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Encountering Complex Chords

A pattern may encounter a complex chord with multiple extensions, as shown in the following illustration. For information about the properties of this chord, see Purpose of Chord Level Range Restrictions.

Complex chord

The following table shows the behavior when the example pattern encounters a 1 Bb 7b9#9#11 13 chord.

Instrument part Original notes Assigned chord level Chord at this level Resulting notes
Flute C6, D6, E6, F6, G6, A6, B6 Level 4 2Bbdim7 Bb6, Cb6, Db7, D7, Fb7, Gbb7, Abb7
Clarinet C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, B5 Level 3 2Fdim7 F5, G5, Ab5, Bb5, 5Cb, Db5, Ebb5
Cello C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, A4, B4 Level 2 2Ddim7 D4, Eb4, F4, G4, Ab4, Bb4, Cb4
String Bass C3, D3, E3, F3, G3, A3, B3 Level 1 1Bb7 Bb2, C3, D3, Eb3, F3, G3, Ab3

Because each level in the preceding example has a different chord, the results are different for each part. This is the case even if each part contains original notes that are very similar. In some cases, the chord for a level causes the notes to move into a very different range from their original positions. For example, the 2Bbdim7 in level 4 has a root that is a minor 7th higher than the default 2CM7 chord for composition used in the pattern. This means that all notes of the Flute part are transposed up by roughly an interval of a 7th, while the notes of the other parts, such as the String Bass and Cello, transpose by only a major 2nd or less.


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