Creating an automatic accompaniment

At the top of the document window, between the ruler with its bar numbers and the staves, two areas can be used to define rhythm patterns and automatic accompaniments.These are called the rhythm array (green area) and the accompaniment array (gray area).

You are invited to view the "Creating automatic accompaniments and rhythms from a melody with Harmony Assistant " video tutorial. ("Windows>Tutorials" menu in the program).

Note: These areas are only displayed when they are enabled in the Options menu.

Above these two areas, the chord grid shows the chords calculated for each bar.

Click in the accompaniment array cell above the first bar.
The accompaniment definition window opens. Click on "New" and give a name to this new accompaniment (for example "Bass line"). Then click the "Edit" button.

This brings up a window with tabs for defining the details of the accompaniment.

Open the "Instrument" tab and select the pre-defined "Bass" instrument.

Note: Click on "Edit" to define a new instrument or to modify an existing one, just as in "regular" staves.

Then open the "Notes" tab.

Here you can define the sequence or the chord type to be followed by the accompaniment while the tune is playing.
Select "based on the model" and select the "Blues > Classic > Bass 1" pattern from the left-hand list. Click "OK" for this window, and for the accompaniment window.
Your accompaniment is created.

Note: Accompaniments are played only when the "Accompaniments active" icon (tune playing floating palette) is selected.

You will notice that the accompaniment only appears in the first bar of the tune. If you play the tune now, you will hear the first three bass notes, corresponding to the first bar.

We are now going to extend this accompaniment to the four bars of the tune.

Tip: While defining the accompaniment, at the bottom of the main window you can directly enter the first and last bars to which the accompaniment should be applied.

Point to the right hand edge of the "Bass line" frame in the accompaniment array (gray).
The mouse pointer changes. Drag the edge to the right to make it cover the four bars of the tune. Release the button. Your accompaniment is now completed.
Play the tune