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Understanding the palette architecture in relation to HC

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I would like to understand the palette architecture of synfire in relation to the harmonic context I think it is important for composition I wondered why there is no color preset for harmonic context into the palette editor though the harmonic context window has its own color preset. Also, according to what criters are the chords displayed vertically into the palette ? Is this a random positioning ? If this is so, can one display it by pitch or frequency ? I mean: a chord is the sum of individual notes with individual frequency (unless one needs another criter of description for that ?)


Fr., 11.06.2010 - 22:04 Permalink

The color of the harmonic context depends on the horizontal scale only. It is not related to the coloring schemes that highlight certain properties of chords, their relation to each other, and chord sequence. These are an entirely different pair of shoes.

Your questions regarding palette contstruction should all be answered by the user manual. Check out the "Palettes" chapter.

Fr., 11.06.2010 - 22:06 Permalink

I can always set up a custom palette
:toobad:

:sick:

but the more i do things like that, the less time i pass to compose music

Fr., 11.06.2010 - 22:09 Permalink

The color of the harmonic context depends on the horizontal scale only. It is not related to the coloring schemes that highlight certain properties of chords, their relation to each other, and chord sequence.

I don't understand why it is separate from the palette: one could have a preset which shows up all the chords belonging to the same horizontal scale...

Fr., 11.06.2010 - 22:19 Permalink

[quote]I don't understand why it is separate from the palette

Because the same chord can be used in multiple keys and with multiple horizontal scales. The palette shows chords that can be built from the scales in the scale set. These scales do not necessarily need to be "keys". They can be any scale you can think of.

[quote]one could have a preset which shows up all the chords belonging to the same horizontal scale

Sure. Double-click on the desired scale in the catalog and there you are. This is what palettes are all about.

[quote]but the more i do things like that, the less time i pass to compose music

You do not need to go deep into palette programming. Just "play" the palettes as they are and you'll get more or less meaningful chord progressions. That what they were made for.

Fr., 11.06.2010 - 22:25 Permalink

[quote]I don't understand why it is separate from the palette

Because the same chord can be used in multiple keys and with multiple horizontal scales. The palette shows chords that can be built from the scales in the scale set. These scales do not necessarily need to be "keys". They can be any scale you can think of.

I understand so far, but make the experience: open a palette side by side with the harmonic context window

then click on different chords:

Chords show up particular colors according to the horizontal scale into the harmonic context window

Why these colors wouldn't show up equally into the palette ?

Fr., 11.06.2010 - 22:41 Permalink

[quote]Why these colors wouldn't show up equally into the palette?

Because the coloring scheme of the palette indicates different properties of the chords on it. One might expect that, in theory, one could create a coloring scheme that would show the same color as the context panel. However, that would make no sense, because the selection of the horizontal scale depends on the sequence of the chords being played live.

You may see a different horizontal scale for the very same chord depending on the chords played previously. For instance, after switching from one palette to another.

Fr., 11.06.2010 - 23:00 Permalink

For what i see when switching from one palette to another, a same chord can have different colors, yes, but either the vertical either the horizontal scale has changed, and these informations are displayed in the harmonic context window.

So, the color scheme of the harmonic context doesn't depend uniquely on the horizontal scale, but also on the vertical scale.

edit: rather on keys of the horizontal scale apparently

Now, inside a palette, the chords don't change, and the harmonic color scheme doesn't change neither, and even in different palettes, each chord being clearly identified by either a vertical and/or a horizontal scale, and keys, has a particular color which is defined.

so why couldn't one reflect this into the palettes ? For me it would make sense...

Sa., 12.06.2010 - 07:57 Permalink

What has no sense to me is to build chord progressions according to predeterministic patterns

If the horizontal and vertical scales are linked together, one could make them working meaningfully, which implies to be aware of both at the same time

Actually palettes just don't do that in putting aside all the harmonic context information of chords.

I want to be able to work easily at the scale level first, then making my chord choices at a more precise level...

Sa., 12.06.2010 - 08:46 Permalink

For being more clear, i would like the purple color in the harmonic context window below be affected to the A chord into the corresponding palette.

Also, i don't quite follow the scheme color of the circle of fifths...

(paletteHC.PNG)

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Sa., 12.06.2010 - 13:47 Permalink


Because the coloring scheme of the palette indicates different properties of the chords on it. One might expect that, in theory, one could create a coloring scheme that would show the same color as the context panel. However, that would make no sense, because the selection of the horizontal scale depends on the sequence of the chords being played live.

You may see a different horizontal scale for the very same chord depending on the chords played previously. For instance, after switching from one palette to another.

It is exactly what it is supposed to do, but where you bias is is that you suppose that the sequence is previously build and only then comes the selection of the horizontal scale.

What i say is entirely different: as a composer i want to build sequence a posteriori, in function of those horizontal scales.

I want to build my chord progression knowing first what will be the horizontal scale and according to that.

Which is i navigate through palettes/keys showing me chords and horizontal scales associated to it in each particular key. As i have build my horizontal scale progression, i can then build my chord progression.

Sir, this is how i want to work with Synfire, i don't want all the old ways of traditional composition.

So., 13.06.2010 - 19:59 Permalink

[quote]I want to build my chord progression knowing first what will be the horizontal scale and according to that.
Yeah, you can do that. All you need to do is open a palette on the horizontal scale of choice (double-click on it in the catalog). The chords in that palette are all built from that scale exclusively. Playing this palette will give you progressions that use the horizontal scale (and its modes).