The Rhythm Track contains the chord rhythm in the accompaniment part of the song.  It is locked in partnership with the Chords track, whose chords produce the pitches that make up the tones of the Rhythm track.

In this way, chord rhythms are kept separate from the chords and can be reused very easily in other locations.  At the same time, a change of chord immediately produces a different set of notes in the chord rhythm.

Segment Sheet

The chords in the Chords track are shown at the top of rhythm segments.  These chord inversions generate the pitches which the rhythm events access via the tone lines.

For example, in the picture below, the Dm7 chord is producing pitches A4, C5, D5, and F5. These are accessed by the rhythm events via lines Tone 1, Tone 2, Tone 3 and Tone 4.

At each chord change, the actual pitches on the tone lines can change, and this is indicated by the pitch labels shown superimposed over the rhythm events.

Rhythm events usually represent chords and span multiple tone lines, but single line events are also used for arpeggio and bass-strum patterns.

Staff Sheet

The Rhythm track appears on staff lines in the staff sheet.  You can select the clef and leger lines separately for the Rhythm track, as well as adjust many options which affect how the staff symbols are compiled from events in the song as whole.

Rhythm Events

There are several different types of rhythm events, each is created by one of the tools available in rhythm segments.  A wide variety of realistic chord rhythms can be created using these events.

• Chord - a simple chord with simultaneous notes.

• Strum Chord - a chord with a sloped leading edge for a strum effect typical of a guitar.

• Human Chord - a chord with a ragged leading edge for a realistic effect typical of a piano.

• Slide Chord - a chord which slides up or down to the correct tones.

• Vibrato Chord - a chord with vibrato added for richness.

• Bend Chord - a chord whose pitch can be bent while playing.

• Sustain Chord - a chord incorporating the use of the sustain pedal.

Rhythm Setup

The Track Setup window for the Rhythm track contains the Controls page only, which adjusts the controllers of the track.

The number of tone lines in the track is a property of the Chords track on which the Rhythm track depends.