Feature to "give me a random progression"

[mickmister]

Let's say I'm in the middle of a jam session, and I want to play a different progression. The program can generate a random progression with durations assigned to the chords. Would be contextual to current key of course.

I honestly don't like the idea of this feature. This came about because I'm listening to a jam where I'm playing drums. I slowed down a lot, and then the tonal jammers didn't know what to do. It sounded like they wanted to do something new, but didn't know what that new thing was. Ideally someone creative can think on their feet and dial in an idea. Otherwise a random progression would be useful.

[mickmister]

@claude Implement this in the package/jamtools/feature folder

[claude]

Claude finished @mickmister's task —— View job • claude/issue-55-20250912-0524 • Create PR ➔

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Implementing Random Chord Progression Feature ✅

Successfully implemented the random chord progression generator in the packages/jamtools/features folder.

Todo List:

• Read repository guidelines (CLAUDE.md)
• Explore existing codebase structure and feature folder
• Understand current key handling and chord progression patterns
• Implement random progression generation logic
• Add chord duration assignment functionality
• Test the implementation
• Commit and push changes

What was implemented:

Random Progression Module (packages/jamtools/features/modules/random_progression/random_progression_module.tsx):

• Contextual Key Support: Works in any of the 12 keys, using the existing chord quality system
• Smart Progression Generation: 70% common progressions (I-V-vi-IV, vi-IV-I-V, etc.) + 30% random combinations
• Chord Duration Assignment: Random durations (1, 2, 4, 8 beats) for rhythm variety
• MIDI Playback: Plays progressions through the MIDI output system
• Interactive UI: Key selector, generate button, play button, and visual chord display

Key Features:

• Uses existing ionianScaleDegreeQualities for proper major/minor chord handling
• Follows established springboard module patterns
• Integrates with the macro system for MIDI output
• Real-time chord highlighting during playback
• Responsive UI showing chord names and durations

The feature addresses the original request by providing random progressions that are contextual to the current key, helping in jam sessions when musicians need fresh musical ideas.