A Chord Matrix is supplied in Songtrix wherever you need to select a chord.

They appear in Track View, in work sheets in Mixer View, and in the Edit Chord, Chords To Scales, Relations and Next Chord windows.

The Chord Matrix provides a convenient way for you to create a chord from the combination of any root note and chord type.

Rows and Columns

Root notes are listed in the column headings, and chord types are listed in the row headings.  Each cell within the matrix represents the chord formed by combining the root note and chord type.

Row headings can appear on the left or right of the matrix, depending on your preference.  The chord types listed within the matrix depend on which are currently activated in the workspace or used in the song.

Selection

You can select a chord in the matrix by clicking on any cell with the mouse, or you can remove a selection by clicking on the empty cell in the top left corner.  Row and column headings cannot be selected.

Selection bars join the selected cell to its row and column heading for improved visual effect.

There are also keystrokes you can use to navigate the matrix with the dotted focus rectangle:

Left - moves the focus one cell to the left

Up - moves the focus to the row above

Right - moves the focus one cell to right

Down - moves the focus to the row below

Home - moves the focus to the start of the row

End - moves the focus to the end of the row

Space - selects the cell with the focus

Auditioning

Whenever you select a cell in the matrix, you will usually hear the sound of the chord, depending on your preferences.

However, you can also audition the sound of any chord in the matrix without selecting it.  This is handy when you are working on a chord sequence and want to explore the possibilities for the next chord before you select one.

Auditioning can be done using the middle mouse button, or the Ctrl key and the left mouse button to get a mouse pointer as shown.  As you move this pointer over each cell, you will hear a sample of the chord.

Scale Relations

If your song includes a Scales track with a Scale Relations link to the Chords track, the chord matrix may show relations dots, as illustrated in the picture at the top.

These dots show which chords are related to the scale, or key centre, at the current location in the song.  Large dots indicate chords with the same root note as the scale.