NUT CHORDS 1.0 - Chord Finder

CONTENTS                                                                                 


  1.  Introduction
  2.  Interface
  3.  Chord configuration
  4.  Requirements
  5.  Credits and stuff
  6.  License




INTRODUCTION                                                                           1.


  Thanks for downloading Nut Chords 1.0 - chord finder.

  This chord finder is directed to advanced musicians. That means musicians that know
  the basics of musical theory. I expect that you know the notes, chords, scales and
  basic elements of music - in other words, you're some sort of a composer yourself
  and ofcourse a guitar player. This is not educational software for beginners.

  This program is able to show any chord in any variation, that fits in a range of four
  frets plus free strings in a 20 frets area, with any tuning. It handles bass changes,
  shutted strings and can convert any chord from keyboard to fretboard or vice versa.
  It's possible it shows the chord in a funny way, but it's still a correct way.
  Idea is to show all possibilities, not to show how to play chords in general.
  The hole program is based on logics, that's why it's unpredictable.

  If you're a composer that wants to know fastly the places to play your chords, do
  ascending and descending chord progressions, find some new fresh places to play the
  old standards, would like to know the names for unknown chords, or just want to know
  all the places to pick up a chord you discovered on keyboard...
  THIS PROGRAM IS WHAT YOU NEED !

  If it doesn't have the weird chord you want, just add it!




INTERFACE                                                                              2.


  This is how the interface looks... simple and beautiful!

  FRETBOARD       

    The highest string is at the top, lowest at the bottom.
    The lowest note you'll get from left, highest from right.
    Turn a right handed guitar 180' so that you play the back
    and you'll see strings the way as in the program.

    In left side of the fretboard you'll see the current notes.

      - press left mousebutton to free a string
      - press right mousebutton to shut a string

    In the middle you'll see the fretboard itself.
    Numbers represent the frets from lowest (1) to highest (20).

      - press left mousebutton to place a finger to a string
      - press middle mousebutton to shut a string
      - press right mousebutton to free a string

    In right side of the fretboard you'll see the tunings of strings.

      - press left mousebutton to tune up
      - press right mousebutton to tune down


  KEYBOARD        

    Keyboard is a standard keyboard with enough keys to play with.
    It's pointless to have so many keys but it looks good, doesn't it?

      - press left mousebutton to press a key
      - press middle mousebutton to clear all keys
      - press right mousebutton to free a key


  BUTTONS         

    Here we have some buttons for you to point with mouse.

      guitar - converts the current chord to fretboard
      piano  - converts the current chord to keyboard
      right  - shows the next bass place from fretboard
      left   - shows the previous bass place
      up     - shows the next variation around the current bass place.
      down   - shows the previous variation
      clear  - clear everything
      quit   - quit program


  CHORD VIEW      

    Here you'll see the current chord picked up from list, fretboard or keyboard.
    The conversions will be done by the chord in this window, if any.


  KEY LIST        

    From here you can pick up a key. The bass will be always the same as the key
    after you've choosen. You can change the bass only from keyboard or fretboard.
    When you choose a new key the fretboard, keyboard and chord views will be
    automatically updated.


  CHORD LIST      

    From here you can pick up a chord. Scroll with your mouse or by the arrows.
    If the bass is other than the key, it will stay the same as it was before.
    When you choose a new chord the fretboard, keyboard and chord views will be
    automatically updated.


  SHORTKEY LIST   

    Just in case you forgot them already. Looks nice too!

    Shortkeys do what they say. I recommend NOT to scroll the bass or chord list by
    the shortkeys, use your mouse instead. However, I strongly recommend to scroll
    the bass place and chord variation by the shortkeys! For conversions it's about
    the same what you do.




CHORD CONFIGURATION                                                                    3.


  Run your favourite text-editor and load the 'chords.cfg' file.
  There should be enough information to change the settings if you'd like to.

  Program will tell you about incorrect values, feel free to mess around!

  NOTE! THERE IS A BACKUP-FILE OF CHORDS.CFG IN CASE YOU MESS SOMETHING.
  DO NOT CHANGE THE BACKUP-FILE. YOU CAN NOT DISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM IF
  THE CHORDS.CFG OR CHORDS.BAK FILES ARE ALTERED! THE PROGRAM SHOULD
  ALWAYS BE DISTRIBUTED ONLY WITHIN THE ORIGINAL PACKAGE, THANK YOU.




REQUIREMENTS                                                                           4.


  The program does some heavy calculation of combinations in realtime.
  This reguires some processing power.

  - 486+ recommended
  - SVGA/VGA graphics card / 512 K
  - 1 MB of memory
  - DOS environment

  If you use Windows 3.11/95/NT it is recommended to quit in to DOS before
  running the program. This program was not designed for Windows and will
  run in unpredictable ways under it.




CREDITS AND STUFF                                                                      5.


  Programming and design.............   Sami 'Nutcase' Saarnio

  SVGA256.bgi driver.................   Jordan Hargraphix

  Project assintant..................   David Nespoli

  Beta-testing.......................   Kari 'Quad' Saarilahti
                                        Aki 'Visage' Ehoniemi
                                        Toni 'Skweezer' Raikkonen


  This software was developed using Turbo Pascal 7.0.

  This software was a combined school/personal project. The time recommended to use
  in your approbatur level laboratory was 30-80 hours. All in all I run into approx.
  150 hours :) As I said, this was also my own personal project so it didn't matter!
  I wanted to do the best chord finder after seeing a pile of commercial crap from
  the internet. Don't support such crap!!

  I'd say...

  FREE WARES FOR FREE PEOPLE !

  You know the best is always free.



  ABOUT THE AUTHOR   

  This software was developed by a composer, that's me!

  I've composed since 1988, mainly with trackers. That means I do modules.
  NO! I don't do crap techno! But many other styles with love to melody and harmony.
  I'm a known artist in the tiny field of sceners around the globe. Means I'm known
  in the field, very underground to outsiders. I've received some rewards from different
  competitions. A month ago I won a soundcard and sample editing software from a global
  magazine called 'Music and Computers'. They didn't cover me though they said... :(

  In case you're interested more:

    http://www.helsinki.fi/~saarnio     -  get more info about me
    ftp://ftp.fm.org/pub/music/nutcase  -  this is my official distribution site

  I'm working in some demogroups, mainly in Kinetic PC.
  We've released some demos and a big musicdisk.

    http://www.hut.fi/~ksaarila         -  about Kinetic PC and our prods

  We're releasing a real smasher musicdisk soon... stay tuned. It'll be the best ever,
  atleast close to it ;) Go leach One Man Dog from above sites, my latest musicdisk.




LICENSE                                                                                6.


  This software is FREE-MAIL-WARE !

  If you use this software YOU SHOULD SEND GREETINGS TO ME VIA E-MAIL !
  This would be your payment. I think it's fair enough!
  Tell me what you think of the program, who you are and what you do.

  You can't charge anything of the software itself when distributing it.
  This software has to be distributed always in it's unmodified original package.
  I am NOT responsible for any damages this software causes to your hardware
  or anything else.

  If you have paid something for this software, you've been cheated!