Sound Thinking is an online chord and scale encyclopedia for stringed instruments. It displays chords and scales and chord progressions for any stringed instrument: any normal tuning, any altered tuning, any chord, scale or mode. You can use Sound Thinking to explore popular guitar tunings like EADGBE, DADGAD, DADF#AD (D tuning), DGDGBD (G tuning), GBDGBD (Dobro tuning) ... virtually any tuning or instrument. You can look up chords and voicings. View them atop a chord overview; view atop a scales overview. Soon you'll be able to view chord progressions too.When it starts up Sound Thinking displays a C major chord mapped out on a six string guitar in standard tuning (EADGBE). You can change the root with a single click, in other words you can view any major chord. Just as easily you can change chords, or change instruments.
Chords are grouped into logical families: Major, Minor, Dominant, Flat 5 and Sharp 5. You can select any type of chord, scale, or mode from organized lists. Pick from a library of predefined instruments ... or create your own custom instruments. Add a capo to any fret; or add a partial capo (even multiple partial capos, or a full capo plus a partial capo) ... you've got a great tool for exploring partial capo possibility, the discerning the differences and similarities between DADGAD open tuning and Partial DADGAD.
Other features are on their way, like chord progressions, voicings, and chord collections ... plus dynamic demonstration of music theory. (Sorry, no sound presently.)
Sound Thinking is an advanced web application, and possesses advanced features such as free-floating windows, moveable and resizeable windows, just like a desktop application, and it has a preference window where you can customize its appearance.
If you haven't tried Sound Thinking yet, it's right here. Below you'll find a lists of features and keystrokes for controlling Sound Thinking.
NOTE: Adobe's free Flash Player 9 browser plug-in is required to run Sound Thinking. Get Adobe Flash Player
Keystrokes
| Window | Keystroke | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Chords Scales and Modes | up arrow | Selects and displays chord above currently selected chord |
| down arrow | Selects and displays chord below currently selected chord | |
| Fretboard (Instrument) | A, B, C, D, E, F, G | Sets the root to the letter you type. (Currently you must select any window before this will work.) |
| up arrow | Raises the root one half-step. When doing so, Sound Thinking selects the most common enharmonic. For instance Eb is more common than D#. Eb is an actual key signature. Although the key D# appears on the Spiral of 5ths, it is beyond the scope of the Circle of 5ths, and is not considered a normal key. In part this is because it has double sharps in its key signature: F## and C##. All other notes single single sharps: D# E# F## G# A# B# C##. (Weird, huh.) |
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| down arrow | Lowers the root one half-step. | |
| Instrument and Tunings | up arrow | Selects the previous instrument in the instrument picker list and changes the the instrument (the tuning and possibly the number of strings.) |
| down arrow | Selects the next instrument in the instrument picker list and changes the the instrument (the tuning and possibly the number of strings.) | |
| [ ] brackets | The bracket keys move left and right through the horizontal Root Picker. ] moves upward chromatically. [ moves downward. |
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| + - | + When the root state is "natural" or "flat" the + key makes the root "sharp." When the root state is sharp, the + key toggles the state between sharp and natural. - When the root state is "natural" or "hart" the - key makes the root "flat." When the root state is flat, the - key toggles the state between flat and natural. |
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| = | Switches the root to the enharmonic equivalent. For instance, it changes an Eb root to D#. Conversely it switches D#to Eb. | |
Features
| Topic | Feature / Intention | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Capos | Add a capo | Position the mouse over the fret, then right click (or command-click on the Mac.) This opens a contextual menu where you can choose, Add Capo. Result: You get a segmented capo, which you can turn into a partial capo. See partial capo. |
| Remove a capo | Position the mouse over the fret with an existing capo. Right click (or command-click on the Mac.) This opens a contextual menu where you can choose, Remove Capo. | |
| Partial Capo | When you add a capo, by default you get a segmented capo. With this style of capo, you can click any individual segment to remove the capo from that particular string. Click again to toggle the capo back on. It's exactly like turning the cams on a Third Hand Capo. All the capo segments operate independently. |
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| Multiple Capos | You can add more than one capo. Multiple capos allow for unlimited exploration of partial capo techniques. Right click any fret and add a capo. Multiple capos are probably of interest only to people using or exploring partial capos. | |
| Move a capo | Presently you have to Remove the capo and Add a new capo. In the future you will be able to drag the capo to any fret. | |
| Instrument | Change Instruments | Simply choose from the list of predefined instrument in the Instrument and Tunings panel |
| Multiple Instruments | Not yet implemented. This is an option for having more than one instrument window. This can be the same instrument, but perhaps viewing a different chord or scale. It could be the same chord or scale on two instrument. Or the comparison of a capoed and uncapoed instrument. The possibilities are endless. | |
| Views | Note view (Letter names) | In the instrument window, click the radio button to the left of the word Notes. The fretboard updates to show letter names. |
| Degree View | In the instrument window, click the radio button to the left of the word Degrees. The fretboard updates to show scale degrees. | |
| Grip View (Capo perspective) | Not yet implemented. This allows you to see letter names spelled as if the capo is the nut. In other words, the letter names are transposed down by an amount relative the the capo position. If the capo is on the second fret, the letter names are two frets (two have steps) lower than the concert pitch (the pitch they actually sound.) | |
| Windows | Chords, Scales and Modes | This window has a number of tabs. There's a separate tab for chords, scales and modes. In the left column you can choose a chord family: Major, Minor, Dominant 7, etc. Then on the right you can select a member of that family. If you don't know what family a chord belongs, select. All in the Chord Family column. The right column then display all chords. |
| Instruments and Tunings | Select a type of instrument in the family column. Then select a tuning to the right. You can sort columns by clicking on their title. | |
| Moving windows | This application works much like a desktop program.You can move windows by clicking and dragging its title bar. | |
| Resizing windows | Click and drag in the lower right corner. | |
| Preferences | Choose Edit/Preferences from the applications main menu (these options mainly effect the appearance of the Fretboard window.) |
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