AxoMusic

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AxoMusic

Create, compose & explore music

AxoMusic

Chord Playground

Explore chord progressions using Roman numeral analysis. Click chords to hear them, try common progressions, and see guitar voicings.

Diatonic Chords in

Common Borrowed / Secondary Dominants

Click chords above to build your progression

Theory Notes

Select a key and start adding chords to see analysis and theory explanations here.

Common Progressions (click to load)

Scale Explorer

Explore scales visually on the keyboard and fretboard. Learn intervals, modes, and their musical character.

Related Modes

Circle of Fifths

The Circle of Fifths shows relationships between keys. Click any key to explore its chords and related keys.

Key Information

Click a key on the circle to see its details.

Chord Reference

Browse chord types, see their construction, and hear how they sound. Click any chord to visualize it on the keyboard.

Select a chord type above to see its construction and theory.

Sound:
Octave: 3
Octaves:

Use keys Z–M (white) and SDGHJ (black) for the lower octave. Q–U and 23567 for the upper. Hold Space for sustain.

Loop Bars:

Use keys 1–4, Q–R, A–F to trigger pads. Hit Record, play a groove, then hit Record again to loop it.

Wave:
Scale:
C2 — Low C7 — High
—

Click/touch and drag on the pad. Left–right = pitch, top–bottom = volume. Use scale snapping for musical results.

Chord Builder

Key:

Diatonic Chords

Add chords from the palette above, or load a preset below
Progression Presets

Drum Machine

Swing: 0%
Kit:
Preset Patterns

Synth Creator

Key: Scale:
Waveform
Envelope (ADSR)
0.01
0.1
0.7
0.3
Filter
8000
1.0
Extra
0
0.5
Melody Patterns (click to load)

Metronome

A visual and audio metronome with adjustable tempo, time signatures, subdivisions, and tap-tempo. Click beat dots to toggle accents.

120
BPM
Time Signature
Subdivision

Song Analysis

Learn from the greats. We break down famous songs to reveal the theory, chord progressions, structure, and production techniques behind the magic.

🔍

How to Analyze a Song

Before diving into examples, here's a framework for analyzing any song. Ask these questions:

The Analysis Framework

🎵 Harmony & Melody

  • What key is the song in? Major or minor?
  • What's the chord progression? Write it in Roman numerals.
  • Are there borrowed chords or key changes?
  • What scale is the melody based on?
  • How does the melody relate to the chords?

🏗️ Structure & Rhythm

  • What's the song form? (Verse-Chorus-Bridge, AABA, etc.)
  • How many bars per section?
  • What's the tempo and time signature?
  • What rhythmic patterns drive the feel?
  • How does the energy build across sections?

Song Breakdown Examples

Pop/Rock

The "Four Chord Song" Pattern

Progression: I – V – vi – IV
In C: C – G – Am – F
Used by: "Let It Be," "No Woman No Cry," "With or Without You," "Someone Like You," countless others

The most used progression in pop music. The vi gives a brief minor-key sadness before resolving to the warm IV.

Jazz

The ii – V – I

Progression: ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
In C: Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7
Used by: "Fly Me to the Moon," "Autumn Leaves," virtually all jazz standards

The backbone of jazz harmony. The ii provides smooth voice leading into V, which creates maximum tension before resolving to I.

Blues

12-Bar Blues

Progression: I–I–I–I | IV–IV–I–I | V–IV–I–V
In A: A7–A7–A7–A7 | D7–D7–A7–A7 | E7–D7–A7–E7
Used by: Elvis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King

12 bars, 3 chords (all dominant 7ths), one of the most important forms in Western music.

Pop/R&B

The Emotional Minor

Progression: vi – IV – I – V
In C: Am – F – C – G
Used by: "Grenade," "Numb," "Save Tonight"

Same chords as the four-chord song but starting on vi — gives a darker, more emotional feel.

EDM/Pop

The Anthemic Build

Progression: I – iii – vi – IV
In C: C – Em – Am – F
Used by: "Wake Me Up" (Avicii), "Counting Stars"

Stepwise bass descent creates a satisfying wave — perfect for building to big drops and choruses.

Neosoul/Lo-fi

Extended Jazz Chords

Progression: Imaj9 – ii9 – V13 – Imaj9
In D: Dmaj9 – Em9 – A13 – Dmaj9
Used by: Lo-fi hip-hop, Tom Misch, Daniel Caesar

Extended chords add lushness and sophistication — warm, dreamy atmosphere for the lo-fi aesthetic.

Common Song Structures

Verse-ChorusV – C – V – CMost pop songsSimple, direct
V-C-BridgeV – C – V – C – B – CStandard pop/rockBridge adds contrast
AABAA – A – B – AJazz standardsRefrain-based
Drop-BasedBuild – Drop – Break – Build – DropEDM, dubstepTension/Release
Through-ComposedA – B – C – D ...Prog rockAlways evolving
💡 Practice: Next time you hear a song you love, try to figure out the chords by ear. Write them as Roman numerals. Over time, you'll start recognizing the same patterns everywhere.

Genres & Styles Guide

Every genre has its own DNA — tempo, scales, instruments, rhythms, and production tricks that define its sound.

🎸

Rock

Tempo100–140 BPM
ScalesMinor Pentatonic, Blues, Natural Minor
ChordsPower chords (5ths), I–IV–V, I–♭VII–IV
InstrumentsElectric guitar (distortion), bass, drums, vocals
RhythmStraight 8ths, kick 1 & 3, snare 2 & 4
ProductionDouble-track guitars L/R, room reverb on drums
🎹

Pop

Tempo100–130 BPM
ScalesMajor, Mixolydian, Minor Pentatonic
ChordsI–V–vi–IV, vi–IV–I–V
InstrumentsSynths, piano, programmed drums, vocal layers
RhythmFour-on-the-floor or half-time, syncopated hi-hats
ProductionVocal upfront, wide synths, big chorus with stacked vocals
🎷

Jazz

Tempo60–200+ BPM (huge range)
ScalesDorian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Altered, Bebop
Chordsii7–V7–Imaj7, tritone subs, dim passing chords
InstrumentsPiano/keys, upright bass, ride cymbal, horns
RhythmSwing 8ths, ride cymbal, walking bass
ProductionMinimal processing, capture the room, natural dynamics
🎧

EDM / House

Tempo120–130 (House), 128–150 (Trance), 140–180 (DnB)
ScalesMinor, Phrygian, Harmonic Minor
Chordsi–♭VI–♭III–♭VII, minor progressions, single-chord vamps
InstrumentsSynths, 808/909 drums, risers, impacts
RhythmFour-on-the-floor kick, offbeat hi-hats, clap on 2 & 4
ProductionHeavy sidechain, long buildups/drops, filter sweeps, sub bass loud
🎤

Hip-Hop / Rap

Tempo70–100 (boom bap), 130–170 (trap, half-time feel)
ScalesMinor Pentatonic, Phrygian, Blues, Harmonic Minor
ChordsMinor loops (i–♭VI–♭VII), sample-based, minimal
Instruments808 bass, hi-hats (trap rolls), snare, samples
RhythmBoom bap swing or fast hi-hat rolls, 808 slides
Production808 sub is foundation. Leave space for vocals. Hi-hat velocity variation.
🌊

Lo-Fi Hip-Hop

Tempo70–90 BPM
ScalesMajor 7th chords, Dorian, Jazz extensions
ChordsImaj7–ii7–V7, jazzy extended, chromatic passing
InstrumentsRhodes, mellow guitar, vinyl samples, soft drums
RhythmSwing/shuffle, off-grid, lazy snare, vinyl crackle
ProductionVinyl noise + tape saturation. Low-pass filter. Loose quantize.
🎻

Classical / Orchestral

Tempo40–180 BPM (varies dramatically)
ScalesMajor, Minor, Harmonic Minor, Chromatic
ChordsFull diatonic vocabulary, secondary dominants, modulations
InstrumentsStrings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, harp
RhythmRubato, complex meters, tempo changes, triplets
ProductionConcert hall reverb, wide stereo, dynamics ppp to fff
🌴

Reggae / Ska

Tempo60–90 (reggae), 100–130 (ska)
ScalesMajor, Minor Pentatonic, Mixolydian
ChordsI–IV–V, i–IV, simple with offbeat accents
InstrumentsGuitar (offbeat skank), melodic bass, organ, horns
RhythmOffbeat "skank," one-drop kick on 3, syncopated bass
ProductionDub: heavy reverb on snare, delay throws, bass huge and warm

Music History Timeline

A journey through the evolution of music theory, instruments, and production — from ancient modes to modern electronic music.

500–1400

Medieval

Gregorian ChantModesMonophony → Polyphony

Music was monophonic (single melody). Gregorian chants used church modes (the same modes we still use). Around 1000 AD, polyphony emerged — multiple voices, the birth of harmony.

🔑 Musical notation — Guido d'Arezzo invented the staff system (~1000 AD), allowing music to be written down.
1400–1600

Renaissance

TriadsCounterpointPrinting Press

Triads became standard. Counterpoint was perfected. The printing press (1450) revolutionized music distribution.

🔑 Equal temperament tuning began to develop — instruments could play in all 12 keys.
1600–1750

Baroque

BachVivaldiMajor/Minor SystemOpera

The major/minor key system we use today was established. Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" proved all 12 keys viable. Figured bass — basically the first chord charts.

🔑 Functional harmony (I-IV-V-I) — chords got "jobs," creating the tension-release system used in every pop song.
1750–1820

Classical

MozartBeethovenSonata FormSymphony

Clarity, balance, structured forms. Sonata form became the gold standard. The modern symphony orchestra took shape.

🔑 Song structure — ABA, theme & variations directly evolved into modern verse-chorus form.
1820–1900

Romantic

ChopinWagnerChromaticismEmotion

Emotion over structure. Chromaticism expanded harmony. Wagner's leitmotifs — what film scores still do. Virtuoso performers emerged.

🔑 Extended harmony — 7th and 9th chords. Without this, jazz wouldn't exist.
1900–1950

Early Modern

BluesJazzRecordingRadio

Blues emerged — 12-bar blues and blue notes became foundational. Jazz exploded. The invention of recording and radio changed everything.

🔑 Recording technology — music could be captured and distributed without being present.
1950–1980

Rock & Revolution

Rock'n'RollBeatlesSynthesizersMultitrack

Rock'n'roll fused blues with country. The Beatles pioneered studio as instrument. The Moog synthesizer (1964) opened new sonic possibilities. Multitrack recording — the birth of modern production.

🔑 Multitrack recording & synthesizers — producers could layer and create sounds that never existed.
1980–2000

Digital Revolution

MIDISamplingDAWsHip-Hop

MIDI (1983) standardized digital instruments. Sampling created hip-hop and electronic music. DAWs democratized production — anyone with a computer could make music.

🔑 MIDI + DAWs — turned production from million-dollar studios into bedroom creativity.
2000–Today

The Streaming Era

StreamingAIBedroom ProducersGenre Fusion

Total democratization. DAWs, tutorials, AI-assisted composition. Genre boundaries dissolved. Streaming replaced albums with playlists. Music production became accessible to everyone.

🔑 Accessibility — tools like AxoMusic exist because music knowledge should be free and visual for everyone.

How to Use AxoMusic

Everything you need to get started creating music.

Getting Started

AxoMusic is a browser-based music creation studio. Open the Studio tab to start composing songs with multiple tracks, or explore the other tools to learn music theory and play instruments live.

Studio — Song Creation

  • Create a song — Click + New Song in the Studio to start a blank project. Set the BPM, key, and scale from the song toolbar.
  • Add tracks — Click + Track to add synth melodies, bass lines, or beat patterns to your song.
  • Edit a track — Click the keyboard icon on a track to open the sequencer grid. Paint notes by clicking cells. Drag to extend note length.
  • Playback — Use the play/pause button at the top to hear your full song, or play individual tracks from within the editor.
  • Solo & Volume — Use the S button to solo a track. Click the speaker icon to adjust volume or mute.
  • Reorder tracks — Drag the grip dots on the left of each track to rearrange.
  • Color schemes — Click the color palette icon to give each track a distinct look.
  • Presets — When editing a track, browse preset patterns organized by genre to get started quickly.
  • Import & Export — Save your songs as .musicalizer.json files or export to MIDI.

Live Instruments

  • Live Keys — Play a piano keyboard with your mouse or computer keys.
  • Live Pads — Tap drum pads to play percussion sounds in real time.
  • Theremin — Move your mouse to control pitch and volume like a theremin.

Music Theory Reference

  • Scale Explorer — Browse scales, see which notes they contain, and hear them played.
  • Chord Reference — Look up chord types, see their construction on a keyboard, and hear how they sound.
  • Chord Playground — Build chord progressions with Roman numeral analysis, try common patterns, and see guitar voicings.
  • Circle of Fifths — Visual tool for understanding key relationships and finding related chords.
  • Metronome — Simple metronome with adjustable BPM for practice.

Tips

  • Your songs are saved automatically in your browser. They persist across sessions.
  • Use the key and scale selectors to stay in a musical key — the grid highlights diatonic notes.
  • The overview bar on each track shows a minimap of your notes. Click it to jump to a position.
  • Switch between light and dark themes with the moon/sun icon in the header.
  • Change language with the flag button in the header.