ChordLab macOS Update

 ChordLab has been around for many years and is about as niche an app as you can get - a chord calculator for four-part harmony, voice leading and arranging in general. This is not an app for the novice or beginning instrumentalist. It is not a chord book app. It might, on the other hand, hold interest for Jazz guitarists, pianists and arrangers. It depends on the arrangement of course, but four-part harmony with appropriate voice leading is a solid choice.

Changes is a term coined for the "changes" that voices undergo in harmonic support of a melody and bassline possibly. In that an economy of voices, be it three or four at the most, has served as a stylistic as well as practical approach to harmonizing or accompanying. And this is the context in which ChordLab can be quite useful and maybe serve as inspiration for some more unique chord choices. No more chord spelling, just punch it up and put it through the motions. 

The basic calculator function spells a chord defined with root and quality - like Abmaj7. Additional operations allow the application of inversions as well as common drop voicings and results are shown in music notation as well as note locations on the current instrument. With 16 different guitar tunings this can come in quite handy when putting together a bunch of new background harmonies. 

The latest version of ChordLab for macOS streamlines the interface a bit while improving overall functionality. ChordLab has gained a new look - in the dark that is - and improved support for Big Sur. 

ScaleMaster in Dark Mode

 ScaleMaster - a utility for quickly punching up this or the other penta- or heptatonic scale. On a bunch of different instruments. That is where ScaleMaster took its origin. Kidding of course - there was a blues scale, too - lol. Anyhow, since those early days it has gotten quite a bit more sophisticated. And still, having a quality scale reference handy is a good thing for any musician. You know how many songs were started with the phrase: "Hey, wait. Listen to this"? Well, maybe two, but in all sincerity - ScaleMaster is a fantastic tool. 

With music notation and so many instruments. Then there is that circle of fifths window and the sound is just fantastic these days with over one 120 built-in full-range instrument sounds. Those are pretty cool actually. And clefs - yes all sorts of clefs. So, there is a lot that you can do with the app and everything relates to over 200 hundred different types of listed scales. Your use case will vary, of course, but one guy in the band with ScaleMaster is always good to have. This is a true universal app that includes a fantastic-looking full iPadOS version. Not just an enlarged version of an iPhone app. SplitView? We got that. You can even generate some very simple exercises to play along with. Not too shabby for an inexpensive little utility app. And did we mention all those instruments?

So, what's new in version 1.2.6? Well, first of all there were quite a few updates for iPhone. Like the iPhone Calculator app in a way ScaleMaster looks different in landscape view than in when in portrait mode. There are in fact two view modes in landscape - instrument and notation. Then back in portrait mode your phone will show both. That is one area that saw a lot of improvement in this new release. You can try it out in ScaleMaster LE (free demo) if you want, because this is very difficult to capture in screenshots or movies.

A less pronounced change in version 1.2.6 is the placement of the center toolbar also on iPhone. We addressed the overall layout on the smaller screens in general and finally we also worked in some newer device specs. But - our main focus was actually dark mode. Initially ridiculed when announced as a new main feature of iOS, dark mode is a bit more complex than one might assume. There has to be a certain logic to it. Colors become lights in the dark and are used much more sparingly. It's a whole thing in cases when there are so many gradients and shades in use as are in ScaleMaster. We think that it was well worth it in the end and you will hopefully agree.

So, if you belong to the 'dark-mode-always' club or just occasionally let your OS dip into the night, you will probably enjoy ScaleMaster a little better. I know that we do. ScaleMaster is available for macOS and iOS (full iPadOS version included in universal binary). Or check out the ScaleMaster LE - a very limited free demo app that allows adding functionality via in-app-purchases.