Strum: the chord harp plugin, inspired by the 1981 classic

A chord harp: hold a chord, sweep the strings

In 1981 a small electronic chord harp put a whole songwriting kit under two hands: chord buttons on the left, a touch strip of shimmering strings on the right, and a rhythm box underneath. It became a cult instrument for indie, bedroom pop and lo-fi, and the reissues sell out. Strum is our take on that idea as a plugin: hold any chord, sweep the plate, and every string rings out in that chord, over a warm chip-organ pad, a bass and a rhythm box.

Play it like the hardware

• Chord keys: hold any chord below C4 (or click a chord button in the browser). Strum names it, from major and minor to 7ths, sus, add9 and diminished, and keeps it until the next one.
• The strum plate: thirteen strings, C4 to C5 on your keyboard, each tuned to a note of the held chord. Sweep up the keys, or drag a finger across the plate, and you strum.
• Auto-strum: let the plate strum itself up, down or up-and-down in time with your song.
• Rhythm box and bass: ten 80s-style rhythms with a bass on the chord root, locked to your DAW's tempo.

Sounds: harp, chime, chip and glass

The plate voice runs from a soft harp to bright chimes, a lo-fi chip tone and glassy plucks, with tone and decay controls. Under it, the chord pad plays your chord as a warm organ, strings or a soft choir, with vibrato. Chorus, a tempo-synced echo and a reverb finish the dreamy, slightly vintage sound the instrument is loved for.

Strum vs a hardware chord harp