Do I have to know how to play chords or the piano to learn HN

You don't need to. You will learn a lot from watching HN pressing the keys for you when you click the palette. With a little patience, you will get a feeling for harmony over time.

Hi Bullie!

I totally agree with supertonic. I'm a synfire user having no piano-keyboard  and I learn so much about harmonic functionallity just playing around and listening. ;-) Try to make a theory book play sounds …

best,

Minkepatt, Switzerland

HN is fun and useful even without a keyboard. So far I have actually used my keyboard very little with it.  There are still a ton of things you can do. It is great for trying out chord progressions/substitutions after you have written a song.

 It's amazing what a simple chord substitution will will do at various places. With good chord use, you can actually have the individual 'players' of a song play less, giving you more variety and interest with less musical clutter.