WOOLFY

WOOLFY 3 – ADVANCED HARMONIZATION ASSISTANT

 

Woolfy 3 is the last iteration of my harmonization tool, designed to help composers—especially those with little or no background in harmony—create chord progressions that strictly follow the rigorous rules of voice leading. These include avoiding parallel and direct octaves or fifths, ensuring proper preparation and resolution of dissonances, and other essential counterpoint principles.While Woolfy is not a substitute for personal experimentation or musical intuition (I rarely use it myself, preferring hands-on exploration), it can be extremely helpful for programming complex harmonic sequences or as a source of inspiration.The tool is organized into four main sections:

 

1. PIANO ROLL

 

This is where you input the initial chord and specify any mandatory notes for the following bars. Harmonization proceeds up to the last bar containing at least one note; any subsequent empty bars are ignored.

 

2. HARMONIZER

 

Here, you define parameters such as:

 

• The number of CPU cores to use for faster computation.

• The maximum number of solutions to generate (higher values increase processing time).

• A priority root key and scale (if using Scale mode), or a prioritized emotional style (e.g., Happy, Sad, Emotional) if in Mood mode.The algorithm explores hundreds of millions of combinations, making the process computationally demanding. However, strong optimizations in this version ensure that results are returned almost instantly, or within a few seconds. You may select more than one core for the most demanding problems, such as when no mandatory notes are given for several consecutive steps.

 

3. SEQUENCER

 

This section defines how the resulting chords are played. It includes an 8-step sequencer with tempo control and editable grid. Click on cells to toggle notes on or off. Playback runs from step 1 to the last non-empty step. Presets are available to help you get started quickly.

 

4. SOLUTIONS

 

Here you can browse, preview, and import the generated solutions into the piano roll. Filters allow you to view only those matching a selected mood (e.g., Heroic, Sad). Solutions are ranked by the number of voice leaps, from minimal to maximal. Only the moods present in the solutions are listed, the other moods not present being ignored.Clicking the play icon sends MIDI notes to your system using the active sequencer pattern (chords, arpeggios, etc.). Note that Woolfy itself does not produce sound — you need a track selected in your DAW or in your Notation software with an active instrument loaded; or an external MIDI instrument to hear the results (ex: Kontakt standalone). For Mac user, you may need to activate the IAC driver in the Midi Studio to get the midi signal to get through your DAW.

 

Each solution includes tags such as:

 

• Rainbow: Ends with a perfect chord.

• SunSet: Ends with a cadence.

• Moon: Ends with a Perfect Authentic Cadence.

 

The final column displays the mood percentage associated with each solution.Once you've chosen a solution, you can record the MIDI output in your DAW or notation software. I personally use Step Input in Cubase and Note Entry in Dorico.

 

Please read the following instructions carefully. Woolfy applies strict harmonization rules and may return no results if your input is musically invalid or unconventional.

 

PIANO ROLL INSTRUCTIONS

​

On the left panel, you’ll find a voice selector (up to four voices), where Voice 1 is the highest and Voice 4 the lowest. Select a voice before entering notes in the grid. Use the eraser tool to remove notes by clicking on them.Be sure to:

 

• Use no more than four voices (typically Voices 1–4).

• Maintain ascending pitch order (Voice 4 < Voice 3 < Voice 2 < Voice 1) within each bar.

• Keep intervals between adjacent voices within 12 semitones (octave).

 

The grid editor checks these conditions in real time. If clicking a note does nothing, it likely violates one of these rules.You must enter a complete chord in the first (leftmost) bar. This is essential—without a proper initial chord, the harmonizer will not start and a warning will appear. For instance, entering only three voices instead of four in the first bar will prevent the process from continuing.

 

IMPLEMENTED RULES

 

The Harmonization treaty of Theodore Dubois has been used as a reference for the rules to be applied. Woolfy implements in particular the following rules :

 

• Allowed melodic intervals only

• No voice crossing

• No unisons

• No consecutive fifths or octaves

• No consecutive seconds, sevenths, or ninths

• No direct fifths or octaves, except in authorized exceptions

• Proper resolution of leading tones, with permitted exceptions

• No false tritone relationships

• Dissonances must be prepared (in non-dominant chords)

• Dissonances must be resolved

• Maximum of two dissonances at a time

• No duplicated dissonances

• Voicing constraints apply to ninth chords

 

IF NO SOLUTION IS FOUND

 

This situation can be solved either :

 

• by removing some mandatory notes for a given step : Woolfy will find the notes that solve the issue for the given step(s)

• by changing the voicing of the first chord (step 1)

• by increasing the maximum number of solutions to be found (i.e. 50 to 500 solutions)

• by changing the mood to ease / change the constraints on the solutions to be found.

 

If it does still not work, use "leaps" : this mood imposes minimum constraints on the solutions to be foundIf still no solution is found, it is very likely that, accordingly to strict Harmony rules, no solution exists.

 

KNOWN LIMITATIONS

​

• Woolfy is configured to work with four voices chord

• There is a tolerance zero for chords progressions not matching the strict harmony rules as listed in the Treaties

• The maximum interval between two consecutive voices is limited to an octave, in particular between the Bass voice and the Tenor voice, which limits the possible solutions found

• Harmony rules are not relaxed for the last two chords ending a solution : all strict rules are still applied, limiting the possibilities of achieving Authentic Perfect Cadences (V-I)

 

CONCLUSION

 

Woolfy is an experimental tool intended to support and inspire, not replace, your creativity. The essence of composing lies in the act of creation itself—not in delegating the process to a machine. I spent the past year debating whether to release this tool. If you choose to use it, please visit the dedicated webpage and share your experience. Your feedback on bugs and improvement ideas is greatly appreciated.© Franck Dansaert, 2026Music Composer