Frequently asked questions
How ChordMelo works, and what you can do with the melodies you generate.
ChordMelo (melody generator)
- Is it really free?
- Yes. Generating melodies, listening with chord backing and downloading MIDI are all free. There is no account to create, no feature gate and no trial period.
- Can I use the melodies commercially?
- Yes. The melodies and MIDI files you generate can be used freely, commercially or otherwise, with no attribution required. Because generated material may coincidentally resemble existing music, check your work before releasing or selling it.
- Can I release tracks made here on distribution services?
- Yes. Some distributors set conditions on tracks made purely by AI — that the track is not 100% AI generated, and that the training data behind it does not infringe third-party rights. ChordMelo uses no trained model and no training data, so neither condition is an issue. The output is MIDI; choosing sounds, editing, playing and singing are your work. Approval is still each distributor's decision, so check their current rules before you release.
- Do I need an account?
- No. The tool works the moment you open the page. The chords and settings you enter are processed only in your browser and are never sent to a server.
- Is this made with AI?
- No. There is no trained model. It builds 48 candidates from music theory rules, scores them on chord tones, range and phrase endings, and shows the best three. Nothing is learned from existing songs, so the same settings always give the same result.
- How do the three ideas differ?
- They come from the same settings but move differently. Internally 48 candidates are generated and scored on harmony, motif, rhythm and playability; near-duplicates are dropped and the top three survive. If none of them land, regenerate for another set.
- Can I change the key or the tempo?
- Yes. The key is estimated from the chords you enter, but you can set it manually. Tempo, bar count and time signature are all adjustable on screen, and that information is written into the MIDI file.
- Does it support odd time signatures?
- Yes. Alongside 4/4, 3/4, 6/8 and 6/4 you can use 5/4, 7/8, 12/8, or set your own numerator and denominator. You can also choose how the beats group — whether 7/8 is felt as 2+2+3 or 3+2+2 — and the generated rhythm follows that grouping.
- Can I get the same melody back later?
- Yes. Every result has a seed value, and the same seed with the same settings always reproduces the same melody. You can see the seed under the advanced settings, and copy a link that carries all of your settings.
- How do I use the exported MIDI in my DAW?
- Drag the downloaded .mid file onto a track in Logic Pro, GarageBand, Ableton Live, Cubase, FL Studio or any other DAW. Tempo and time signature are written into the file, so bars line up even in odd meters. The melody and the chord backing are on separate tracks.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes, on Safari for iPhone and Chrome for Android. If you hear nothing, check the silent switch on your device. MIDI downloads still work even where audio cannot play.
- Does it work offline?
- You need a connection to load the page the first time, but generating, playing and saving MIDI all run inside the browser. Nothing is sent to a server, so it keeps working on a flaky connection.
- Can I use it without knowing much about chord progressions?
- Yes. Start from a preset such as Popular, Bright or Sad. Choosing a mode (vocal melody or guitar lead) and a song section (verse, chorus and so on) is enough to steer the result, with no music theory terms involved.
DrumMelo (drum generator)
- Can I make drum patterns too?
- Yes. DrumMelo, the sister tool, generates three drum grooves in eight styles including house, K-pop and hip-hop. It runs entirely in the browser like ChordMelo, and saving MIDI is free.
- Can I keep the parts I like?
- Yes. Kick, snare, hat and the rest can be locked individually, so you can keep a kick that works and regenerate only the hats. Rolling the dice repeatedly while locking pieces down is the normal workflow.
- Does DrumMelo's MIDI work in a DAW?
- It does. The exported .mid uses standard drum note placement (GM), so it loads straight into the drum instrument or sampler that came with your DAW. Tempo and time signature are in the file too.
BassMelo (bassline generator)
- Can I make basslines too?
- Yes. BassMelo, the sister tool, writes three basslines over your chord progression in 13 styles: rock, punk and funk plus boom bap, trap 808, drill, G-funk, R&B, neo soul and Jersey club. It runs in the browser and MIDI export is free.
- What can I play the bass with?
- The exported .mid is an ordinary single-note track carrying a General MIDI bass program, so the bass instrument or synth that came with your DAW will play it as is. Tempo and time signature are in the file.
- Does it do 808 slides?
- It does. Pick Trap / 808 and the generator favours long notes and slides from the previous pitch. You hear the glide in the preview. The MIDI writes slides as notes rather than pitch bend, so nothing goes out of tune on import.
The music theory series
- Is there anywhere to learn music theory?
- Yes. “Music Theory from Zero” is a 33-chapter beginner series. It assumes no ability to read notation, and every chapter has diagrams you can play plus a short review quiz. It is currently readable in Japanese, English, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
- Can I read the theory series in my language?
- Right now it is available in Japanese, English, Korean and Simplified Chinese. Other languages get a placeholder page that points to the languages it is readable in.
- Where should I start in the series?
- Chapter one, in order, is the easiest route: it hands you the six basic words (melody, accompaniment, chord and so on) that everything else builds on. If you only want one specific answer, jump straight there from the contents.
- Is there a way to check what I have learned?
- Every chapter ends with two multiple-choice review questions. Pick an answer and the result plus a one-line explanation appears immediately. Scoring happens on your device and is never sent anywhere.