Quickstart for your first rehearsal

Who this is for

This guide is for musicians who want to get their charts organized and ready for rehearsal. You might be:

• A worship leader preparing for Sunday
• A bandmate tired of emailing chord charts back and forth
• Someone who just wants to keep their songs in one place

By the end, you'll have a chart written, arranged, and organized for your next rehearsal.

Goal

Move from discovering chord shapes to preparing one complete, rehearsal-ready flow — all in about 10 minutes.

Step 1: Find voicings

Start by figuring out which chord shapes you want to use.

1. Open chord maps from the navigation
2. Pick your root note (C, G, D, etc.) and chord type (major, minor, 7th, etc.)
3. Switch the instrument and tuning to match what you actually play
4. Browse the shapes until you find one that fits your hand and the song

What you'll see: Diagrams showing finger positions for each voicing. Hover or tap to see more details.

Pro tip: Bookmark a few shapes you like — you can reference them later when writing your chart.

Open chord maps

Step 2: Build a song

Now turn those shapes into a chart.

1. Create a new song from your library
2. Give it a title — this also sets the filename
3. Write your chart using ChordPro notation (chords in brackets: [C], [Am], etc.)

Add arrangement details

Before you finish, set up the arrangement with practical info:

• Key: What key are you playing in?
• Capo: If you're capoing, where?
• Tempo: Set the BPM so the metronome knows what to play

What you'll see: A live preview of your chart as you type. Chords appear above the lyrics, sections are highlighted, and everything stays aligned.

Add rehearsal notes

Drop in cues for yourself and others:

• {c:Play softly here} — visible notes about dynamics
• # TODO: verify bridge — private reminders that don't show in the chart

Pro tip: Use section headers like VERSE 1, CHORUS, BRIDGE to make navigation easier during rehearsal.

Learn more about songs

Step 3: Build a setlist

Now organize your songs into a setlist for rehearsal or your next gig.

1. Create a new setlist
2. Add songs in performance order
3. For each song, pick which arrangement to use (if you have multiple)

What you'll see: A list of songs with quick links to open each one. Arrangement choices are saved, so next time you open the setlist, everyone sees the same version.

During rehearsal

Use the setlist to flow through songs without hunting:

• Click a song to open it
• Make quick edits if something's wrong
• The setlist remembers where you were

Pro tip: Add a date to setlist names if you're prepping for a specific event — "Sunday Set 2024-01-14" is easier to find later than just "Sunday Set".

Learn more about setlists

Finish and share

If you're playing solo, you're done — your library will sync across devices automatically.

If you're working with a band:

1. Create a group for your band
2. Move songs and setlists into the group
3. Invite your bandmates via email

Once they accept, everyone can see and edit the same charts. No more version confusion, no more "which PDF should I print?"

Learn more about groups

What's next

Now that you've got the basics, here's where to go deeper:

• ChordPro syntax reference — all the formatting options for charts
• PDF export — print clean charts for gigs
• Recording links — attach YouTube videos to your songs
• AI assistants — connect Claude or ChatGPT to help with your library

Questions?

If something isn't working as expected, check the troubleshooting guide for common issues and fixes.