Riff Phrases

Each card is a shape — a short ordered string of semitone offsets from a root. 0 2 6 5 reads as blues, 0 1 4 as Phrygian dominant, 0 4 7 as a fanfare. Shapes split two ways: Cells are open vocabularies — the set of notes is the identity, the order is decorative; hit Shuffle to roll an improvised one-bar variation. Gestures are fixed contours — the direction is the identity (a rising fanfare, a descending lament) and they play as written, no shuffle.

Set Key and Octave on each card to transpose. On Cells, BPM and Grid (1/4 · 1/8 · 1/16) drive how the shuffle improvises — beams under the notes mark the chosen subdivision (see the rhythm key below). Pick a global Timbre to swap the instrument across the catalog. Toggle Tab ↔ Note to read each shape as guitar tab or staff notation; the slot grid lines up in both. Filter by mood or by form (Cells / Gestures) to narrow the catalog.