Input Bar & Progression Generator

The input bar is Harmonybeam’s signature feature. Type standard chord notation or paste it from websites and other sources, and your changes apply instantly, both inside Harmonybeam and in the MIDI clip (if MIDI Clip Sync is active).

Press tab to switch from the Input Bar’s Notation mode to Generation mode for fresh progression generation (see below).

Notation mode

Entering chords

Type chord symbols separated by spaces, pipes, or commas — all three are equivalent. Use r to enter a rest block:

Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 Am7
Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | Am7
Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, Am7
Dm7 | r | G7 | Cmaj7

The progression updates live as you type, there is no need to press Enter.

Rests create silent time between chords and are independent of the rhythm pattern. They appear as rest blocks in the chord strip and can be moved, resized, copied, pasted, or converted back into chords like any other block.

Chord notation

Harmonybeam understands standard chord symbols including extensions, alterations, and slash chords:

Am7b5 D7#9 Gm6 C7
Fmaj9 Bb13 Ebmaj7#11 Abmaj7
Dm7/A G7/F Cmaj7/E

See the complete Chord Notation Reference for all supported symbols.

Pasting progressions

You can paste chord progressions from lead sheets, PDFs, websites, or other sources. Unrecognized symbols are flagged with a red error indicator on the input field.

Generation mode

Click the top-left toggle next to the Input Bar to switch to Generation Mode (lightning bolt icon), or press Tab. This mode is fully local and does not require API keys or internet access.

Controls:

Genre dropdown — choose a generation family (Classical, Pop + EDM, Jazz + Neo Soul)
Number of chords dropdown — choose 4, 6, or 8 chords
Temperature slider — increases the chance of randomization for more unique results, but also increases the chance of drifting away from the genre rules
Generate button — create a new progression with the selected settings

When you click “Generate”, Harmonybeam algorithmically creates a progression from scratch, using genre-specific harmonic rules and the same data model that also drives the Smart suggestions. Lower temperature values produce more conservative results closer to the genre rules, while higher values can produce more unique results, but can bend the rules and introduce more cadential randomness. A lower setting (25% or less) is recommended for the Jazz + Neo Soul generator, while higher settings can work well for the Classical and Pop + EDM generators.

Generation respects chord block locks. Shape-locked blocks keep their length while receiving new chords, and fully locked blocks keep both their length and chord identity. This lets you design a specific structure with block lengths and rests, then reuse it for new generated progressions.

Press Enter or click Generate to create another result. Generated progressions are inserted into the notation strip and can be edited normally afterwards.

Press Tab again to return to Notation mode.