The Chords & Notation group sets how notes and chords are named everywhere in Orfeo (on the keyboard, in both Explorers, in the chord bar and in the transcript PDF) and which instruments the chord display listens to. Setup has Display system, Accidentals and Chord tracking; everything is in Settings → Chords & Notation.
Chord tracking
Sets which tracks the live chord display and Lock-A-Chord follow during playback.
Option | What it follows |
Auto (default) | The chord instruments (piano, keys, guitar, strings), ignoring melody and ornament lines. Best for most songs. |
Harmony | Every track except drums, melody included. For dense arrangements where no single instrument holds the chords. |
Follow | One instrument group or one track you choose. |
Follow one part
In Setup, clicking Follow before anything is chosen opens the Settings window on Chords & Notation, so you can pick there. A chosen group is remembered. A chosen track is cleared whenever you open another song; until you pick a new one, Orfeo reads the chords as it does in Auto.
Use case
Learning the guitar comping in a band arrangement? Follow the Guitar group and the chord bar shows only what the guitar plays. See Study the chords of one part.
Chord reading
How much detail Orfeo shows from a brief chord.
Option | Behaviour |
Safe (default) | Names a chord’s extra notes, such as a 7th, only once they have rung long enough to be sure. |
Progressive | Also trusts a clean grab, several notes struck together or rolled quickly, and shows the extra note right away even if it is brief. On a few busy passages this can add a note that isn’t really part of the chord. |
More about how chords are detected in How Orfeo reads chords.
Chord naming
How chord qualities are written, wherever a chord name appears: the chord bar, Lock-A-Chord, both Explorers and the transcript PDF.
Option | Example |
Abbreviations (default) |
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Symbols |
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Display system
Pick the note-naming system you read in. A preview line under the buttons shows the result.
Option | Notes are written as |
UK/US (default) |
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EU |
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Solfège |
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Hide | No note names at all |
Accidentals
Choose whether black keys are spelled with flats (Bb Eb Ab Db Gb, the default) or sharps (A# D# G# C# F#). Click the word or the switch between them. The change is instant and works with any display system. This option is hidden while note names are set to Hide.