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New Released in April 2026
How to Make Your Own Chord Chart
To make your own chord chart you need only a pencil and five habits that every musician recognises. A good chart shows the key, the bars, where each chord falls and how the song is laid out, so anyone can play it without hearing the recording first.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Five steps
- Top line: title, key and tempo (for example: Key of G, 92 bpm).
- Bars: draw four bars per line, one slash per beat: | G / / / | D / / / |.
- Sections: label each part (Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge) and write repeat marks instead of copying bars.
- Chord changes inside a bar: put each chord over the beat where it starts: | C / G / |.
- Lyrics version: write the chord right above the syllable where it changes.
A tiny template
- Verse (x2): | G / / / | D / / / | Em / / / | C / / / |
- Chorus: | C / / / | G / / / | D / / / | D / / / |
- Ending: | C / / / | G / / / ||
How to Make Your Own Chord Chart
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.
Play the demoWrite it once, play it in any key
If you write the chart in numbers instead of letters (1 5 6m 4), the same page works in every key. That is how many studio bands write charts, and it helps you see the structure of the song at a glance.
Practise your chart
Once the chart is written, type its chords into ChordRunner and they loop while you play them on a MIDI keyboard or a piano or guitar through the microphone (advanced feature in ChordRunner Premium). The game checks every chord, so you know the chart and your hands agree.
The levels in ChordRunner
- Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
- Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
- Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
- Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.
Common questions
How do I make a chord chart?
Write the key and tempo, draw bars with one slash per beat, put each chord where it starts, label the sections and use repeat marks.
How do you write chords over lyrics?
Place each chord symbol directly above the syllable where the chord changes, in a fixed-width font if you type it.
What is the difference between a chord chart and a lead sheet?
A chord chart shows only chords and structure. A lead sheet adds the melody on a staff, with the chords above it.
Which instruments work?
A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.
How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?
Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.
Is everything in the demo?
The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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