Adding a key change in maschine

mason drielling

After a few years learning music theory exclusively on a maschine mk2 and mk3 I’m frustrated by the fact I still haven’t learned how to add a key change in my song. I have a really hard time incorporating notes to a chord progression that are outside of the scale I’ve chosen on my maschine controller. Are there any suggestions besides “just switch to a piano”. I don’t play any other instruments. Please help.

Mark Oxley

There are a few good videos on YouTube showing how and when to use key changes.

D-One

Not sure I understand the question.

Are you having trouble using Scale mode to play over a chord progression that has a non-diatonic chords?

mason drielling

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/43953#Comment_43953

Either to play over non-diatonic chords, or even to just create a progression using non-diatonic chords using just the maschine software/mk3 is not really intuitive and often not feasible.

I guess this is just a complaint, but scale highlighting, ghost notes, custom chord modes/sets and strumming working together could really change things for a lot of users.

mason drielling

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/43888#Comment_43888

Would you mind linking one or two of those? Thanks

D-One

I guess this is just a complaint, but scale highlighting, ghost notes, custom chord modes/sets and strumming working together could really change things for a lot of users.

That kind of thing falls on my #1 priority request for Maschine and is the main reason I barely use mine.

to just create a progression using non-diatonic chords using just the maschine software/mk3 is not really intuitive and often not feasible.

Worst than unintuitive, it can be rather impossible.

The Chord Sets are non-diatonic by nature since all the Chords there don't fit rigidly into any particular tonality, the Key will depend on what chords you pick -- but of course, you're limited to what's available in the Chord Sets.

The Harmonizer allows you to input any (simple) Chord, in Chromatic mode, it doesn't care about the song's Key so you can use that to input non-diatonic chords... But, no inversions, no control over the bass note, and you kind of have to input a chord at a time and then twist the knob to change the chord type which makes it impossible to hear how a Chord Progression will sound prior to recording it.

So..... it sounds to me that you're asking for Custom Chord Sets, that's the only thing that could solve this and many other issues.

Either to play over non-diatonic chords

This is a tricky one. The only option for this I am aware of is to not use Scales Mode at all, just have the Pads in chromatic mode and memorize the Scales you will need for that Chord progression, but of course, then you're limited to 1 octave + 4 notes VS the 2+ octaves of Scale Mode.

I'm not an expert in Music theory but it's my understanding that musicians change the key they're playing/soloing when a non-diatonic chord happens or they stick with a scale that is mostly compatible but just avoid the off notes during that chord.

For the first option of treating non-diatonic chords like a Key change, I guess we would need the ability to modulate/automate Scale bank, type and Root note so it would change automatically, doubt that will ever happen.