Free ChordPro Previewer
Write or paste a ChordPro song to see it as a chord sheet, transpose it to any key, or export chords over words.
What is a ChordPro Previewer?
ChordPro is the plain-text format for songs with chords: chords go in square brackets right before the syllable they fall on, and directives in curly braces hold the title, key and sections. This previewer turns ChordPro into a readable chord sheet and transposes it.
It reads the ChordPro 6 directives, including short forms such as {soc} and {c}, and places each chord above its syllable. Transposition moves every chord, slash bass and the key directive, spelling flat keys with flats, and the check finds chord typos, unclosed brackets and sections that never end.
Key Features
Chord Sheet
Chords above the right syllables, with title, key, capo and tempo at the top.
Transpose
Move a song by semitones, with sharps or flats chosen to suit the new key.
Chords Over Words
Monospaced text for forums, emails and plain-text songbooks.
Song Check
Chord typos, missing brackets, unknown directives and unclosed sections, by line.
Escaped Text
Lyrics and titles are escaped, so nothing in a song becomes HTML.
Perfect for everyone
- Guitarists
- Worship and band leaders
- Songwriters and music teachers
How to Use the ChordPro Previewer
Write a song, paste one from a ChordPro file, or open a .cho or .chordpro file. Every view reads the same song, and the transposition you type applies to all of them.
Write the Song
Put chords in square brackets before the syllable they fall on.
Add Directives
Use {title:} and {key:}, and wrap the chorus in {soc} and {eoc}.
Transpose
Type +2 or -3 to move every chord and the key.
Export
Download ChordPro, chords-over-words text or the HTML sheet.
ChordPro Songs, Rendered and Transposed
Each row is a song in ChordPro as it is shared between band members, from a finished song to a draft with typos. Where a row transposes the song, the number after the dashes is the change in semitones. Each answer is what the tool returns in the mode on the chip.
“{title: Harbour Lights} {subtitle: Live at the Ferry House} {artist: The Night Ferries} {key: G} {capo: 2} {tempo: 96} {start_of_verse: Verse 1} [G]Rope burns on the [C]jetty, salt [G]in my hair [Em]Every boat is [C]leaving, but [D]you're still there {end_of_verse} {start_of_chorus} [C]Harbour [G]lights, [D]bring her [Em]home [C]Through the [G]fog and the [D]undertow[G] {end_of_chorus} {comment: Let the last chord ring} {chorus} ”
“{title: Harbour Lights} {subtitle: Live at the Ferry House} {artist: The Night Ferries} {key: G} {capo: 2} {tempo: 96} {start_of_verse: Verse 1} [G]Rope burns on the [C]jetty, salt [G]in my hair [Em]Every boat is [C]leaving, but [D]you're still there {end_of_verse} {start_of_chorus} [C]Harbour [G]lights, [D]bring her [Em]home [C]Through the [G]fog and the [D]undertow[G] {end_of_chorus} {comment: Let the last chord ring} {chorus} ”
“{title: Harbour Lights} {subtitle: Live at the Ferry House} {artist: The Night Ferries} {key: G} {capo: 2} {tempo: 96} {start_of_verse: Verse 1} [G]Rope burns on the [C]jetty, salt [G]in my hair [Em]Every boat is [C]leaving, but [D]you're still there {end_of_verse} {start_of_chorus} [C]Harbour [G]lights, [D]bring her [Em]home [C]Through the [G]fog and the [D]undertow[G] {end_of_chorus} {comment: Let the last chord ring} {chorus} --- -2”
“{title: Morning Hymn} {key: D} [D]Wake, the [F#m]morning [A7/C#]calls --- +1”
“{title: Round the Fire} {transpose: 2} [C]Sing it [Am]low, [F]sing it [G]slow”
“{t: Draft Song} {soc} [G]One line [Xm7]with a [C7]typo [D]Missing a bracket [G {eov} {tempo_bpm: 120} ”
“{title: Picking Pattern} {sot} e|-----0-----0---| B|---1---1-----1-| G|-2-------2-----| {eot} [C]Then sing the [G]verse”
“[*Intro][G] [D] [Em] [C] [N.C.]Hold it... [G]now”
“{title: Small & Bright} {artist: The Night Ferries} [A]Lamps on the [E]water”
“{key: Bb} [Bb]Low [Eb]tide, [F]high [Gm]noon”
ChordPro Directives You’ll Use
Directives sit in curly braces on their own line. Most have a long name and a short form that does the same thing. These ten cover almost every song sheet, from the title at the top to the chorus a band repeats.
{title:}
The song title, shortened to {t:}.
“What is the short form?”
{subtitle:}
A second line under the title, shortened to {st:}.
“What might it hold?”
{artist:}
The performer, shown with the other metadata.
“Where is it shown?”
{key:}
The song’s key, which transposition moves with the chords.
“Does transposing change it?”
{capo:}
The fret to put a capo on.
“What does {capo: 2} mean?”
{start_of_chorus}
Starts the chorus; {end_of_chorus} ends it. Short forms are {soc} and {eoc}.
“How do you end a chorus?”
{start_of_verse}
Starts a verse, with an optional label such as Verse 2.
“How do you label it?”
{chorus}
Repeats the chorus without writing it out again.
“What does {chorus} do?”
{comment:}
A note to the player, shortened to {c:}.
“What is it for?”
{start_of_tab}
A block of guitar tab, kept exactly as typed until {end_of_tab}.
“Are chords read inside it?”
How Chord Names Are Read
Transposition only works on chords the tool can read, so it helps to know the pattern a chord name follows. Anything that doesn’t match is left alone and listed in the check, rather than being changed into something wrong.
Root
A letter from A to G, optionally followed by # or b, such as F# or Bb.
Quality
Everything after the root, such as m, 7, maj7, sus4 or dim, which stays unchanged.
Slash Bass
A bass note after a slash, as in A7/C#, which transposes too.
Annotations
Text starting with *, as in [*Intro], is shown as written and never transposed.
No Chord
[N.C.] marks a gap with no harmony and stays as it is.
Spelling
Flat keys such as F, Bb and Eb get flats; the others get sharps.
Capo, Key and Transposing
Transposing and using a capo solve the same problem from different ends: getting a song into a key that suits a voice while keeping chord shapes a guitarist can play. Knowing how they relate helps you choose which to change.
Capo Raises the Sound
A capo on fret 2 makes G shapes sound in A, two semitones higher.
Transpose for Shapes
Write -2 with capo 2 to keep the sound and show easier shapes.
Sing It First
Find the highest and lowest notes you can sing before choosing a key.
Common Steps
+2 is a tone up, +5 a fourth and -5 a fourth down.
Update the Key
Transposing here moves the {key:} directive too, so the sheet stays honest.
When to Use a ChordPro Previewer
Whenever a song sheet needs to look right for the people playing from it, or the key needs to change before a rehearsal, a service or a gig.
Band Rehearsals
Share one ChordPro file and print sheets in each player’s key.
Worship Sets
Move songs to suit this week’s singer.
Songwriting
Keep drafts as text and see them as sheets.
Teaching
Give students sheets with chords exactly above the words.
Forums and Email
Paste chords over words that line up in any monospaced font.
Where ChordPro Comes From and Goes
ChordPro has been around since the early 1990s, and its plain-text files still move easily between apps, printers and version control. Songs you check here open in the tools below without any conversion.
Origins
The format began with CHORD, a 1990s program by Martin Leclerc and Mario Dorion.
The Reference Program
Johan Vromans maintains ChordPro today, including a program that prints PDF songbooks.
Tablet Apps
OnSong and SongbookPro read ChordPro files for performing from a tablet.
Plain Text Everywhere
Any editor can open a .cho file, and the song stays readable without an app.
Version Control
Text files make it easy to see which chords changed between arrangements.
ChordPro Pitfalls
Mistakes that make a chord sheet misleading, usually because a chord lands on the wrong syllable or a directive isn’t recognised by the app that opens the file.
Chord in the Wrong Place
A chord belongs right before the syllable where it changes, not at the start of the word.
Missing Brackets
A chord without its ] swallows the lyric that follows.
Lower-Case Roots
[g] isn’t read as G. Write chord roots in capitals.
Unclosed Sections
A chorus with no {eoc} runs to the end of the song.
App-Specific Directives
Some apps add their own directives. Prefix custom ones with x_.
Mixed Sharps and Flats
A# and Bb are the same chord. Stick to one spelling per key.