Stage Pads guide
ChordPro transposer: change a chart’s key
Paste a chart below, ChordPro ([G]chords in the words) or plain chords over the words, and press Up or Down: every chord moves by a semitone and is spelled the way the new key writes it (B♭ in F, A♯ in F♯). Numbers shows it in the Nashville number system.
Transpose a chart
What ChordPro is
ChordPro is a plain-text way to write a song: the chords go in square brackets just before the syllable they fall on ([G]Amazing [C]grace), and lines in curly brackets carry the details: {title: …}, {key: G}, {tempo: 72}, {start_of_chorus} and {end_of_chorus}.
Because it is plain text, a ChordPro chart can be pasted, emailed or kept anywhere, and apps can transpose it, scroll it and show it big on stage.
Chords over the words work too
Most charts online are written with the chords on their own line above the words. The transposer reads those as well: each chord is matched to the word under it by its column, and Copy ChordPro turns the chart into ChordPro.
Spelling the chords for the key
Moving a chart up three semitones from G gives B♭, not A♯: keys with flats in their key signature (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭) are written with flats, and sharp keys with sharps. Slash chords move both notes (D/F♯ becomes F/A).
Taking it on stage
In Stage Pads, a song’s chart transposes the same way on the stage, and the pad follows the new key. Capo shows the shapes a guitarist plays, and the chart can scroll on its own at the song’s speed.
Questions
How do I transpose a chord chart?
Paste it above and press Up or Down, one semitone at a time, or pick the key you want. Copy ChordPro copies the result.
Does it work out the key?
Yes. It reads {key:} if the chart has one, and otherwise guesses the key from the chords, giving the first and last chords extra weight.