Chordwatch is a useful little app from Moonstop Software Ltd (which is UK-based). The app can help pupils, teachers and perhaps up-and-coming producers to identify and understand what chords they are playing on a MIDI keyboard or with a mouse. It can develop a better understanding of harmonic structure, and it sits neatly in the corner of your device screen, making it usable with Digital Audio Workstations and as a point of reference while composing or editing.
Picture the scene: you are experimenting on your MIDI keyboard, finding new sounds and colours, but you might not quite know how to ‘spell’ the chord you have found or where to move to next; Chordwatch will name the chord for you, and you start to understand where that fits in the key that you are playing in.
Choose your scales and chords
Connecting the app to my MIDI keyboard was easy and using the app was very intuitive. I intentionally ignored any information online or any tutorials as I, like most people, like to simply dive in and experiment – this app was perfect for that. That said, I found it most interesting just to explore sounds using the mouse rather than keyboard; this is where I can see the main educational benefit. You can choose what key you are in and then select a scale type from a range of options, from major, melodic minor or lydian augmented, to Vietnamese scales or the modes of Messiaen – every scale or mode type that you can think of, and a few extra as well!
You can then choose chord extensions. Again, there's a huge range from 7th- or 9th-chords to sharp 11, sus chords and any other alteration imaginable. It really is comprehensive in this respect, and helps in providing alternative spellings for chords. The last part of the decision-making process is which chord inversion to play. I enjoyed being able to listen to the different chord qualities in each key, and I can imagine this being very useful for those less experienced in harmony, to develop a wider vocabulary.
For pianists or non-pianists, we often learn the keyboard through notation, and this is not necessarily helpful when it comes to composing and producing. Chordwatch provides a down-to-earth reference no matter your level of keyboard skill. The virtual keyboard also helps to visualise the chord shapes.
Turning sound into symbol
If you teach online, you can use the ‘live play’ option to share ideas visually with pupils, friends or colleagues. For guitarists, there is also the facility to turn your chords into TAB so that you can work out how to recreate the sound you have found on your guitar. It is also useful that Chordwatch will work in conjunction with your preferred DAW, so that you can integrate it into your usual set up and workflow, and that notes on the keyboard can be coloured. When teaching in different settings or styles, the range of identifiers and notations provides useful practical support.
Everything I have said so far may suggest a certain level of technical proficiency in order to make the most of the app. This is not true, though. If what I have described sounds useful to you but you are not particularly computer literate, I would urge you to give it a go. It is through using simple and useful apps like this that I have come to realise the real power of what is available to help me and my pupils – don't be afraid!
I can see this app being really useful for GCSE or A Level student composers who might not have quite linked their theoretical learning to practical application. I think Chordwatch would help link the sounds in their heads with their knowledge of theory but also develop these things independently. For the more advanced pupil or musician, the option to choose scale type and key could act as a handy thesaurus of chords. As you can try such a wide selection of chord sounds, it really helps to open your ears and to get the creative juices flowing. The colour themes are also a nice touch if wanting to personalise the look of the app.
Support available
It is good to see that the Moonstop developers offer a very good level of support, not only with updates for the Chordwatch app but also in solving technical problems or simply offering advice to users. This always inspires confidence.
I now have a number of music making apps in my teaching tool kit that I can recommend to pupils. Chordwatch will now definitely be among them!
Chordwatch
US$30.00
