The Music Server

What is ChordPro?

ChordPro is a simple text format for writing lead sheets (songs with lyrics and chords). It was developed in 1992 and has become a popular standard for sharing chord charts. The format uses plain text with special markup for chords and song structure.

Basic Format

ChordPro files contain three main elements:

Chords in brackets: [G], [Am], [F#m7]
Directives in braces: {title: Song Name}
Comments with #: # This is a comment

Example Song

# Example song in ChordPro format

{title: Amazing Grace}
{artist: Traditional}

A[G]mazing [G7]grace, how [C]sweet the [G]sound
That saved a [Em]wretch like [D]me
I [G]once was [G7]lost, but [C]now I'm [G]found
Was [Em]blind but [D]now I [G]see

{start_of_chorus}
How [C]sweet the [G]sound
That saved a [D]wretch like [G]me
{end_of_chorus}

{comment: Repeat chorus after each verse}

Common Directives

Song Information

{title: Song Title}
{artist: Artist Name}
{key: G} - Original key

Song Structure

{start_of_chorus} / {end_of_chorus}
{start_of_verse} / {end_of_verse}
{comment: Repeat chorus}

Tips

Chord placement: Put chords right before the syllable they belong to
Empty lines: Use blank lines to separate verses and sections
Comments: Use # comments for notes that won't appear in the output
Testing: Preview your song after adding it to check formatting

ChordPro format information summarized from: ChordPro Introduction