iPad chord instrument · one key, one chord
Oh a Chord is a one-octave iPad keyboard. One key press plays a full chord. Chord Type and Modifier buttons choose its quality. Key Mode keeps every note inside the key you pick. A held chord turns into a strum, a harp sweep, or an arpeggio, and never retriggers.
Oh a Chord goes straight to the sound. Press a key and hear a chord. Hold a couple of fingers down to colour it. Key Mode keeps you inside a key without needing to know why. Most chord and arpeggiator apps want theory first: the right scale, the right extensions, an arpeggiator wired up by hand. This one asks for none of it.
A single octave sets the root. Chord Type buttons choose Dim, Min, Maj, Aug, Sus2 or Sus4. Modifiers (6, ♭7, maj7, 9, 11, 13) stack colour on top for as long as a finger holds them down.
No chord charts, no fingerings to memorize. Every Chord Type and Modifier combination resolves to a real, playable chord. There are no dead buttons mid-performance.
Arm Key Mode and the next key you press becomes the root. Every press after that stays inside that key. Reach outside it and Oh a Chord borrows a sus or diminished chord that still belongs. It never goes silent.
It's music theory you can feel rather than study. Build a progression that works before you know why it works.
Three independent toggles turn a held chord into a part: Strum staggers the notes like a pick across strings, Harp sweeps one or two octaves, Arp cycles up or up-and-down at the tempo you set. Latch holds the chord hands-free.
A held chord doesn't have to sit there. These are the same moves a hardware arpeggiator gives you. The notes underneath never retrigger.
Behind the gear icon sits the same 6-voice DSP core that powers Oh a Synth: oscillator, filter, envelopes, chorus. Every parameter is live and touchable. The keyboard stays where it is.
The one-key chord is the front door, not the whole house. Shape the sound as deep as Oh a Synth goes.
Tweak anything in the synth editor and a save icon appears. Tap it and name the sound. It joins the preset list next to the factory bank, stored on the device.
A good sound found by accident shouldn't be lost the next time you touch a slider.
Oh a Chord is on the App Store now. It runs on iPad in landscape, iPadOS 16 or later.
Read the privacy policy.
| Keyboard | Single octave; one key press plays the whole chord |
|---|---|
| Chord Type | Dim, Min, Maj, Aug, Sus2, Sus4 |
| Modifiers | 6, ♭7, maj7, 9, 11, 13. Momentary, held while a finger is down. Combine by holding several |
| Key Mode | Locks every press to a chosen key; off-scale keys resolve to a borrowed sus or diminished chord rather than going silent |
| Performance | Strum, Harp (1 or 2 octave sweep) and Arp (up, up/down). Each is an independent toggle. Latch holds a chord hands-free |
| Tempo | 40–240 BPM, drives Arp's rate |
| Voicing | Two sliders move a held chord through the register live, with no retriggering |
| Synth engine | The same 6-voice DSP core as Oh a Synth: DCO, 24 dB/oct filter, one ADSR, BBD-style chorus. Full parameter editor behind the settings gear |
| Presets | 9 factory sounds plus unlimited saved presets of your own, stored on the device |
| Platform | iPad, landscape only, iPadOS 16 or later |
| Privacy | No accounts, no analytics, no network requests of any kind. Saved presets never leave the device |
| Price | Free |
No. That's the whole point. Press a key, hear a chord. Key Mode is there if you want to explore a key without knowing why a particular note works. It isn't required to get started.
Not yet. MIDI output is planned but not in this release. Oh a Chord is fully playable and self-contained today, with no setup.
Yes. Open the settings gear and change anything in the synth editor. A save icon appears. Name it and it joins the preset list alongside the factory bank.
No. Nothing about Oh a Chord leaves the device. No accounts, no analytics, no sync. Saved presets are a file on your iPad and nowhere else.
iPadOS 16 or later. It's landscape only. Chord controls sit under your left hand, keyboard under your right.
On the App Store now. Press one key and the chord is already playing.
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