One place to write the harmony of your song. Put the chords here and every Session Player in the project follows them - change a chord and the bass, the keys and the arrangement all move with it.
Show it
- Press G, or click the Global Tracks button above the track headers.
- Control-click the global tracks header and tick Chord.
Set the key first
New chords default to the tonic of the project key with the right major or minor quality, so setting the key before you start saves you correcting every chord you add. Signature track, same place.
Add chords
Put the playhead where you want the chord and click Add, then edit it. Faster: Control-click the Chord track and take a whole progression from the Chord Progressions menu - I-V-vi-IV, ii-V-I and the rest are already in there.
Other things worth knowing from that menu:
- Group Chords - bundle a progression so you can copy or loop it around the arrangement.
- Halve / Double Chord Rhythm - change how fast the progression moves without retyping it.
- Analyze Key Signature - let Logic work out the key from the chords you have written.
Chords from loops
A lot of Apple Loops carry their own chords. Drag one in and Logic offers to copy them onto the Chord track, which is a quick way to start a song from a loop you like and have everything else fall in behind it.
When one part needs different chords
A Session Player region can hold its own chords and ignore the Chord track - useful when the keys should be playing extensions the bass is not. That is region chords, and it is covered in the Production course along with Chord ID, which analyses an existing recording and writes the chords for you.