The Chord Synonyms tool can be accessed from the workspace using Tools-Chord Synonyms.

It appears as shown below and allows you to explore chords which are synonyms of each other.

The number of chord synonyms to be found depends on which chord types are currently activated.  The set of standard chord types normally activated at Beginner level do not provide any chord synonyms.

With ChordWizard Silver Edition, or with  ChordWizard Gold Edition at Beginner level, you will not see any chord synonyms, since none of the beginner level chord types have a synonym relationship with each other.

Synonym Chords occur where two different chords contain the same set of notes, in a different order or inversion, for example, the chords Am7 (A-C-E-G) and C6 (C-E-G-A).

Controls

Original

This list contains all of the active chord types which have synonyms.  You begin your exploration of chord synonyms by selecting one of these.

Synonyms

This list contains all of the active chord types which can produce a synonym for the chord type selected in the Original list.

By default, the first item in the list is selected, but can you can select a different chord type instead.

Original Chord
Synonym Chord

The table at the bottom is for constructing a chord of the Original type and viewing the properties of the resulting synonym chord.  You do this by selecting a root note for the original chord.

The default selection for root note is the roman numeral (I).  This notation is often used in music to represent musical intervals, in this case the interval difference between the Original and Synonym chord.

Let's take our Am7/C6 example above.  By selecting m7 as the Original chord type and 6 as the Synonym chord type, we are presented with an original chord of (I) m7 and a synonym chord of (bIII) 6.

This tells us that any chords built from the m7 chord type have a synonym chord whose root note is a minor third above the original root note.

The corresponding degrees of the original chord and the synonym chord are shown in the grid between them, so the 1-b3-5-b7 degrees of the m7 chord type correspond to the 6-1-3-5 degrees of the 6 chord type, regardless of the root note.

If we select a root note for the original chord, we find synonym chords of Am7/C6, of Dm7/F6 and so on, and the actual notes made by each of the corresponding degrees are revealed.

Send To Filter

There are two of these, one each for the Original and Synonym chords, which update the filter in the workspace with the chord.

Play Chord

There are two of these, one each for the Original and Synonym chords, which audition the sound of the chords.

Close

Closes the window and returns to the workspace.

Help

Opens ChordWizard Help at this topic.