Modal jazz chord sequence generator
ChordThing is a web application for generating modal jazz chord sequences. Set parameters like root note, scale type, chord mode, and consonance level — then generate, play back in real-time, and export as MIDI.
Ron Miller is a professor of jazz studies at the University of Miami. His students include Pat Metheny, Bruce Hornsby, Gil Goldstein, Steve Morse, and Rick Margitza.
His books Modal Jazz Composition & Harmony, Vol. 1 & 2 (Advance Music) present the chromatic-modal system — a framework that gives composers freedom to work across any style: post-50s jazz, ECM, fusion, pop, classical — without being tied to any harmonic particulars.
Miller developed a software tool called Chords X to put this theory into practice. ChordThing is a web-based implementation inspired by that program.
Ron Miller demonstrating the original Chords X program:
Watch on YouTube Ron Miller — Chords X DemoDorian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Aeolian, Minor Pentatonic, Diatonic, Chromatic
Set, Grip, Random — with fourths, seconds, thirds patterns
Consonant, Mixed, or Dissonant harmonic output
Real-time browser playback with adjustable tempo, MIDI file download