About

I've long wondered what comes first: the lyrics or the music. Through my reading, training, and experience, I've come to realize that for me it's most often the music. Most of the time, when I create a song, I start by building a chord progression, on the piano or on my computer. I then try countless melodies, and when the whole thing feels solid enough, I choose a theme that matters to me and write the lyrics. Tools exist, but none offered the experience I was looking for. So I built my own.

Whether you're a musician or rely on your ears, Accords lets you build a progression, listen to it and adjust it. You start by choosing a key, a mode (major or minor) and a tempo. Chords can then be added in three ways: by choosing from diatonic chords, by customizing them (seventh, major seventh, diminished), or by letting the app suggest them based on context. Changing the key automatically transposes everything already in place.

The grid is organized into sections: Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge... It offers all the editing features. The app can also "Suggest" a complete chord progression based on music theory rules.

The result can be heard with realistic instrument sounds: piano, acoustic guitar, strings, organ and synthesizer. An arpeggiator transforms any progression into a living rhythmic pattern. A visual piano keyboard displays the notes of each chord, with inversions automatically calculated to ensure smooth voice leading from one chord to the next.

Lyrics can also be entered in Accords, with a syllable counter per line. Each user can create an account and save their progressions. A song can be exported to PDF or MIDI, ready to be imported into music production software such as GarageBand, Logic or Ableton Live.