23
“Chord” and “Scale” Explained
We use the terms “Chord” and “Scale” a lot in this
manual and for those who are new to using a harmony
processor, we offer a brief explanation. More extensive
detail is found in your harmony processor’s manual.
In order to make sure that the harmony voices sing the
right notes, your processor needs to know something
about the musical accompaniment and the notes you
are singing at any given moment. The terms “Chords”
(or “Chordal”), and “Scale” (or “Scalic”) represent two
of the methods of communicating your musical
requirements to your processor. The presets in your
processor reflect these methods, or modes, which are
usually shown in its display. There are other harmony
methods in these products, but they are beyond the
scope of this manual and the functionality of
HarmonyControl.
Chord
mode
Chord mode is the default messaging scheme
HarmonyControl uses to control your processor
because nearly all harmony processors have Chord
mode.You can use a preset based on Chord harmony
when a Scale harmony preset does not properly match
your song’s chord changes and melody. Chord harmony
presets will adjust to your chord extensions such as
Dom7, Suspended, Maj7 etc. but they can also result in
close major second intervals between your melody and
the harmony voices.
Scale
mode
Scale harmony presets cling closely to your sung melody
and it they produce the harmony sound of popular
music. The Scale harmony method used in
HarmonyControl has less support for recognizing and
acting upon the chord extensions you play on your
guitar. This can be a plus because not every chord
extension needs to be reflected in your vocal
harmonies.
As you become familiar with the interaction between
HarmonyControl and your harmony processor, you’ll
find the harmony sound that is most pleasing to you.
