I am not fluent in music theory, so please bear with me.
I have created a song with a couple of chord sets. Almost all of the chords are in D minor except for two chords in one of the sets which makes a short visit to C# major scale (tonicization?). When trying to play this using a phrase in CHORDS mode I notice that one of these chords (C# major) is played using an extra note A which doesn’t work there. However, the other chord, F minor, does not suffer from that.
I have noticed that the chord is phrased differently (without the A) if I change the song scale (eg to C# major) - is this expected behaviour even if I use the CHORDS mode? If so, then is it possible to indicate the new scale for a chord somehow to adjust the phrase?
Yes, this is expected. All phrases are related to a scale:
When using the chord mode we derive a scale from the chord you click and use this for the calculation of the notes to play. Scaler will then filter out some specific notes to make it compatible (or prevent clashes) with your selected scale. This has the side effect of slightly altering the phrase content based on the selected scale but gives you the extra flexibility to add/avoid specific tones.
When using the scale mode, the phrases are directly adapted into your selected scale.
If you only want to play notes from the chord, you can use the “Performances” as they will articulate only the notes you pass in.
If so, then is it possible to indicate the new scale for a chord somehow to adjust the phrase?
You can do it manually by selecting and dragging chords individually (or MIDI Capture), but there is no way to program it in the EDIT view at the moment. This will be added in a later version.