# Oh a Chord — Tap a key, play a chord

> Generates full chords from single key presses with a built-in synthesizer. (iPhone/iPad app by NATHAN ROSS MUELLER.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oh-a-chord/id6804457158 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [NATHAN ROSS MUELLER](https://appshunter.io/developer/6804457160)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 1 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-09-03
- Data updated: 2026-10-07
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oh-a-chord/id6804457158/reviews.md

## What is Oh a Chord?

Oh a Chord is an iPad and iPhone instrument built around one idea: press a single key, and get a full chord.

No music theory required. Pick a Chord Type — major, minor, diminished, augmented, sus2, or sus4 — and every key on the keyboard becomes the root of a chord in that quality. Hold a Modifier to add color: a sixth, a flat seven, a major seven, a ninth, an eleventh, or a thirteenth, stacked on top of whatever you're already playing.

KEY MODE
Turn on Key Mode and press any key — that note becomes your song's key, and the keyboard lights up with the chords that belong to it. You can still play outside those chords any time; borrowed and passing chords are always available, they just won't be lit for you.

STRUM, HARP, ARP
A held chord doesn't have to stay static. Strum spreads the notes out like a guitar strum. Harp rolls them across one or two octaves. Arp turns a chord into a moving arpeggio, up or up-and-down. Combine them, or turn them all off for a plain block chord.

A REAL SYNTH UNDERNEATH
Every chord is voiced through a full six-voice polyphonic synthesizer — oscillators, a sub, noise, a resonant filter, an LFO, and an amp envelope — reachable from an advanced settings panel without ever stopping the music. Start from a built-in factory preset, or tweak any parameter and save your own.

VOICING AND PERFORMANCE
Two voicing controls slide a chord through the register without retriggering it, so a progression can move and breathe instead of jumping between fixed positions. Latch holds a chord after you lift your finger; an octave stepper and pitch bend round out the performance controls.

WHO IT'S FOR
Songwriters sketching progressions, keyboard players who want fast harmonic ideas, guitarists and producers without formal keyboard training, and anyone who wants to hear a chord change before committing to it on paper.

PRIVACY
Oh a Chord collects nothing. No account, no analytics, no network requests of any kind. Anything you save stays on your iPad.

## Key features

- Single-key chord generation
- Multiple chord types and modifiers
- Key Mode for harmonic context
- Strum, Harp, and Arp playback modes
- Six-voice polyphonic synthesizer
- Adjustable synth parameters
- Voicing and performance controls

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oh-a-chord/id6804457158/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Fun!

*2026-10-05*

My daughter is learning a few instruments at school and she had a great time discovering Chords using this app. Lots of fun.

## Frequently asked questions about Oh a Chord

### What is Oh a Chord?

Oh a Chord is a free music app for iPad and iPhone that allows users to play full chords by pressing a single key. It offers various chord types, modifiers, and a built-in synthesizer.

### Does Oh a Chord require music theory knowledge?

No, Oh a Chord is designed for users with no music theory background. It simplifies chord creation by generating full chords from single key presses.

### What are the playback modes in Oh a Chord?

Oh a Chord offers Strum, Harp, and Arp modes to play held chords dynamically. These modes spread notes like a guitar strum, roll them across octaves, or turn them into arpeggios.

### Can I customize the synthesizer sounds in Oh a Chord?

Yes, Oh a Chord features a full six-voice polyphonic synthesizer with adjustable parameters like oscillators, filters, and envelopes. You can tweak and save your own presets.

### What devices does Oh a Chord support?

Oh a Chord is available for iPhone and iPad devices.

### Is Oh a Chord free to use?

Yes, Oh a Chord is completely free to download and use, with no in-app purchases or advertisements.

### How often is Oh a Chord updated?

The app was last updated on October 5, 2026, with version 1.2.0. Specific update frequency is not detailed, but this indicates recent development.

### Does Oh a Chord collect user data?

No, Oh a Chord prioritizes privacy and collects absolutely no data. It does not require an account, analytics, or any network requests, ensuring all saved content remains on your device.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.2.0 — 2026-10-05

Oh a Chord now plays inside GarageBand, and can drive your other music apps over MIDI.

- Audio Unit: add Oh a Chord as an instrument in GarageBand or any other Audio Unit host. Each key on the host's keyboard plays a full chord, and playing higher or lower on the keyboard moves the chord with you.
- The plugin has Chord Type, Modifiers, Strum, Harp, Arp and Key Mode, plus the sound picker. In Key Mode it lists every chord in your key and lights the one you're playing.
- In GarageBand on iPhone, Face Control opens the filter as you open your mouth. On iPad, the four sound faders sit right in the plugin.
- Your chord settings and sound are saved with your song, and Arp follows the song's tempo.
- MIDI out: Oh a Chord appears as a MIDI source in other music apps, sending chords on channel 1 and bass on channel 2. Switch off "synth" in settings to use it purely as a controller.
- Oh a Chord now plays alongside other apps' audio instead of stopping it, so you can play along with a track.
- Chord Type now switches the moment you touch it, so tapping Minor over a held chord changes it right away.
- Lifting one finger while holding several keys no longer re-strums the chord.

### 1.1.0 — 2026-09-18

Oh a Chord now runs on iPhone! press one key, get a full chord.

iPhone support, played in landscape with chord controls on the left and the keyboard on the right
New Major 7 modifier alongside the flat 7, so you can reach for either seventh cleanly
New Add 2 modifier for open, spacious voicings
9th and 11th extensions now voice as true upper structures instead of doubling notes already in the chord
The octave control moved to the far right of the performance row, and the keyboard's root key now shows which octave you're in

### 1.0.1 — 2026-09-04

Press a key and now you can see the chord too. The other notes glow softly right on the keys as they sound, and if you've got Strum, Harp, or Arp turned on, you'll actually watch the notes move as they play.

Oh, I also tidied up a little mess: switching chords mid strum or mid sweep won't leave old notes ringing anymore.

### 1.0 — 2026-09-03

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-07.*
