Templates for chord charts

[Laurence Finston]

Some time ago I posted a message on this forum about my "Songlist" project at GitHub, which includes, among other things, scans of my handwritten lead sheets for public domain songs: GitHub - lfinston/Songlist: Songlist is a package for keeping track of songs.
I see that songs are occasionally downloaded.

I have now added a PDF file with templates for chord charts: Songlist/chordcharts.pdf at main * lfinston/Songlist * GitHub
The directory includes the source code (for GNU 3DLDF and TeX): Songlist/chordcharts at main * lfinston/Songlist * GitHub

There's a page each for chords (or scales) for instruments with 8, 6, 4 and 3 strings or courses. For example, 8-string guitar, normal guitar, mandolin and 4- and 3-string bouzoukis. Of course, chord charts are easily available for guitar and mandolin (in standard tuning and other common tunings). However, I've recently been working on writing out chord charts for 8-string guitar in the tuning (from low to high) F#-A#-D-F#-D-F#-A#-D (i.e., tuned in maj. thirds except for an augmented fifth in the middle), as well as for both kinds of bouzouki and for baglamas. If I get around to it, I may scan in the charts and upload them, too.

I hope somebody finds these templates useful.

[Laurence Finston]

I've added a second set of files, chordcharts1.pdf, chordcharts1.ldf and chordcharts1.tex. The PDF file contains a single chord box with symbols that could be used for typesetting chord charts: Songlist/chordcharts1.pdf at main * lfinston/Songlist * GitHub

The source file chordcharts1.ldf illustrates how this can be done. At some point I may program something to make it easier.

[Laurence Finston]

I scanned in a few pages of chord charts:

For eight-string guitar in "augmented triad" (major thirds with one augmented fifth) tuning:
Songlist/eightstring.pdf at main * lfinston/Songlist * GitHub

For four-course bouzouki in the tuning (from low to high) C-F-A-D:
Songlist/bouzoukifour.pdf at main * lfinston/Songlist * GitHub

They're meant for my own use, so not as neat as I would have made them if they had been meant for others. However, they may still be useful to someone and they may serve as an example of how to use the templates, if one is needed.

[emanresu]

Some time ago I posted a message on this forum about my "Songlist" project at GitHub, which includes, among other things, scans of my handwritten lead sheets for public domain songs: GitHub - lfinston/Songlist: Songlist is a package for keeping track of songs.
I see that songs are occasionally downloaded.

There is probably 3 people here that this link is useful. And they never speak up.

[Laurence Finston]

I realized that the standard tuning of the four-course bouzouki, C-F-A-D, is the same pattern as the top four strings of the guitar, so I won't be making any more chord charts for it. I find that it just takes some getting used to, not having the lower two strings or courses.

I have also recently acquired a soprano ukulele and a tenor electric ukulele. There are two standard tunings and I'm using G-C-E-A, which, of course, is also the same pattern as the top four strings of the guitar. However, the soprano has a high g string and the tenor has a low one. Nonetheless, for both instruments, it just takes some getting used to and it doesn't really pay to make chord charts, assuming one already knows the chords on the guitar.

While the chord charts can be helpful, what I find really works is to try to play chord melodies on an instrument with an unfamiliar tuning. At first, it's extremely slow, but one gets faster with practice and it takes you all over the neck.