs (windows forces a reboot for the operation)
    2. Right-Click the Windows Desktop. A popup menu should appear.
    3. Select Properties. The Poperties window should appear.
    4. Left-Click the Settings tab
    5. Left-Click the Advance button
    6. Set the DPI Setting to Normal (96 DPI)
    7. Click OK
    8. Click Apply in the Properties window
    9. Click OK
    10. Windows will Reboot
    11. Run chordAlchemy
  
     
      No Sound:  
       

There are several potential causes for No Sound. Some included:

  • No MIDI Device installed or present
    • You need to purchase a MIDI-enabled soundcard. Most newer soundcards support MIDI.
  • MIDI Device present; but, no WDM Drivers installed for the sound card
    • If your sound card supports WDM, install the WDM driver for your card.
  • MIDI Device selected doesn't support notes or voices (Strictly an input/output device)
    • You need a sound card that supports MIDI and a wavetable to produce the different instrument sounds
  • Some MIDI Devices that do not support notes or voices are paired with a device that does. In this case, some pairings only produce sound when the device that doesn't support notes or voices is selected.
    • Try selecting each MIDI device and trying playing a chord or chord formula.
  
   
ChordAlchemy, TonalAlchemy and tonalEssentials are Trademarks of TonalAlchemy. (C) 2002 - 2004