The Design Panel contains the current chordshape design in Design View, provides buttons for common functions, and indicates if, and how, the chordshape does not satisfy the Searching options.
As your chordshape design changes, its matching chords are shown in the Matching Chords list.
Editing Chordshape Designs
You can enter chordshape designs in one of two ways.
Perhaps the most direct way is to type the chordshape tablature notation into the Design Panel. As you type, the Fretboard is updated too.
There are some special keystrokes available for editing chordshape tablature. In particular you need to hold down the Shift key while typing to get the positions above fret 9 (these will appear as underlined digits).
| Key | Action |
| Left | Moves the cursor left by one digit. |
| Right | Moves the cursor right by one digit. |
| Home | Moves the cursor to the first digit. |
| End | Moves the cursor to the last digit. |
| Delete | Erases the digit to the right of the cursor, replacing it with an x (mute string). |
| Backspace | Erases the digit to the left of the cursor, as above. |
| 0..9 | Enters the typed digit at the cursor location. |
| Shift+(0..9) | Enters the typed digit at the cursor location. The underline indicates a position 10 frets further up the fretboard, for example 2 indicates a fret position of 12. |
| x | Enters a mute string digit at the cursor location. |
The other way is simply to click on the Fretboard where you want the fingers to be. Finger blocks will appear at these spots. As you change the fretboard, the chordshape tablature in the Design Panel is updated too.
If your chordshape design already exists in the library, this will be indicated by the Status Bar and by the Add to Library button being disabled.
Searching for Chordshapes
Instead of manually designing chordshapes, you can have ChordWizard automatically scan the fretboard for chordshapes which meet both your Searching options and the current filter setting.
Searching considers every possible chordshape which can be made on the fretboard, and returns the results in the default sort order.
If you want to view the search results one by one, you can use the following commands to update the chordshape in the Design Panel:
| Button | Menu |
| Chordshape-Search First | |
| Chordshape-Search Next |
Alternatively you can browse a whole list of search results at once by using the Search List window with the following command:
| Button | Menu |
| Chordshape-Search List |
Searching Options
To help you design and find new chordshapes, ChordWizard maintains a set of Searching options for each library. You can view and change these with the following command:
| Button | Menu |
| Options-Library |
These allow you to specify what level of chordshape difficulty you are interested in, and include settings such as the number of fingers required, the maximum fret stretch, and what level of string bridging is required to make the chordshape with your hand.
ChordWizard uses these restrictions when searching for chordshapes, but they can also be used as a guide when you are entering new designs manually.
If any part of your chordshape causes it to contravene the searching options, that part will be indicated in red, for example a finger block, or a mute or open string. At the same time, a short message will appear at the bottom of the Design Panel to indicate exactly what is wrong with the chordshape.
Adding to the Library
When you have finished designing your new chordshape, you will probably want to add it to the current library, so you can find it again easily in future.
If the chordshape you have designed does not already exist in the library, you can add it with the following command:
| Button | Menu |
| Chordshape-Add to Library |
If it is a movable chordshape, you have option of adding the whole series of shifted chordshapes at once with the Movable Series window.
See Also
