Frets brings visual chord diagrams to Fretlist — fingering grids in your song sheets and a live panel in Play Mode that updates as you scroll through sections.
The [Chords] block
Add a [Chords] section at the top of any song (before the first verse) to define the shapes used in that song. Each line names one chord:
Chords
The numbers are fret notation: each digit is one string, 0 = open, x = muted. The block renders as a row of diagrams above the lyrics.
Multiple instruments in one song
By default [Chords] means guitar. To add shapes for a different instrument, use a tagged header:
[Chords:ukulele]
G 0232
D 2220
Em 0402
C 0003
You can have both blocks in the same song — one for guitar, one for ukulele:
[Chords]
G 320003
D xx0232
[Chords:ukulele]
G 0232
D 2220
The instrument switcher in the Chords bar controls which block is displayed. Switch to Ukulele and the ukulele shapes appear; switch back to Guitar and the guitar shapes return.
Supported tags: guitar (default), ukulele. Tags mandolin and banjo are parsed but have no built-in library — Fretlist will render the shapes you write and show a message that no library exists for those instruments yet.
ChordPro format
In ChordPro mode, chord shapes use {define:} directives per the ChordPro spec. Guitar is the default — no instrument marker needed:
{define: G base-fret 1 frets 3 2 0 0 0 3}
{define: D base-fret 1 frets x x 0 2 3 2}
For ukulele (or any other instrument), prefix the defines with {instrument:}:
{instrument: ukulele}
{define: G base-fret 1 frets 0 2 3 2}
{define: D base-fret 2 frets 2 2 2 0}
{instrument:} stays active from that point forward in the file until you set it again. Switching between Chords over Lyrics and ChordPro tabs in the editor converts back and forth automatically — instrument assignments are preserved. The fingers parameter in {define:} is not preserved.
Three view modes
The Chords toggle next to a song's title controls how the block is displayed:
- Frets — SVG chord grids, labelled with the chord name above each diagram
- Text — chord names only, no diagrams (faster to scan on a small screen)
- Hidden — block hidden entirely; chords still appear above lyrics in the song body
Your view-mode choice is saved per song, per device.
Two ways to change a voicing
Frets gives you two ways to change a voicing — one updates the song itself, the other is just for viewing and playing the song (like a transpose). The view you're in decides which.
Editing the song's voicing (Edit View)
Open a song in Edit View and click the Preview tab. Tap any chord card, pick a shape, save. This updates the song — same as editing its lyrics or key. ChordPro exports include the new shape.
Use this when you want to permanently change the voicing — for printing, exporting, or just because you want this shape every time the song opens.
Adjusting the voicing for yourself (Song View)
Open a song in the normal song view (not Edit View). Tap a chord card and pick a shape. This is more like setting a transpose: the song's own voicing stays as-is, and your tweak is remembered for you. The next time you open the song — on any device — your voicing comes back.
Use this when a shape doesn't suit your hands or your tuning, but you don't want to change the song.
What resets it: deleting your account. There's no manual reset in V1.
On shared songs
Frets works on shared song links too — the view-mode toggle, instrument switcher, and chord editor all show up. Tap a chord and pick a voicing to see it your way. Since you don't own the song, the change is session-only: it stays until you close the tab, then it's gone. No account required.
Play Mode Frets panel
In Play Mode, tap the fretboard icon in the floating controls to open the Frets panel:
- On desktop / landscape tablet — panel appears as a rail on the right side, staying visible while you scroll
- On phone / portrait tablet — panel appears as a dock at the bottom, dismissible with a tap
The panel is section-aware: as you scroll through Verse, Chorus, Bridge and so on, the chord set updates to show only the chords used in the current section. Chords that appear in multiple sections show the same shape throughout.
To close the panel, tap the fretboard icon again or the × inside the panel. The open/closed state is saved per song.
Instrument switching
Use the Guitar / Ukulele dropdown in the Chords bar next to the view-mode toggle. Guitar uses a six-string grid; ukulele uses four strings. The choice is saved per device.
If a chord exists under a flat name (Bb) but the library stores it under the sharp equivalent (A#), Fretlist normalizes automatically — you don't need to relabel your chords.
What falls back to name-only
Not every chord string can be rendered as a diagram:
- A chord not in the library and with no explicit shape in the
[Chords]block shows the name only, with a "Wrong shape" hint on hover - Shapes written as custom voicings in the block always render — even if they're not in the library
- Exotic extensions (e.g.
G13#11) may not have a library entry; write the shape explicitly if you need it
Keyboard shortcut
In Play Mode, F toggles the Frets panel open and closed.
Turning Frets off
If you prefer to work without chord diagrams, go to Settings > Features and toggle Frets off. This hides the Chords block and Frets Panel on that device without removing any data from your songs.