Sometimes, instead of knowing the name of the chord you want to play, you might only know some of the notes in it.
When songwriting, you might be trying to decide what the next chord in a progression should be. Often two or three notes will suggest themselves to you, even though you don't know what chord you are dealing with yet.
Let's say that you want to find a chordshape containing the notes D, F and G.
Step-By-Step
Step 1
First of all, you need to be in Library View. Check the bottom of the workspace and make sure that the Library tab is selected. If it isn't, click on it.
Step 2
Now we need to remove any active filter setting which could interfere with our results, with the following command:
| Button | Key | Menu |
| Ctrl+Shift+F | Filter-Remove |
If this button or menu item is disabled, it means there is already no filter setting.
Step 3
We now need to open the Set Filter window to specify the notes we want, with the following command:
| Button | Key | Menu |
| Ctrl+F | Filter-Set |
Step 4
There are three pages in the Set Filter window. Select the Other Criteria page, which is the last one, and locate the Notes list in the middle.
This contains all notes with a checkbox next to each one that you can place a tick in. Tick the notes D, F and G as shown, and then press the OK button to accept this setting and return to the workspace.
Step 5
The green Library List is now showing only those chordshapes which contain our three notes (each chordshape may also contain other notes).
The chordshapes are all grouped by the chord they play, and the tablature notation of each chordshape appears in the list as shown.
Step 6
As soon as you have selected a chordshape, the sound of the chordshape is played and it appears in full detail on the Fretboard, showing you exactly how to play it.
Each of the green blocks is where you need to put your fingers, and the light blue labels at the end of the fretboard tell you which note is made by each string. Notice that the notes D, F and G appear as we requested.
Step 7
You can explore other chordshapes containing these notes by selecting each one from the Library List in turn.
See Also
