Welcome to ChordBuddy version 1.1 New to Version 1.1 ================== 1) Ten new chord types 2) Option to reverse the strings for left-handed players 3) Option to draw the lower strings fatter to aid in visualizing the guitar neck. 4) Tapping on one of the chords in the three-chord display brings up that chord in the one-chord display. Tapping the chord in the one-chord display takes you to the three-chord display. Overview ======== ChordBuddy is a guitar chord dictionary for the PalmOS. It features large, easy to read, chord diagrams with three different fingerings for each chord. Or all three fingerings can be viewed at once to see which will be easier for you to play. Several options are available to customize the chord display and are described below. Shareware Registration ====================== ChordBuddy is $10 (US) shareware. That means you can try the software to see if you like it before you purchase. Once you have evaluated ChordBuddy for a few days, please register it. There are two ways that you can register your copy of ChordBuddy: 1.) You can use PayPal (www.paypal.com). It allows you to send money to anyone with an email address. The email address you should send the money to is ChordBuddy@yahoo.com. It's a pretty neat service and they can accept various credit cards. They will inform me via email when you have registered, and I will email your personal registration code to you. This process could take a day or two (hopefully shorter, but possibly longer if I am out of town, etc.) 2.) Register on-line at www.palmgear.com using your credit card. The URL is http://store.yahoo.com/pilotgearsw/randywade.html . You can also order from them over the phone at 800 741-9070 or fax at 817 640-6614, however they charge $2 extra for phone orders. When your registration code is mailed to you, enter the code on the register screen. This screen appears each time you launch ChordBuddy, until you enter your registration code. System Requirements =================== ChordBuddy only requires PalmOS 2.0 or later, so it should run on most of the PalmOS based PDAs out there. It requires less than 17K of RAM. Selecting Chords ========= To see how to play a chord, first you select the root from the left menu at the top of the screen (e.g. C) and then the chord type from the menu to its right (e.g. maj). There will be one, two or three sets of buttons at the bottom of the screen. These are as follows: Number of Chords: The left most set of buttons allows you to select displaying either one large chord diagram or three smaller chord diagrams. Selecting the button with the 3 in it selects displaying all three at once. Selecting the button with the 1 in it selects displaying the one large chord diagram. This also causes three buttons to appear to right of the current buttons. These are the chord positions. As a shortcut, you can tap one of the chords in the three-chord display and have that chord position come up in the one-chord display. Also, tapping the chord in the one-chord display takes you to the three-chord display. Chord Position: These three buttons are labeled I,II and III. These select the three ways to play the currently selected chord. #/b Preference: If you selected a root that has an enharmonic name (e.g. C#/Db) these buttons will appear. This controls whether you are calling the current chord a sharp or a flat. This changes the root name displayed above the chord diagram and the note names and spelling notes if they are displayed. Preferences =========== The preferences can be changed by tapping the silk screened menu button on your Palm (bottom left silk screen button). Select Preferences from the Options menu that appears. This brings up the preferences dialog box, which gives you the following options: Show Chord Spelling: Checking this box enables an area to the right of the chord diagram to list the notes that makes up the chord (i.e. chord spelling). It lists both the intervals and the actual note names. For example, a C major chord would have the interval of 1 (root) 3 (3rd) and 5 (5th) which are C E and G, respectively. Show String Note Names: Checking this box enables displaying the corresponding note below each string in the chord diagram. Reverse Strings Checking this box causes the strings on the diagram to reverse where the low E string will be on the right instead of left. This is useful for left-handed guitarists. Low Strings Drawn Fatter Checking this box causes the low E and the A strings to be drawn thicker. This is meant to give a visual clue as to which side has the low E string. This also gives a visual clue to see if the strings are being displayed reversed (left- handed) Style: I have seen diffent styles of displaying chord diagrams on differnt pieces of sheet music, so I included this option to allow the chords to be display the way you like best. The three styles that are available from this pop-up menu are: X's for not Played: This style displays an X above each string that is not played in the chord, and each string that is to be played open has nothing above it. O's for Open: This style displays an O above each string that is to be played open in the chord, and each string that is not played has nothing above it. X's and O's: This style displays an X above each string that is not played in the chord, and displays an O above each string that is to be played open. About ChordBuddy ================ The about box can be display by tapping the silk screened menu button on your Palm (bottom left silk screen button). Select About ChordBuddy from the Options menu that appears. This brings up the about box that has the version number and copyright info. Contacting the Author ===================== If you have any bug reports or suggestions for ChordBuddy, you can email me at ChordBuddy@yahoo.com. Well, thats about it. I hope you find ChordBuddy useful and happy pickin'. -Randy Wade