Songs
Chord syntax & the Nashville Number System
SongChart uses standard letter-name chord notation for input and offers the Nashville Number System as an optional display mode. This page covers both.
How to enter chords
Chords are entered using ChordPro format — wrap the chord name in square brackets, placed directly before the syllable it falls on:
SongChart renders this with chords aligned above the correct syllables. A chord with no lyrics after it (e.g. a chord-only line) can be entered with an empty bracket:
Note names
Note letters must be uppercase. Accidentals use b for flat and # for sharp.
| Natural | A B C D E F G |
|---|---|
| Flats | Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Gb |
| Sharps | A# C# D# F# G# |
Quality suffixes
Appended directly after the note name — no space.
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (none) | Major | [G] |
| m | Minor | [Am] |
| dim / ° | Diminished | [Bdim] [B°] |
| aug / + | Augmented | [Caug] [C+] |
Modifiers
Appended after the quality suffix. Common modifiers:
[G7]Dominant 7th[Gmaj7]Major 7th[Am7]Minor 7th[Gsus4]Suspended 4th[Gsus2]Suspended 2nd[Cadd9]Added 9th[G9]9th[G13]13thSlash chords
Write the bass note after a /:
The Nashville Number System
NNS is an optional display mode — it doesn't change how you enter chords, only how they're shown.
With NNS on, chords are displayed as scale-degree numbers instead of letter names. The 1 is always the root of the song's key, so a 1-4-5 progression in G major displays as 1, 4, 5 — not G, C, D.
This is especially useful for musicians who transpose on the fly — they know the song's key and read the numbers relative to whatever key they're playing in.
| Degree | In C major | In G major |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C (major) | G (major) |
| 2 | Dm | Am |
| 3 | Em | Bm |
| 4 | F | C |
| 5 | G | D |
| 6 | Am | Em |
| 7 | Bdim | F#dim |