ChordInk

How It Works

Header

The header can contain the following elements:

• @pages → declares the number of pages. If not specified, the file will contain one page.
  Example: @pages:2
• @title → song title.
  Example: @title:Yesterday
• @author → composer, artist, band or author.
  Example: @author:Beatles
• @style → a short description that appears before the chart. It can include style, genre, tempo, feel, or other performance notes.
  Example: @style:Ballad or @style:(Ballad)

Full header example:

@pages:2
@title:Yesterday
@author:Beatles
@style:Ballad

Barlines & Line Breaks

A simple | acts as a regular barline.

| G | F |

Different barline types can be created by adding a number before the right barline of the measure.

• | → regular barline
• 2| → double barline
• 3| → final barline
• 4| → left repeat barline.
  Important: even though it creates an opening repeat barline on the left side of the measure, the syntax is still written at the end of the measure.
• 5| → right repeat barline

Example:

| C 4| G 5|

Following any type of barline with a lower case b creates a line break. Following any type of barline with bb creates a bigger line break. Line breaks are not automatic: they must be set manually.

| C | F 2|b
| G | C 3|

Time Signature

The time signature is written inside the song measures with @time. The first time signature written sets the global time signature. If you write a new one later in the chart, the spacing changes from that point onward.

| @time:4/4 G D | C |
| @time:3/4 Am Dm | G |

The time signature is especially important when using rhythm notation, because rhythmic spacing depends on it.

Chord Input

The chord input works by writing the root note of a chord followed by chord quality symbols.

• If you write only the root note, ChordInk displays it as a major chord.
• To write a minor chord, add m after the root note.
  Example: Gm
• Major seventh chords use maj7.
  Example: Cmaj7
• Minor seventh chords use m7.
  Example: Gm7
• m7b5 displays a half-diminished symbol.
  Example: Gm7b5
• dim displays a diminished symbol.
  Example: Gdim or Gdim7
• Extensions work normally.
  Example: Gm9, C69, D13
• Altered extensions use # and b.
  Example: G7#11, D7b9
• Word qualifiers are written after the root note.
  Example: Cadd9, Fsus4
• Slash chords are written with root note, slash, and bass note.
  Example: F/G
• The signs + and - are not recognized as chord quality symbols.

Inside a measure, a comma creates an empty rhythmic chord space. This is useful when you want to place a chord on a later beat.

| C , , G | F |

In this example, C is placed at the beginning of the measure and G later in the measure.

Inside a measure, the % sign creates a bar repeat symbol.

| C | % | F | % |

Spacing & Blank Staves

Line breaks, space breaks and spacing between rows are set manually.

• @space creates an empty space between chord rows. It is useful to avoid collisions between text, markers and rhythm elements, or to separate sections of a song.
• @pagebreak creates a page break. In order to work, at least two pages must be set in the header.

Blank staves and tabs work like spacing functions. They create empty rows that can be used for handwritten notation after printing or with a digital pen.

• @staff adds a blank staff
• @gtab adds a 6-line guitar tab
• @btab adds a 4-line bass tab

These elements can be stacked if you need more than one line.

Text Elements

ChordInk includes text elements that mimic the experience of writing notes on a chord sheet by hand.

• @txtL:*...* → creates text aligned to the left of the current measure.
• @txtC:*...* → creates text aligned to the center of the current measure.
• @txtR:*...* → creates text aligned to the right of the current measure.
• @mrk:*...* → creates a boxed section marker.
• @box: → creates a full-width text box outside the chord rows.

The box is used to add text outside of chord rows. It keeps line breaks as you write them. You can use it for lyrics, notes, explanations, or song structure.

If you put text inside square brackets in a box, it appears as a marker.

@box: [Verse]
[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus]
[Solo] On chorus changes

If you write regular text after a marker, it appears as normal text next to it.

@txtL, @txtC and @txtR support these special symbols:

• /coda → coda symbol
• /fermata → fermata symbol
• /segno → segno symbol

Square brackets inside @txtL can be used for endings.

| @txtL:*[1.]* C D | @txtL:*[2.]* C G |

Transposition

To the right of the chord sheet you will always see the transposition buttons:

• The # button transposes up by one semitone and prefers sharps.
• The b button transposes down by one semitone and prefers flats.
• If you select one or more chords, only the selected chords are transposed.
• If no chord is selected, all chords are transposed.

This is a fast and straightforward system. It is designed for practical chord-sheet editing, not for full theoretical spelling in every possible key.

Score blocks are also connected to the same transposition buttons. Notes inside score blocks are transposed according to the written key signature and accidentals. Chords inside score blocks are transposed as well.

Chord Positioning

Below the transposition buttons there are two more buttons:

These buttons are used to move selected chords slightly left or right. This is useful when rhythm notation is present and you need to adjust chord alignment manually.

Rhythm Notation

ChordInk can display simple rhythm notation under regular chord rows. This is useful when you want to show chord hits, rests, accents, syncopations or rhythmic figures without writing a full score.

Rhythm notation is written inside a measure using curly brackets.

| C D {4 r8 8 r2} |

Rhythm tokens are separated by spaces. The old plus-sign syntax still works for compatibility with older files, but the recommended syntax is now space-separated.

| C D {4 88 4} |

Instead of:

| C D {4+88+4} |

The rhythm renderer automatically spaces the rhythm according to the current time signature.

Basic rhythm values

• 1 → whole note
• 2 → half note
• 4 → quarter note
• 8 → eighth note
• 16 → sixteenth note

Rests, dotted notes and ties

• Add r before the value to create a rest: r4, r8, r16
• Add a dot after the value to create a dotted rhythm: 4., 8., 2.
• Add t after the value to create a tie: 4t, 8t, 2t
• Dots and ties can be combined, with the dot before the tie: 4.t, 8.t, 2.t

Example:

| C D {4 r8 8 r2} |

Beamed groups

Beamed groups are written by placing the values next to each other as a single rhythm token.

• 88 → two beamed eighth notes
• 888 → three beamed eighth notes
• 1616 → two beamed sixteenth notes
• 161616 → three beamed sixteenth notes
• 16161616 → four beamed sixteenth notes
• 81616 → one eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes
• 16816 → one sixteenth note, one eighth note, one sixteenth note
• 16168 → two sixteenth notes followed by one eighth note
• 8.16 → dotted eighth note followed by a sixteenth note
• 168. → sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth note

A whole beamed group can be tied by adding t at the end.

| C D {16168t 4 r8 8 168.} |

Triplets

Triplets are written by placing the rhythm group inside parentheses, preceded by the number 3.

• 3(888) → eighth-note triplet
• 3(r888) → triplet with a rest on the first event
• 3(8r88) → triplet with a rest in the middle
• 3(88r8) → triplet with a rest on the last event
• 3(48) → quarter note plus eighth note inside a triplet group
• 3(84) → eighth note plus quarter note inside a triplet group

Example:

| C D {16168t 4 r8 8 3(888)} |

Time signature and rhythm spacing

Rhythm spacing depends on the current time signature. Make sure the correct @time value is written before rhythm notation is used.

| @time:4/4 C D {4 4 88 4} |
| @time:3/4 C D {4 4 4} |
| @time:6/8 C D {88 88 88} |

Rhythm notation is intended for quick chord-sheet notation, not as a complete music engraving system. For more complex notation, use a score block, a blank staff, or dedicated notation software.

Score Block

The @score block is used to write a short one-line staff directly inside ChordInk. It supports notes, rhythm, optional chords, optional TAB, text markings, repeat barlines, key signatures, time signatures and transposition.

A score block starts with @score and ends with @endscore. Each score block creates one single line of music. If you need more than one line, add another score block.

@score @bars:*2* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| c4 d e f | g a b c5 |
| 4 4 4 4 | 4 4 4 4 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Score header

The score header can contain the following parameters:

• @bars:* → number of written measures inside the score block
• @time:* → time signature, for example 4/4, 3/4, 6/8
• @key:* → key signature, for example C, G, F, Bb, F#
• @clef:* → clef, either treble or bass
• @ghoststaff → hides the staff while keeping chords, text elements and TAB visible

Example:

@score @bars:*1* @time:*4/4* @key:*G* @clef:*treble*
| f4 g a b |
| 4 4 4 4 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Score lines

Inside the score block, the first line is the note line, the second line is the rhythm line, and the optional third line is the TAB line.

@score @bars:*2* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| c5 c c c | d e f g |  // notes
| 4 4 4 4 | 4 4 4 4 |  // rhythm
| 2 2 2 2 | 2 2 2 2 |  // tab
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Comments after // are optional. They are ignored by the renderer and are useful only as reminders.

Writing notes

Notes are written using the note name plus octave. The first note must include the octave. After that, the octave is remembered until a new octave is written.

| c4 d e f | g a b c5 |

In this example, d, e, f, g, a and b are understood as octave 4. After c5, following notes remain in octave 5 until a different octave is specified.

• c4 → C in octave 4
• g#4 → G sharp in octave 4
• bb3 → B flat in octave 3
• cn4 → C natural in octave 4
• r → rest placeholder in the note line

Writing rhythm inside score

The rhythm line uses the same rhythm tokens as regular rhythm notation, separated by spaces.

@score @bars:*1* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| c4 d e f g|
| 4 88 4 4 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

The number of note events must match the rhythm events. For example, 88 contains two eighth notes, so it requires two notes in the note line.

In the example above the rhythm line creates five events: one quarter note, two eighth notes, and two quarter note.

Chords inside score

Chords can be written inside curly brackets in the note line. They are placed across the measure using the same visual logic as regular ChordInk measures.

@score @bars:*1* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| {Cmaj7 G7} c4 d e f |
| 4 4 4 4 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Two chords divide the measure into two spaces; four chords divide it into four spaces. Use a comma to leave an empty chord slot.

| {C , G7 ,} c4 d e f |

Score text and symbols

Score blocks support text elements similar to regular ChordInk syntax:

• @txtL:*...* → left-aligned text
• @txtC:*...* → centered text
• @txtR:*...* → right-aligned text
• @mrk:*...* → section marker

The following symbols are also supported:

• /fermata → fermata symbol
• /coda → coda symbol
• /segno → segno symbol

@score @bars:*2* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| @mrk:*Intro* @txtL:*/segno* c4 d e f | @txtR:*/fermata* g a b c5 |
| 4 4 4 4 | 4 4 4 4 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Barlines inside score

Score blocks support the same numbered barline logic used in regular ChordInk rows.

• 2| → double barline
• 3| → final barline
• 4| → left repeat barline
• 5| → right repeat barline

In a score block, the number is written at the end of the measure, before the normal barline.

@score @bars:*4* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| c4 d e f 4| g a b c5 | d e f g | f e d c 5|
| 4 4 4 4 | 4 4 4 4 | 4 4 4 4 | 4 4 4 4 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Stem direction

By default, note stems point upward. You can change stem direction using:

• @stem:up
• @stem:down

The selected stem direction remains active until another stem direction is written.

@score @bars:*2* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| @stem:down c5 d e f | @stem:up g a b c6 |
| 4 4 4 4 | 4 4 4 4 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

TAB line

The optional third line creates a TAB staff. Instead of writing fret numbers directly, you write the string number. ChordInk calculates the fret from the written note.

@score @bars:*1* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble*
| c5 c c c |
| 4 4 4 4 |
| 2 2 2 2 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

In treble clef, the TAB uses six guitar strings:

• 1 → highest guitar string
• 2 → second string
• 3 → third string
• 4 → fourth string
• 5 → fifth string
• 6 → lowest guitar string

In bass clef, the TAB uses four bass strings:

• 1 → highest bass string
• 2 → second string
• 3 → third string
• 4 → lowest bass string

If a note is not available on the selected string, ChordInk displays a warning and asks you to adjust the TAB line manually.

Ghost staff

Use @ghoststaff in the score header to hide the staff while keeping chords, text elements and TAB visible.

@score @bars:*1* @time:*4/4* @key:*C* @clef:*treble* @ghoststaff
| c5 c c c |
| 4 4 4 4 |
| 2 2 2 2 |
@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Spacing after score blocks

Use @spacedown after @endscore to add vertical space after the score block.

@endscore @spacedown:*15pt*

Score transposition

Score blocks are connected to the same transposition buttons used for regular chords. Notes are transposed according to the written key signature and accidentals. Chords inside the score are also transposed.

If a TAB line is present, the selected strings remain unchanged and ChordInk recalculates the fret numbers. If a transposed note is no longer available on the selected string, ChordInk shows a warning so that you can choose a different string manually.

Score error warnings

If a score block contains a problem, ChordInk displays a warning instead of silently failing.

• If the number of written bars does not match @bars, ChordInk shows a bar-number warning.
• If the rhythmic events do not match the selected time signature, ChordInk shows a rhythm warning.
• If one or more TAB notes are not available on the selected string, ChordInk shows a TAB warning.

Score blocks are intended for short examples, riffs, melodies and TAB fragments. They are not meant to replace full notation software, but they are useful for quick music writing directly inside a ChordInk chart.

Examples

Here's a couple of examples of the code vs the final result

@title:All the Things You Are
@author:Hammerstein/Kern
@style:Swing
  
|@time:4/4 @mrk:*A* Fm7  | Bbm7  | Eb7  | Abmaj7 |b
|Dbmaj7   | G7   | Cmaj7   | %  |bb
@space
|@mrk:*A2*Cm7  | Fm7  | Bb7  | Ebmaj7  |b
|Abmaj7  | D7  | Gmaj7  | %  2|bb
@space
|@mrk:*B* Am7   | D7  | Gmaj7  | % |b
|F#m7   | B7   | Emaj7  | C7#5  2|bb
@space
|@mrk:*A3* Fm7  | Bbm7  | Eb7  | Abmaj7 |b
|Dbmaj7   |Dbm7   | Cm7  | Bdim7 |b
|Bbm7   | Eb7  | Abmaj7  | G7  C7 3|


  

@pages:2
@title: It's My Life
@author: Bon Jovi
@style: pop-rock
    
|@time:4/4 @mrk:*Intro* C5   {4 4 r2}  |  , , , , {r2 r8 8 88} | C5 {4 4 r2} | , , , , 2|bb
@space
|@mrk:*Verse* C5 {4 r4 r2} |  , , , , | C5 {4 4 88 4} | , , , , |bb
    
|C5 {4 r4 r2} |  , , , , | C5 {4 4 88 4} | , , , , |bb
| C5  | %  | F5 | %  | , , , , 2|bb
| @mrk:*Chorus* C5  4| Ab5  | Eb5  | Bb/D |b
|C5  | Ab5  | Bb5  | Bb Bdim 5|b
@box: [Verse] as before
[Chorus] as before
@space
|@mrk:*Solo* Ab5 |  %  | Bb  | %   |b
|Ab/C  |  %     | F5      |  %    2|b
@pagebreak
|@txtL:*vocal break* C5 |   %   | %    | % | C5 {4 4 r2} 2|bb
@space
|@mrk:*Chorus* @txtC:*ad_lib* C5  4| Ab5  | Eb5  | Bb/D |b
|C5  | Ab5  | Bb5  | Bb Bdim 5|b

Library

This section is under contruction. It will contain a collection of songs written with ChordInk code

Videos

App Overview

Books & Lessons

A guitar book is on the way! Meanwhile here's some lessons and exercices you can download! (plus a short booklet about harmony for my italian friends)

Downloads

Exercises/Lessons

• Cenni di Armonia e Teoria → A short booklet about basic harmony and theory (in italian)
• Guitar - Three note per string C Major
• 2-1-2 Arpeggios → Some 7^th chord arpeggios on three strings, organized as two notes per string, one, then two. Plus inversions
• Major Triads on three strings → Visualization of C major triads on groups of three strings
• Minor Triads on three strings → Visualization of C minor triads on groups of three strings
• Groups of 4 → An exercise on 4 note groupings on guitar
• Groups of 6 → An exercise on 6 note groupings on guitar
• Sweep 1 - Sweep 2 → Couple of sweep picking exercises
• 2+3 Pentatonic scales → Extended pentatonic scales organized as 2 note + 3 note per string

Utilities

• Blank Staff
• Blank Fretboards → Page with seven blank fretboards to notate your scales
• Blank Tab → A decent looking blank tab with an added upper line for rhythm
• Staff + Tab → A page titled "Licks and Notes" to write down ideas
• Blank chord chart → Page with 24 decent looking chord chart blanks to notate your chords
• Blues template → A blank staff+tab jazz blues in F to write down some phrasing ideas or licks

Transcriptions

Here's a few old transcriptions that are good enough to be shared (student years)

• Heavenly Bodies - Guitar Solo → Kurt Rosenwinkel
• The Next Step - Guitar Solo → Kurt Rosenwinkel
• Use Of Light - Guitar Solo → Kurt Rosenwinkel
• The Maya - Guitar Solo → Adam Rogers
• Persephone - Guitar Solo → Adam Rogers
• Peaceful Warrior - Guitar Solo → Aaron Parks (solo by Mike Moreno)
• Love theme Love theme - Guitar Solo → Song and solo of this A. Morricone song as played by Pat Metheny