How to open a ChordPro (.cho) file or a PDF chord sheet

1. Open Import

   Open GetChords and tap the Import card ("Audio or chords") on the home screen, or Import at the top of Songs. The Import sheet has two groups: Transcribe a recording and Chords you have.

2. Pick the file

   Under Chords you have, tap File. Files opens: choose a ChordPro file (.cho or .chordpro), a text file or a PDF. On a Mac, Import… (⌘O) opens a file panel, and a file dropped anywhere on the window comes in the same way.

   

3. Check what GetChords found

   Before anything is saved, Found a song shows what GetChords kept: Title and Artist as fields you can change, chips such as Capo 3 · sounds in B♭, the number of chords and sections, and the first lines as the sheet will show them. Left out: 7 lines opens the lines that did not make it, such as menus and comments. GetChords never rewrites a word: every word on the sheet is in your text, in the same order.

4. Add the song

   Tap Add song. The sheet opens with section names such as Verse and Chorus above their lines. A sheet without a recording scrolls when you tap the middle button at the bottom, at the speed under Scroll. Transpose, capo, chord diagrams, folders and export work as for any song, and so does a tap on a chord to change it.

5. Send a song out as ChordPro

   On a sheet, tap the Share button and then ChordPro ("For other apps."). The file has the chords in brackets inside the lyrics, the way ChordPro apps read them. PDF gives a printable page.

   

• What is a ChordPro file?

  A plain text file for songs, usually ending in .cho or .chordpro. The chords stand in square brackets inside the lyrics, such as [G]Amazing [G7]grace, and lines in curly braces hold the title, the artist or the start of a chorus. Songbook apps use it to swap songs.

• Which app opens ChordPro files on a phone?

  GetChords opens them on iPhone and iPad, and on the Mac, under Import, File. It shows the song as a chord sheet with chord diagrams, transpose and capo.

• Can I edit a ChordPro file?

  Yes, once it is a song in GetChords. Tap a chord or a word on the sheet to change it, then share the song as ChordPro again to get a new file.

• How do I convert a PDF chord sheet to ChordPro?

  Import the PDF under File, check it in Found a song and tap Add song. Then tap the Share button and choose ChordPro. This works for a PDF with text in it.

• What about a PDF that is only a scan?

  A scanned PDF has no text to read, and GetChords says "GetChords could not read text in this file." Take a screenshot of the page and import it under Photos. The photo guide shows how.

• Can I export my songs as ChordPro?

  Yes. Every song can be shared as ChordPro or PDF, whether it was recorded, opened from a file or pasted.

• How do I send a chord sheet to my band?

  Open the song and tap the Share button. Link sends a link that opens the song in GetChords, and QR code shows a code to scan with an iPhone camera. PDF is for printing or sending, and ChordPro is for other apps. Only the chords and words go along, never the recording. Someone without GetChords who opens the link gets a page with the App Store button and nothing of the song.

GetChords opens ChordPro, text and PDF chord sheets and keeps them with the songs you recorded. It has no subscription and no account.

Coming to the App Store

• How to import chords from a website with Share or copy and pasteGuide
• How to turn a photo or screenshot of a chord sheet into chords you can editGuide
• How to transpose chords and find the right capo fretGuide
• Your chord sheets on iPhone, iPad and MacGuide

Written for GetChords 1.0. Button names are the ones the app shows.