ChordMate 1.03 for Windows

We just updated the Windows version with the same music engine changes. Now ChordMate for Windows supports the same chords and chord names as the Mac version.

ChordMate 1.5 for Mac

We just released ChordMate 1.5 for Mac. The new version supports many more chord types and chord names. We’ll update the Windows version in a few days.

ChordMate for Windows press release

Harmonic Sense has released ChordMate for Windows. ChordMate makes it easy to find the best way to play guitar chords and helps you create beautiful chord charts. The ChordMate search engine supports all common guitar chords, quite a few uncommon Jazz chords, and even allows you to create your own custom chord diagrams. Windows features include:

1). Advanced Filtering. ChordMate not only lists and sorts chord voicings, but also lets you filter them based on your needs. Best new filter rule: you can now specify the bass or top note to ensure your chord progression follows the melody line.

2). Export Diagrams. You can export ChordMate diagrams directly into your favorite editor such as WordPad, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc. You can even email diagrams using Outlook. You can create beautiful chord charts in minutes!

3). Customize Your Guitar. Do you use a tuning other than EADGBE? Do you like to use a capo? Do you want to hear how a chord sounds on the banjo? No problem! You can customize ChordMate settings to match your guitar.

You can download a free trial version of ChordMate from the Harmonic Sense website: www.harmonicsense.com. The trial period lasts 14 days. ChordMate for Windows sells for $25.00. ChordMate for Mac sells for $20.00 (Express version) and $40.00 (Pro version).

Supported operating systems: Max OS X Tiger, Max OS X Leopard, Windows XP, Windows Vista

ChordMate for Windows pre-release

We just posted a pre-release version. Right now it still points to the documentation for mac, but otherwise it’s complete. You can now buy ChordMate by clicking on “Purchase License” button in the registration reminder, and it will lead you to our online store.

If you find any issues or need an enhancement, please let us know. We try to fix bugs as soon as possible (which is not hard since they are very rare), and in the past, we released many free updates with minor (and sometimes not so minor) improvements for the mac version.

new ChordMate for Windows beta

The first beta version used a ClickOnce installer, but some people reported problems with Firefox, and we decided to use a regular installer. Right now it’s using the default artwork, but we’ll change it to use our own closer to the final release.

Let us know what you think!

ChordMate for Windows beta

We just released the first beta version of ChordMate for Windows. This version is missing the Windows specific documentation, but otherwise it’s very close to what we are planning to release in April. Let us know what you think! If you’d like to be notified when the first release comes out, please send us an e-mail.

I named a chord after you

Most corporations offer perks to their employees.  Harmonic Sense is no exception.

As appreciation for my good work as head of the marketing department (and wife of Ilya, the lead developer), I was recently awarded a chord option.

Chord options are similar to stock options, only they sound better.  As a musical software company, Harmonic Sense has a lot of musical IP.  This includes a vast body of knowledge on chords, chord voicings, and chord progressions.  A few days ago, Ilya developed an interesting new never-before seen chord and named it after me.

Even though this chord now technically belongs to me, this is such a great chord that I have decided to place it in the public domain.  Feel free to use this chord in your music any way you want.  Ilya recommends the following chord progression:

Ok, all joking aside, the point of this post is to let everone know that ChordMate now supports custom chords.  (As always, this update is free for existing customers).  Go to the Chord Progression menu and select Custom Chord.  Just enter the fingering for your chord [X 0 2 2 2 0] and the name of your chord.  That’s it!  You can play your custom chord, drop it into the chord progression window, or drag it into your favorite text editor. 

By the way — thank you everyone who took the time to write to tell us how you use ChordMate and what features you want.  And a special big thank you to the folk who sent us your songs, annotated with ChordMate diagrams!  I hope that the new custom diagrams make your life even easier.

That’s Ridiculous

“That’s ridiculous!  Stop that,” and with those words, the Harmonic Wife was forced to stop playing with ChordMate.

It all started the previous week when we did a promotion with MacZOT.  Along with many new customers, we got an interesting request: to play chords on the trumpet.

THE TRUMPET????

How on earth do you play a chord on the trumpet?  Even I, despite having much less musical training than Ilya, can tell you that you that you cannot play chords on the trumpet.  A trumpet plays only one note.  A chord consists of three notes.

Turns out our user had three trumpets.  Or, more precisely, he hand an entire school orchestra, of which trumpets played a role.  He wanted to use ChordMate chord diagrams to teach his students about chords.

Here is where it gets more interesting.  Upon further research, Ilya discovered that all our users had trumpets.  Or at least a trumpet sound on the MIDI sound card that comes standard with every computer.  So a week later, Harmonic Sense released an update to ChordMate.  Now you can listen to chords played on almost any instrument.

Ilya’s favorite instument is the Marimba.  I like the Orchestra Hit, which, Ilya says, “sounds ridiculous.”

website update

We just updated the website with up to date information about ChordMate 1.3. We may still change a few things in the presentation, but at least now all the information is there.

ChordMate Standard gets retired

ChordMate recently got a review at MacApper. Unfortunately, by the time I noticed it, the video part was no longer available. After reading the comments, I was very curious about the price and e-mailed Tim Cox, who did the review, for a suggestion. He responded that after some thought he decided that the price was a good deal. He also explained that having 3 versions of ChordMate was unnecessary and could easily get confusing. What he said was very logical, and I decided to retire ChordMate Standard (almost all customers buy Pro, some buy Express, and very few buy Standard).

This was also a good time to reconsider prices. Now that ChordMate supports chord progressions, I decided that ChordMate Express should be $20. ChordMate Pro is still $40.