Play chords with one finger, and see which one comes next and why

Name: Chordwell
Author: Growing Peas

Chordwell is a chord instrument for Android. It suggests the next chord and tells you what each one does, so you learn harmony by playing rather than by reading about it.

Get it on Google Play Android 12 and later · free to play in C major

The ladder in C major: seven slanted bands from IV at the bottom to vii° at the top, each with a triad on the left and a seventh on the right, Dm lit as AWAY, and the strum strip beside them. — The ladder of the key, the suite of suggested next chords, and what the one purchase unlocks.

The suite after Am, F, Dm, B flat and Am: five suggested next chords, Dm down a fifth, G7 down a fifth, C one note moves, F loop and A flat borrowed, each with its Roman numeral. — The ladder of the key, the suite of suggested next chords, and what the one purchase unlocks.

If you want a chord instrument that teaches you what you play

Hardware chord instruments such as the Omnichord made chords playable with one finger, but they do not tell you why a chord sounds right after another. Most chord apps on Android do one of three jobs: play pads, generate a progression for you, or quiz you on theory. Chordwell puts the three in one instrument. It is a separate app, written from scratch, and not affiliated with Suzuki, Meloclub or any maker of a chord instrument.

How it plays

The ladder: the seven chords of a key stacked in fifths, from IV at the bottom to vii° at the top, slanted for your left hand.
Each chord has two keys: the left one sets its shape (triad, major or minor swapped, sus4, sus2), the right one adds a colour (seventh, add9, sixth, 7sus4). Slide on a key to choose, and it remembers.
A strum strip on the right plays the held chord string by string.
Your finger is the envelope: a quick touch is a short chord, a long press holds it.

What comes next, and why

Switch to the suite and Chordwell offers five next chords, ordered by fifths, each with a short reason: down a fifth, one note moves, borrowed. The chord from four steps back is always there, so a loop is one touch away. Every chord shows its Roman numeral and its function, coloured green for rest, yellow for away and red for tension, so you see why a progression works while you play it.

Eight sounds are made on the phone itself, with low latency so the strum answers your finger: harp, square, kalimba and glass for the strip; pad, organ, electric piano and choir for the chords, with a plate reverb.

What is free, and what one purchase adds

Free: C major, the triad, swap, seventh and add9 on every key, two strum sounds and two chord sounds, and the suite with all its suggestions, numerals and functions. Numerals are the same in every key, so what you learn in C works everywhere.

Full Chordwell, one purchase that stays yours: every key, major and minor, every shape and colour (sus4, sus2, sixth, 7sus4), all eight sounds and four voicings. Google Play shows the price in your own currency. No subscription, no ads, no account.

Who makes it

I do: one person, on my own, under the name Growing Peas. I built Chordwell as the instrument I wanted for learning harmony myself. Mail goes to [email protected] and I answer it myself. Chordwell needs no internet and nothing leaves your phone: the privacy policy says so in full.