Polyphonic Chord Generator
A web-based tool for generating and exploring polyphonic chords for musicians and composers.
Chord.ca is a polyphonic chord generator designed for musicians, composers, and anyone exploring music theory.
What It Does
Generate complex chords, hear them played back, and experiment with different voicings and inversions—all from your browser. No software to install, no accounts required.
The tool lets you:
- Build chords from root notes up
- Explore different voicings and inversions
- Hear instant playback using Web Audio synthesis
- See the notes on a virtual keyboard
- Export chord progressions
Why I Built It
Music theory is easier to learn when you can hear what you’re building. I wanted a quick way to experiment with chord voicings without opening a full DAW or sitting at a piano. Something I could pull up in a browser tab, click through some options, and immediately hear the result.
The domain chord.ca was available, which seemed like fate.
Technical Notes
Built with modern web technologies and the Web Audio API for real-time synthesis. The audio synthesis work I did for the emulator project—particularly the audio architecture and audio sonification deep dives—informed a lot of the approach here.
See Also
- Music hobby page - More about my musical interests
- Hootenanny Barbershop Quartet - The fake barbershop quartet project