Composer’s branching bench
Motif Development Generator
Shape a tiny musical idea, grow six legitimate transformations, then pin and splice the branches that deserve to become a phrase.
Edit pitch and rhythm note by note
Six ways the seed can grow
Mirrors every semitone interval around the first pitch.
Fuse the pinned branches
Pinned order: Inversion → Retrograde. The graft uses pitch from the first branch and rhythm from the second.
How to play
Mouse or touch: use the arrows on each seed cell to move by semitone, tap its duration to cycle rhythmic values, and tap the large note to hear it. Choose a branch ribbon to inspect and audition it; pin at least two branches, choose a splice method, and forge the result.
Keyboard: outside form controls, ←/→ selects a seed note, ↑/↓ changes its pitch, and D cycles its duration. Keys 1–6 choose the six branches, P pins the highlighted branch, and X starts or holds the full tree traversal. Focused controls also use standard Enter, Space, and arrow behavior.
Conventions: inversion is chromatic interval inversion around the seed’s first pitch; if that result leaves the audible ribbon range, the whole branch is shifted together without changing a single interval. Retrograde reverses note order; augmentation doubles durations; diminution halves them; sequence transposes every pitch by the chosen semitones; fragmentation keeps the selected contiguous window. Orange notes are pitch classes outside the chosen major or natural-minor scale.
- Pin one contour transformation and one rhythm transformation, then use pitch/rhythm graft to combine their strongest dimensions.
- A chromatic passport is not an error—it shows exactly where a branch creates color that may need resolution.
It’s a widget that allows you to create a brief piece of music that then splits into six versions of itself. Click on it with your mouse, or type quickly on your keyboard if you’re feeling impatient. You can then manipulate the widget to shape variations of seed motif and blend them back into something new.
Start with the seed motif in the workbench section. To edit this click on the individual notes (the cells) and then using the up and down arrows move pitch of each one upwards or downwards by a semitone. Then click on the rhythm button which cycles through various note length. Cut away the tail end of the motif to reduce it, or add more notes to expand it. Use the rewind button if you wish to undo a change and go back. The DNA display update to show the distance in semitones between your chosen notes.
How to Use the Music Tool
Alternatively, the seed is editable with a keyboard as well. The selection move from one note to the next using the left and right arrow keys. Up and down adjust the pitch of the currently selected note. The D key cycle through the duration of that note. This way you are able to write out your first thought without ever having to touch the mouse.
Controls below the workbench shows the transformation of your motif. Choose the tonal center then choose whether it’s a major or natural minor (this decides what notes count towards being ‘in key’). Notes that fall outside your selected scale appear in orange on ribbon diagrams. The sequence shift slider transpose the pitch of the sequence branch. The fragment start/length setting control which part of your seed is used for fragmentation branch.
Your seed grows in six directions on development tree. Click one of those ribbons, which represent a branch, to have that one play back for you, and become active branch. By pinning branches (up to several), you create a bookmark so you can join those pins together. Below the tree is an inspector panel explaining the active branch’s action. Inversion means intervals around the first pitch are mirrored. Retrograde means note order is reversed. Augmentation means durations is doubled. Diminution: Halved. Sequence: Transposed shape. Fragmentation snips out a window of notes.
After pinning a couple of branches, use the splice chamber to fuse them together. Which method do you want? Choose Interleave, Pitch and Rhythm Graft, or Join Phrases. Interleave joins the pinned melodies together. Join phrases chains them end to end. Graft takes the pitch from first pinned branch and rhythm from second. Hit the forge button to create the combined result. The fused phrase will appear on the ribbon below the splice modes.
Then use the transport controls to shape sound. The tempo slider slows it down or speeds it up. Choose a motif voice, such as a reedy square, pure sine, or rounded triangle. Master volume can be lowered if the output is too loud for your ears. These will apply to all playback in the widget.
When you play your seed, then the pinned branches, and finally the fused phrase, it move through them in order. It also enables you to hear how the ideas relate to each other. If you want to hold the traversal click on the button while it is playing. It will stop playing but leave your edits in place.
Here’s a couple of things to try with the tool that would of let you get the most out of it. Pin together two transformations such as rhythm (augmentation) and contour (inversion). Then use the graft modes for rhythm/pitch to blend the strongest parts of both. It is not a chromatic passport. No, it isn’t. It indicates where a branch produces a color that might require a decision in your own piece.
Toggle on/off the help panel at the top any time to check conventions and keyboard shortcuts. Try beginning with a basic four-note melody. As you adjust the rhythm and pitch, watch how the branches grows. Tweak until they are intriguing enough to pin then forge them into something different. It’s built to encourage exploration, directions you may not have considered otherwise.