Songwriting, with the theory beside you
Write your song. Understand every note.
TonePilot explains music theory while you write. Build a chord progression and see the scales, arpeggios and guide tones that fit each chord, with the reason shown beside every suggestion.
TonePilot explains and suggests. You decide.
The problem
Writing music is hard. Applying theory is harder.
Most players learn harmony slowly, through trial and copying what they hear. Three things get in the way.
Improvising needs memory
Feel is hard to name
How it works
Theory at the moment you need it
TonePilot keeps the scale, the chord function and the guide tones next to the notes you are writing, so you see why a note fits instead of just accepting it.
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Build a progression
Set a key, a tempo and up to sixteen bars. Enter chords one at a time or start from a sample. Each chord shows its function in the key.
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Find scales and notes
Tap a chord to see the scales and arpeggios that fit, the feel of each, and the guide tones that lead into the next chord.
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Write your melody
Write in tabs or sheet music. Notes that fit are checked, notes outside the scale are marked. Nothing is ever removed for you.
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Ask for autofill
Stuck on a bar? TonePilot proposes a short phrase with the theory behind it. Accept it, edit it, or throw it away.
The rules
TonePilot explains. The songwriter decides.
Every suggestion follows five rules. They keep you in charge of the song and make sure you learn the theory, not just the answer.
- Explain
- Every suggestion shows its reason in one or two sentences, drawn from the theory engine.
- Key
- A chord outside your key is labeled borrowed or outside. It is never corrected.
- Note
- A note outside the current scale is marked, but never removed.
- Accept
- A suggestion changes your song only after you accept it.
- Count
- A progression holds up to sixteen bars. Longer pieces are split into sections.
Under the hood
Rules for the theory. Words for the why.
The music comes from a rule-based theory engine, tested against known progressions. A language model only writes the explanations, and it works from the engine’s output.
Fixed rules, every time
- Chord functions in the key
- Scale membership for every note
- Arpeggios and chord tones
- Guide tones between chords
- Rule-based autofill phrases
Explanations only
- Plain-language reasons, written from the engine output
- Short feel labels such as bright, dark or bluesy
- Genre notes for a scale or progression
The model is never allowed to
- Insert notes, chords or phrases without your accept
- Claim one scale or chord is the only correct choice
- Show a suggestion without a reason
- Use a real artist’s song or recording as a template
- Store your melodies to build a profile
- Input
- Theory engine
- Suggestions
- Editor
- Autofill
- Explain
- Store
Who it’s for
Made for hobbyists and music students
The songwriter is the main user. Students and teachers use the same tools inside a class.
Hobbyists writing their own material
Music students learning harmony
Teachers running a class
Your music stays yours
Private by default, open to everyone
Songs, melodies and class data follow clear rules, and every control is built for keyboards and screen readers.
On your device
Songs stay on your device by default and sync only when you choose an account.
Not training data
Your melodies and progressions are not used to train models without a separate opt-in.
Yours to share
Nothing is shared with other users unless you export it. Teachers see counts, not melodies.
Yours to delete
Songs are kept until you delete them. Deleting an account removes synced copies within thirty days.
Built to be accessible
Every control works with a keyboard and a screen reader, including note entry and scale selection. Diagrams come with text descriptions, and a note’s status is always shown with a symbol as well as a colour.
The pilot
Two weeks, one class, two ways to play
The first pilot runs with one music class of about fifteen students for two weeks.
Jazz standards
Writing an instrumental song
Learn why a note fits, while you write it.
TonePilot is in development. Read the full spec or follow along on GitHub.