social/hackernews

For a video demo of an arrangement, see the instructions page: https://chordmelody.io/instructions

For more info see the background page: https://chordmelody.io/background

This tool is the kind of thing that I’d guess very few people have ever thought about needing or wanting… But if you’re one of the few who have, I think this project may be THE thing that you’re looking for.

The short version is this: it takes a leadsheet (melody + chord symbols) of the kind you’d typically find for a jazz tune, in MusicXML format, and it generates a chord-melody arrangement using a standardized set of chord voicings. The output includes fretboard diagrams, and the melody can be shown in tablature or in standard notation. There are a few options to fiddle with to get different results, depending on your needs.

This isn’t the kind of project I’d ever expect to be profitable, but it’s gotten to the point where it’s useful enough for me that I think it could be useful for other too.

It’s hard to get perspective on a project like this since it’s so personal, so I’d love any feedback. If this is something you might find useful, please let me know what you think!