Scales & Chords: Capture Ideas, Discover New Ones!

[@LelandLavinci]

Just like nobody is going to really care about what DAW you use to make music (whether it be Reason, FL Studio, Ableton, Logic or w/e) nobody is going to take the time to wonder if you "cheated" to create great sounding chords. If it sounds good, so what. You make music to create. Not critique. If we're pointing fingers and saying people are cheating then the same can be said about all of us who use DAWs and never made anything with all hardware like they did back then. Not cheating. Just simple,fun and intuitive.

[@its7day]

Actually, it very much does matter what DAW you use, and opportunities can be lost if someone shows up to your studio and youre running them through FL or Garageband. Stick to Pro Tools, kids, if youre serious about being a professional in this field. It is the standard for a reason.

[@scarletdawnmusic]

7Day Productions no it doesn't. This mentality has run its course.

[@kirkula]

yeah, I use an argument similar to this when I hear people say "all they do is press buttons, it's not music." my response is "oh yeah? I didn't know you only listen to musicians that chop down their own trees and mine their own metals to make their guitars. Interesting."

[@vasish3688]

I understand the sentiment of this argument completely, but seeing stuff like this makes me think about how it is so easy to sound like a generic "musician". Its easy to sound like others, to color within the boundaries and to play safe. To make music that sounds like You, stuff that you wanna create as an extension of you, you still have to involve yourself in the music making process and apply your tastes. And I welcome technology like this for sure. Because you can still find your own voice using these tools, maybe more easily and maybe even more ambitious than what you hear in your head!

[@gergelybodi3728]

You are so wrong man that it hurts

[@saradamsmc]

I went to a classical music school and know theory yet this allows me to make up harmonies on the go without paying that much attention which is great for when you're running around a lot

[@Higgzmusik]

Do you run around in circles off 5ths ?

[@soviut]

The players, especially Scales & Chords, has been a major source of inspiration for me. It's sped up the time it takes to lay down beds for my melodies and given me the option to invert and spread on the fly without having to drag dozens of notes around. I'm really keen to see what kinds of crazy stuff people start doing with automation on top of this.

[@bEASToUTtHEbOX]

Don't let the "purist" snobs hear you talking like that...Lol

[@Slrsniper]

too late I've heard him and I challenge him and you ( his co-conspirator) to a duel ...... lutes and harps only ...lol

[@bEASToUTtHEbOX]

Isaac Hanakuka Lol hahahahahaha ...let's include the accordion...everybody's favorite..

[@Slrsniper]

Lol OK I permit you use of the accordion pick a time and place

[@agentred8732]

As someone brand new to Reason (I bought it TODAY!), I must thank you for such a clear, concise and well-presented tutorial. I hope that all of your tutorials are just as excellent. Cheers!

[@akshaydabhadkarofficial5104]

they have some of the best and funniest tutorials!

[@juicerox]

I'd watch any Reason related video with this guy's voice on it. He is the sound of Reason for me personally.

[@torbenhellborn3175]

Thanks for a very clear and most versatile demo - and a MERRY new year

[@BobbyWashingtonvlog]

I can actually play chords but this is amazing... Most time it takes me 10-15 minutes to create an original chord progression from my head but I can see using this alot to give me a different approach to creating... This will be like have a second producer on my albums we with me...

[@ProckGnosis]

It's a decent idea to help folks produce music, but people should try to learn past this tool as well. Some of my coolest chord changes came about from less-than-perfectly played chords and bum notes. With this gadget and "instant correction" I never would have played the "bum notes" and discovered some really interesting progressions.

[@ZKDanika]

Scales and chords actually helps me explore very complex arp progressions that would be impossible to play by hand.

[@gordonfrew6874]

Wow this is good for someone who stopped making music for around 15 years. Just getting back into it while even knowing a wee bit about music theory. I'm rusty as hell and really struggling to write chords and progressions this hopefully might end my writers block.

[@ReasonStudios]

That's great Gordon! Welcome back to music! I love Scales & Chords myself because while I'm a pretty experienced guitar player, my keyboard skills fall far behind and it's super nice to think about chord progressions without having to trial and error my way through sharps/flats. If you haven't checked out some of our Super Neat Beat Cheat Sheet videos you might also find the one about How to Write a Melody useful to watch. Thanks for commenting and good luck! /ryan

[@johnnyuk3994]

Reason 9.5 is amazing! I absolutely love it!

[@ballroomcollective9584]

You have done it again Propellerhead! Can't wait to get into these new features :) Now just some more features for live stuff such as triggers or visual additions or maybe even your own midi keybaord integrated with reason and it will be all-time.

[@theofuqua2599]

Amazing addition to the DAW.

[@St4bilityMusic]

Actually, you could use two lines from Taylor's song to describe this device: Player's gonna play, play, play, play, play and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate Seriously, I've seen a lot of hate from people because this device supposedly makes composing "too easy." However, you're still gonna need to know at least the basics of Music Theory to know how it works. After all, this thing will be mostly useless to someone who doesn't know what "E Minor" or "F Major" means. Even then, this thing isn't gonna make you the next Varien or K-391. Despite having the assistance of this device, building complex melodies and chord progressions takes a metric ton of experience. Ryan makes it look easy here, but trust me: it's not. You can't just make a melody by mashing your keyboard.

[@danielkushner566]

I love this. I'm a bass player. I know theory. But my piano playing skills are not so hot.

[@Syneptic]

Lmao all the salty people in here.... You know you don't HAVE to use the new features, right?

[@ReasonStudios]

That's far too reasonable of an outlook... please show yourself to the door, Syneptic. KZbin doesn't take kindly to measured logic and empathetic consideration that perhaps your personal needs don't define 100% of musicians out there. Unless you start cursing and flaming, I don't want to hear any more of this nonsensical politeness. Got it!? ;) /ryan

[@prestonthomas7135]

OMG I JUST LAUGHED AUDIBLY! THANK YOU PROPELLERHEAD

[@xMATTAIx]

i think that, especially the "scales & chords" player is one of the best inventions for reason. im a former drummer and ive always had problems finding the right melodies and harmonies for songs because i was used to playing drums which was basically just having a nice sense of tact and being able to pull out some fat riffs without putting them into a great melody :/ now that these players are out i will upgrade my reason to 9.1 asap and start making some fat melodies ... reason is getting better and better and still people are trying to talk down all these innovations instead of appreciating its benefits for themselves ... anyways long story short: i like it

[@roygits]

can it be used with another DAW?

[@arnjohnsonmusic]

I've been around for a while. Back when synths and drum machines started to get hot in the 80's and 90's in mainstream, a lot of people said that they were cheating in terms of music creation. Here's the thing: people want to still hear real instruments, real performances and real musicians by-and-large. Guitars, acoustic instruments, real drums and real songwriting has not "died". Synths did not "eliminate" that kind of music. While a lot of synth pop is crap and one could make the argument that tools like this are to blame (at times), I feel for the not-so-technically-musically-skilled (banging out something on an instrument) who have great ideas in their heads. I would argue that there will be better music in the world, overall, because those people will now have a chance to materialize what they're feeling in their heads. Will there be more crap too? Yes. But it will filter to the bottom, IMHO.

[@ebrahimoosa786]

Do you know, I gave my kid those musical toys that the Japanese do

[@hawko9458]

Good job with this player lads, don't listen to all the negativity below, making something easier is always favorable!

[@chanukabulathsinghala8057]

Honesty this player made me to come back to Reason again and use it as my main DAW. I moved from reason to FL Studio. These new additions are so cool in Reason 9. But still I miss those VST instruments like nexus and massive

[@antwanefort]

This is pretty darn cool. Can not wait to try it out

[@Username-tw2li]

It's a great tool, and very intuitive for finding some inspiration. I would like to know how once I have the progression I like to have the midis with the whole chord notes, not just the note that is written.

[@danieldv6171]

You can use the "send to track" function, it will send all the chords notes to the track

[@TELEthruVOXx]

This is nuts. It's color. By. Numbers. And I love it

[@PlugInGuruVideo]

I sincerely hope someday you guys open up and make your amazing synthesizers available to those of us that don't want to work inside of Reason and have no desire to try to get 2 applications running at once on a reliable consistent basis. I would be honored to make kick ass patch libraries if these were available to more than just Reason users. I am very doubtful you do this but I'll keep requesting.

[@ReasonStudios]

Thanks for the really nice sentiment! /ryan

[@Centomila]

I've started using Reason as a big VST, but after a while i've made the switch and never look back. The limitations for me are just in live usage, but except that i don't miss anything. What do you miss from other daw? (and don't say VST :))

[@mastersbyiggy]

Serum, Native Instruments, Fabfilter Bundle, Space Designer (in logic), Alchemy (in logic), Tap to Transient, Midi effects (in logic), workflow (in Pro tools), Environment (in logic), the list goes on and on and on.

[@realkuhl]

The MIDI editing abilities are a biggie. The interface is a huge hinderance. I like the sound quality of Reason a lot. I have used it for building drum grooves for my libraries. However, I equate editing anything you've performed in Reason to trying to do surgery with ski gloves on. It's nearly impossible.

[@Centomila]

I agree with the missing features, especially in some workflows... If music is not your main job, playing with differentes daws is like playing different instruments. Depend on the mood for me. But everyone has the main daw. The "loved" daw. For me is Reason. It's like a girlfriend :p

[@CybreSmee]

This software blows my mind every time I watch one of these videos

[@HughTolland]

seems pretty interesting, it will definitely be good for get the creative juices going for those who aren't amazing at playing. good job propellerhead!

[@JamesBermingham]

Great addition.

[@williamturpin8616]

Upgraded for VSTs, unexpectedly got this gem.

[@movement6514]

I use this soooo much you can't imagine

[@ViralKiller]

OK here is a question, how do I combine inverted and non-inverted chords? can we automate inversions and even change scales?

[@nolram]

Right click on the parameter/knob you want to change, then click “Edit Automation”.

[@kiqyou]

"quicker than a wrong move in mindsweeper" FIRE ASS SCRIPT WRITING

[@PauLtus_B]

I'm generally not a fan of these but especially using these in combination with the dual arpeggiator you can create very interesting soundscapes as you can sort of "program" melodies. As someone who often uses rather complex arps this is very useful.

[@doodoostickstain]

I see everyone complaining that software writes the music for you...I really don't see how if you're the one putting all the notes together. i mean, if you don't know what you're doing in the first place, never having disciplined yourself musically, you're REALLY not going to produce anything good. it took me years to learn to use a DAW effectively, and I'm still learning. I go back and listen to some older stuff and cringe haha ^_^ same as any musician (yes, I am a musician. I study music, I play instruments, both electronic and traditional, and they're two sides of a coin)

[@osoanasteciado]

2020 my mind explode with this!

[@mortadella1234]

I love Reason have been using it since Reason 2.5. This is a great tool and very inspirational, but watching this video really hurt my eyes XD.

[@JerryMetal1979]

good job as a tutorial of reason, clear and brilliant voice

[@ShelLuser]

I can only imagine using this stuff within Live (and Push!) using the upcoming Reason rack. Rewire can do a lot, but the VST approach will give me even better control over Reason from within Live... Add Push into the mix (my favorite sketching tool) and... wow.

[@nolram]

Person from the future here, Reason (Version 11 and up) is now available as a VST plugin for any DAW.

[@ShelLuser]

@@nolram lol, well in the mean time I'm indeed using it as planned. However... the removal of rewire also had its effects so now I kinda shifted my attention to Maschine which provides me with a 2nd sequencer within Live (and VST support).

[@nolram]

@@ShelLuser Okay !

[@VTOLKits]

Is it possible to make sus2 and sus4 chords ?

[@georgereasonproductions]

Great feature in reason you can transpose chords around:D

[@frankm6711]

Pretty cool for sure. Can the same concept be applied to horn sounds like trumpet, sax etc is it built into the program or do you need some extension pack.

[@JC20XX]

You can attach the player to any instrument. There's a lot of samples and patches of other instruments.

[@MichaelSmith-um2uv]

Im excited and shaking my head at the same time. I know music theory and took music for 5 years, but never learned the piano (learned percussion, trumpet, trombone, bells...). Learning piano was always on my list buuut now.....????

[@MrFlyingguy]

very helpful and nicely put. thank you

[@Gabrielland150]

Can the chords hit by one key be converted to notes taking place in the chords for manual alterations?

[@JC20XX]

Yes

[@brawlstarsbelgium8302]

Great Job 😉

[@busywl69]

soon 1 finger will be all you need to do everything! amazing.

[@ViralKiller]

err...no...same with 3d packages, a lot of stuff is automatic now, like UVW mapping...that stuff was a waste of the artists time

[@ApolloJetsonKND]

Does it have the Locrian Mode too???

[@SomexDeArchvist]

Scales and chords simply made easy. My work as a producer now got better. Thank you @propellerhead

[@robdela3632]

this is a pretty awesome learning tool, it's like have a chord bible in the daw

[@maximilianomonterrubio8555]

Love the tutorial and the feature! Would love to have a render of the song, I actually liked it :P

[@Hochmann2]

Excellent tutorial!!!

[@johnnweke5547]

This video decided my DAW for me . Reason it is!

[@CPtheCreator]

SICK VIDEO!!! WOWZERS!!!

[@emi22n]

Where can I listen to that track with vocals?Please tts awesome.

[@ReasonStudios]

It's just something I made for this tutorial. I'll probably develop it more, but right now you've basically heard it all! :) /ryan

[@mmmusicc777]

I just cant wait to upgrade!!!!!!

[@martinwhile1607]

This is a lot of fun. A lot of fun.

[@callyric9571]

Greatly appreciate it

[@SyntheticFuture]

Can reason also drill the chords down to MIDI so you can export it?

[@ReasonStudios]

Yes it can - in the standalone DAW Reason Players have a button called "Send to Track" that prints the MIDI. When using Reason as a plugin in other DAWs you can route the MIDI out of the plugin to your sequencer to record it. /ryan

[@SyntheticFuture]

@@ReasonStudiosthat's so cool 😎 Thanks for the quick reply. Even more Reason(s) to be happy that I picked up the intro offering 😁

[@ebrahimoosa786]

Where can I get this as a demo?

[@ikarus8982]

if the chords is cheating, so is an arpeggiator

[@SyntheticFuture]

It sort off is though xD Don't mind using them either way because I know my playing limits :P

[@marcelospaiva]

Incredibly Amazing

[@producoes8437]

i love reason, i'm using version 11 for 30 days because i can't afford to buy a license! maybe one day, Reason Studios donates me a license to create content on KZbin! it would be a great joy for me!

[@TecNickelSwag]

This is a damn good tutorial.

[@DS-wi3bk]

hi, in the rack i dont have ( direct record and send to track) do you know why?

[@dannygibor]

This is a very cool demo. The features listed above should be used as a rough guideline for creating new music. However, if you're serious about creating music, you should learn the theory behind it and then you can play outside the scale and add all kind of notes that normally don't harmonize well with your selected scale / pitch and whatever. These accidentals are what makes music beautiful (to me) and not just following common misconceptions about music. For example, when choosing C minor (Cm) as your tonality, adding a B natural (not flat) could add some unexpected tension to your music. Same goes for all kind of chromatic harmonies that add interesting passages from one chord to another. For example (still in Cm): Fm - F#dim7 - G. When it comes to making music, you need to know your basics in order to create truly amazing stuff. However, if you don't know much about theory or can't master the piano, Reason looks like a great tool to get started and experiment.

[@kyleleesousa]

in Cm if the chords were correct in root position, D would be a Diminished triad, not a Bb chord in 1st inversion.

[@kyleleesousa]

too many arbitrary choices made in the device instead of following music theory. this will confuse users

[@RyanHarlin]

There's straight up sterile music theory and then there's voice leading. And for a device that helps write chord progressions I personally want the latter because it's more useful in practice.

[@kyleleesousa]

proper music theory. the word sterile tries to explain away not following theory. maybe the device should be called voice leader and scales haha. I personally use inversion to avoid diminished chords when appropriate so I understand, but the device should not make diminished chords inaccessible. voice leading would at times call for diminished and augmented chords but the video implies the device avoids 2 of the basic 4 triad types. the device shouldn't label Bb first inversion as a root chord on D that is confusing to people learning theory.

[@beatlesguyEM]

thanks, it irritated me greatly.

[@Garganfunker]

Wow this is absolutely amazing

[@Mudtoad100]

is there a way to use send to track or direct record to write the notes from the players to the midi and not just the note thats being input?

[@Max10_B]

this is amazing. wish logic pro x had some function of this. their midi chord plug is weird and not as intuitive as this

[@bEASToUTtHEbOX]

What function in Logic Pro X IS intuitive? Maybe Reason's simplicity has me spoiled! Lol

[@a.i.m.projectrecordings7844]

Maxton Barber You could always try rewire

[@georgereasonproductions]

excellent video good work:D

[@d.michaelmcbridedc1082]

Thanks learned a lot

[@mickelovberg212]

When I click duplicate track and devises, paste, there is no new channel on the mixer. Why?

[@HypasMusic]

Does Propellerhead/Reason have an android app?

[@Gabrielland150]

Is there a way to export chords into notes?

[@dougroyce5784]

Yes!

[@mrnobody2795]

can we record it to our synth as a full note not just one note ?

[@roygits]

Does it come as a VST?

[@Noldy__]

I just came across a bug with this player. For example, if I'm in the C scale and I play B diminished, it instead plays a G chord in the first inversion. Likewise, if I'm on the E Minor scale and I disable chords, it is not correcting all the pitches of E minor when I play them. Seems like this is a bug, and I'm not sure if it is already addressed, or I just stick with Scaler 2.

[@VTOLKits]

Great!

[@Minecraftminer3000]

Is there any alternative for Scales & Chords in FL Studio 12?

[@PreciseSense85]

FL studio has a similar feature. It's in the piano roll after you select the sampler instrument . You draw in the the notes after you select the scales. appear.

[@bryanbrown2950]

is the scale and chords available in the propellerhead store? i have reason 7 and want this feature but dont want to spend 120 to upgrade to 9.. just want this feature...

[@ReasonStudios]

No, Players aren't Rack Extensions available in the shop individually. They're part of Reason 9 as an upgraded app feature. /ryan

[@nuvaboy]

well, there's AutoTheory

[@Iredidv]

Players, the beat sync of production. (and there is nothing wrong with that) Thank you propellerheads.

[@AlienDad]

How do you map Akai Advance to Reason 9 please? Any preset available?

[@bobbyrutts]

Is "Scales and Chords" included in Reason Essentials?

[@samuelbhinyani4550]

can u guys do a video of reason and the vip software .

[@MarianoCrivello1]

Haters gonna hate ;) Sending notes to track is awesome. Any plans on opening up some of the settings for automation?

[@stevediver9791]

Hi. I recorded this as you have but i have a red track view rather than the matrix view. Why is this. Have i use the wrong record mode or id there a different view from what i can see?

[@foljs5858]

Hello, can we "split" somehow, and play "scales and chords" in a part of the MIDI keyboard (e.g lower half) and regular chromatic notes on the top part?

[@ReasonStudios]

You could do that via a combinator and two devices.

[@NickHope]

Explained here kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4fQapWdiZWAj6sm30s

[@SjN7HETIK]

awesome but, what if i wan to to change scales dynamically while playing? ...i mean, for example, how can i make a Cm, Emaj, F7th, G9th chord progression with just one Sc&Ch device??? ...Here seems u can just choose one root...

[@Rome.Monroe]

Only thing annoying is trying to do a dominant 7 chord in minor keys. Thank goodness for that alter button!

[@dougroyce5784]

Scale matrix might be a good alternative for you. You can have different scales on different lines of the matrix and automate between the scale changes.

[@beatsbybaron]

man hes pushing those tracks HOT

[@majorhousemuzic6641]

reason the best!!!!!

[@locutz]

I think I've seen my new D.A.W

[@johndass6545]

Reason is just getting better and better only if the time stretching feature could get some attention in coming versions I have to time stretch in sony acid then bounce it as wave and then throw it back in reason it kills the flow since acid is windows only I can't rewire it with my reason which is in mac...

[@highestsettings]

This seems like a okay tool for learning theory... Not so much for writing though, at least not for me. I use inversions to minimise the distance my fingers travel, or to create melodies within chord patterns. If I have to automate this device to get those results, why not just do it myself by playing it? This is good for somebody who doesn't know what they are doing, although I fear they'll never learn if this device does it for them. Also what happens if I want to use an accidental note? Too many limitations with this kind of stuff if you ask me. Listen people, if you want to write amazing music, a program isn't going to make it for you automatically. You're gonna have to learn your craft.

[@sorry11303]

Okay it's a new era of music I think it might be time for me to change my Daw I'm way overdue it's time to check out this reason and see what it's about 🔍🎹

[@SocietateaAscendenta]

MAN, People needed to MAKE Music to express SOMETHING or to have fun. A man in a bush, in a tribe, just took a horn and blew air into it - do you think he cared what note that is or scale or whatever? What I wanna say is: I admire the famous composers and, sure, Music can get sooooo technical and mathematical (ist notation and representation), BUT, can some of you not understand: some PEOPLE JUST WANNA HAVE FUN! Or some people cannot/do not want to SPEND 10-30 years studying this thing and THEN start making the music that they are FEELING - MUSIC IS ABOUT FEEEEEEELINGS, people! So, stop that stupid debating and go make some good music ;)

[@michaeldevitt1691]

Anyone got any idea how he created those drum beats? It is a pity this part was skipped :-(

[@ReasonStudios]

I skipped it here because I cover my very similar process in its own video. /ryan kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYvdlndogaelmrM

[@uklmngubane5661]

this is super

[@Legaceybeats]

i like the new updates, but i have spent more on this software then any other software i use to get the full version. These features are all ready given inside logic x for $200 and that was 2 years ago. pricing is an issue with this company even for sounds and refills and the quality of sound those refills give.

[@bruhzooka]

It would be cool to have a player that takes really phat cords you play by hand and turn them into a single note.

[@fastkuts]

anyone think reason 10 is worth getting?

[@MrIIXI]

Strum feature, Please! :(