Chord Charts and Key Transposition

TimelyChurch includes a full-featured chord chart editor built around the ChordPro format. You can write chord charts with inline chord notation, transpose to any key instantly, convert to Nashville Numbers, and export to PDF -- all from within your browser.

Accessing the Chord Chart Editor

There are several ways to open the Chord Chart Editor for a song:

• From the Song Library, hover over a song card and click the music note icon, or click the music note icon in the table view's Actions column.
• From a song's detail page, click the Chord Chart button in the header.

Editor Layout

The Chord Chart Editor is split into two panes:

• Left pane: ChordPro Editor -- A text editor where you type or paste your chord chart content using ChordPro notation.
• Right pane: Live Preview -- Shows a formatted, real-time rendering of your chord chart as it will appear to viewers.

Above both panes is a Toolbar with key selection, transpose controls, arrangement selection, and view mode toggles.

ChordPro Format

ChordPro is a simple notation system that places chord names in square brackets inline with lyrics. The editor will render chords above the corresponding words.

Basic Syntax

[G]Amazing [G/B]grace, how [C]sweet the [G]sound
That [G]saved a [Em]wretch like [D]me

Section Markers

Use square brackets with section names to create labeled sections:

[Verse 1]
[G]Amazing grace, how [C]sweet the [G]sound

[Chorus]
[G]I once was [G/B]lost, but [C]now I'm [G]found

Metadata Directives

Use curly braces for song metadata:

{title: Amazing Grace}
{key: G}

Supported Chord Formats

• Simple chords: [G], [Am], [F#m]
• Slash chords: [G/B], [C/E]
• Extended chords: [Cmaj7], [Am7], [Dsus4]
• Flat and sharp: [Bb], [F#], [Ebm]

Quick Reference (shown below the editor)

• [G] -- Chord placed above the next word
• [Verse 1] -- Section marker
• {key: G} -- Set the song key
• [G/B] -- Slash chord (G over B)
• [C] / [D] | -- Beats (/) and measures (|) -- keep them outside the brackets so chords still transpose

Bar and Beat (Measure) Notation

For instrumental intros, turnarounds, and "vamp" sections, it helps to show when each chord change lands, not just which chords appear. Add a slash / for each beat and a pipe | at the end of each measure -- as long as they sit outside the [chord] brackets, they render on the same row as the chords and stay fully transpose-safe.

[Intro]
[G] / [G] / | [C] / [C] / | [D] / [D] / | [G] / [G] / |

This renders as one combined chord-and-rhythm row -- four beats per measure, a bar line after every fourth slash -- and transposes, capos, and converts to Nashville Numbers exactly like any other chord line, because the / and | characters are never touched by those transforms (only the bracket contents are).

Common mistake: putting the bar inside the bracket, like [C |]. That is not a recognized chord, so it will not transpose, capo, or convert to Nashville along with the rest of the chart. Always keep / and | outside the brackets.

Key Selection and Transposition

Selecting a Key

Use the Key dropdown in the toolbar to select the current key. All 12 major keys and 12 minor keys are available:

Major Keys: C, C#/Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B

Minor Keys: Cm, C#m, Dm, Ebm, Em, Fm, F#m, Gm, Abm, Am, Bbm, Bm

When you change the key selection, the chord chart is automatically transposed to the new key.

Quick Transpose Buttons

Use the -1 and +1 buttons to transpose the chart down or up by one semitone at a time. This is useful for quickly finding the right key for your vocalist's range.

Capo Suggestions

When you transpose to certain keys, the system will display capo suggestions -- for example, "Capo 2 and play in open G shapes" for the key of A. These suggestions appear alongside the transposed chart, both in the editor and in shared-song views. They are calculated automatically from the target key (not user-defined). They are intended as guitar-friendly hints; they will not appear for every key.

Arrangement Selection

If a song has multiple arrangements, a dropdown appears in the toolbar allowing you to switch between them. Each arrangement can have its own chord chart content and key. Selecting "Default (Song)" loads the chord chart stored on the song itself.

View Modes

The toolbar provides three view mode buttons:

• Chords -- Shows the full chord chart with chords displayed above the lyrics (default).
• Nashville -- Converts all chords to Nashville Number notation relative to the current key. This is ideal for musicians who read numbers instead of chord names.
• Lyrics Only -- Hides all chords and shows only the lyrics text. Useful for vocalists or projection.

Nashville Number System

The Nashville Number System replaces chord letter names with numbers representing scale degrees. For example, in the key of G:

To convert your chord chart to Nashville Numbers:

1. Make sure the correct key is selected.
2. Click the Nashville view mode button.

The preview pane will update to show numbers instead of chord names.

Saving Your Chord Chart

Click the Save button in the top-right corner. The chord chart content is saved to the currently selected arrangement (or to the song itself if no arrangement is selected).

You will see a brief "Saving..." indicator followed by a success confirmation.

Exporting (PDF, ProPresenter & PowerPoint)

Click the Export ▾ dropdown button in the toolbar header (labeled PDF ▾ on some screens). It offers both print-ready PDFs and lyric-slide formats:

PDF options:

• Chord Chart (Current Key) -- Exports the full chord chart in the currently selected key.
• Lyrics Only -- Exports a lyrics-only version without chords.
• Nashville Numbers -- Exports the chart with Nashville Number notation.

Slide options (lyrics only, for projection):

• Text -- for ProPresenter & others -- A plain-text file with one slide group per section, ready to import into ProPresenter, EasyWorship, Keynote, Proclaim, and similar tools.
• PowerPoint (.pptx) -- Widescreen lyric slides with a dark background and large centered text, one slide per section (long sections split automatically).

The slide exports carry no chords or section labels on the congregation slide. See Exporting Charts and Slides for a complete walkthrough of each format.

PDF Layout

A Layout selector sits at the top of the Live Preview pane, right next to Open PDF Preview:

• Auto (default) -- The system measures your chart and picks one or two columns automatically, so a short song fits on a single tidy page and a long one does not waste paper with huge gaps.
• 1 column -- Force a single, full-width column every time.
• 2 columns -- Prefer two columns, for songs with many short lines (this still automatically falls back to one column if a line is genuinely too wide to split without breaking the chord/lyric alignment -- Auto and a forced "2 columns" can never misalign a chord over the wrong syllable).

Your choice is remembered for the session (it is a viewing preference, not something saved on the song). Every PDF is US Letter, portrait, with a readable standard font size regardless of the column choice.

The Chord Chart (Current Key) option uses whatever key is currently selected in the toolbar, so transpose to the key you want before exporting.

PDF Preview

Click Open PDF Preview at the top of the preview pane to open a PDF preview in a new browser tab before downloading, using the currently selected Layout. The preview opens in a separate browser tab and displays the PDF inline (no file download). When you pick one of the options in the PDF dropdown, the file is generated with that same layout choice and your browser saves it.

The PDF is produced instantly in three output modes: standard chord chart, lyrics-only, and Nashville numbers. There is no waiting for processing.

To use the chord-chart editor you need to be signed in, and the whole songs area (including the chord-chart editor) is available only when the Songs module is enabled for your church.

Validation

The editor automatically validates your ChordPro content and displays any errors or warnings below the editor:

• Errors -- Issues that will cause problems with rendering (e.g., unclosed brackets).
• Warnings -- Suggestions for improvement (e.g., missing key directive).

Tips for Writing Good Chord Charts

1. Always set the key -- Include a {key: G} directive or select the key in the dropdown so transposition works correctly.
2. Use section markers -- Label every section (Verse 1, Chorus, Bridge, etc.) to make the chart easy to follow.
3. Place chords precisely -- Put the chord bracket immediately before the syllable where the chord change occurs.
4. Use slash chords for bass lines -- Notation like [G/B] helps bass players follow the intended bass movement.
5. Keep it consistent -- Use the same chord naming convention throughout (e.g., always use "Bb" rather than mixing "Bb" and "A#").

Related Articles

• Song Library
• Service Orders (Service Plans)
• Worship Team View
• Song Arrangements
• Exporting Charts and Slides
• Analyze a Song's Key, BPM & Time Signature

Last updated: August 5, 2026