Over the course of twenty or so years I have worked plenty both as a gigging musician, and as a music editor/copyist/publisher/engraver (we really should pick a name and stick to it). At the cross-section of these two worlds lies the humble Chord Chart – so simple, it might seem, yet I find, so easy to get wrong!
We’ve all seen – and probably made, if we admit it – those unclear, cramped, and sometimes plain wrong charts that we have to muddle through as we try to sing a song. Sometimes it’s just a printout of an internet page, so the chord alignment is way off, or written solely for guitarists without proper harmonic theory in mind (an Abm chord in the key of E, anyone?).
So, in the spirit of Elaine Gould’s Behind Bars (though with nothing close to the volume or detail of material that she includes in her complete guide to all-things-music-notation), I have created…
You can click the button above to download the PDF to read it right now – five pages of complete detail walking you through from layout to lyric and chord placement and appearance, to help you produce the perfect chord chart every time.
But wait! If you appreciate this resource – and I hope you do – I’d love it if you could consider going one step further and dropping me a tip using the button below.
And if this resource helped you, or you have comments or suggestions, please do get in touch – I’d love to hear from you!
ben trigg music 