Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I imported (more like recreated from scratch) my music generator in the Unity engine, because as it turns out Java isn't really meant for cute web apps. I went on hiatus for this project for about two months, but now I'm back!
Here's a quick explanation of the algorithm: (Assuming everything's in C major) it starts with a chord of either C, Am, or F; since those are most common. Then random chords in the key of C major (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am). Sometimes the chord progression will copy the latter four chords onto the first four chords, or replace every odd chord with its neighbor, since most songs don't have more than four chords.
The melody is where things get complicated. In a previous program I randomized the notes to match a key, and then copied existing measures to give the feeling of a motif. I recently learned some music theory about "resolving" onto chord tones, and I tried to quantify that in a way. I imagined melodies as being grouped in threes, which you can see on each note. 1 being resolved, 2 being a passing tone, and 3 being resolved. I considered the notes C, E, and G resolved and the notes D, F and A being unresolved. For Em and G, which I consider passing chords, those rules changed. Probably not the cleanest way to go about things but that is what worked.
Normal three-groups: C D E, E F G, G A C. These ones always end on a chord tone.
"Unresolved" three-groups: F E D, E C B, G A B. These ones are only used during unresolved chords like G or Em,
I imported (more like recreated from scratch) my music generator in the Unity engine, because as it turns out Java isn't really meant for cute web apps. I went on hiatus for this project for about two months, but now I'm back!
Here's a quick explanation of the algorithm: (Assuming everything's in C major) it starts with a chord of either C, Am, or F; since those are most common. Then random chords in the key of C major (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am). Sometimes the chord progression will copy the latter four chords onto the first four chords, or replace every odd chord with its neighbor, since most songs don't have more than four chords.
The melody is where things get complicated. In a previous program I randomized the notes to match a key, and then copied existing measures to give the feeling of a motif. I recently learned some music theory about "resolving" onto chord tones, and I tried to quantify that in a way. I imagined melodies as being grouped in threes, which you can see on each note. 1 being resolved, 2 being a passing tone, and 3 being resolved. I considered the notes C, E, and G resolved and the notes D, F and A being unresolved. For Em and G, which I consider passing chords, those rules changed. Probably not the cleanest way to go about things but that is what worked.
Normal three-groups: C D E, E F G, G A C. These ones always end on a chord tone.
"Unresolved" three-groups: F E D, E C B, G A B. These ones are only used during unresolved chords like G or Em,
