ChordPro format chord charts are becoming increasingly popular in worship ministries because of their flexibility and time-saving nature.

What Are ChordPro Format Chord Charts?

ChordPro Format chord charts are similar to regular chord charts, except that they embed their chords into the lyrics of a song using a simple “code” [brackets]. These brackets act to anchor the chords over specific words, which allows software like Planning Center or apps like OnSong to convert the chord charts into multiple keys with the click of a button. Because the chords are anchored to specific words, they remain in their correct placement regardless of if the character length of the chord changed during transposition (ie: Em > G#m).

Video Tutorial

In this video tutorial, I show you how to take a normal chord chart and convert it into the ChordPro format using Planning Center’s “Chords and Lyrics” section. You’ll get the idea after a few minutes, but if you want to watch me trouble shoot a few problem areas, you can stick around till the end.

PS: I realize in the video, I was calling it ProChord format…which just exposes how much of an amateur I truly am.

A Few Tips On Using ChordPro Format In Planning Center:

1) If you want your chord charts to fit on one page when printed, use the two column layout.

2) Arial font seems to be the cleanest and easiest to read.

3) You can change the color of the chords using the “format” button (upper right).

4) Making ChordPro chord charts takes more time up front, but saves you hours on the backend.