User Manual
Chords
Chords that appear in your chord chart may appear differently based on their context as well as regional preferences. OnSong has a number of options to change how chords appear including:
Chord Alignment
By default, chords are aligned so that the left edge of the chord text is placed to the left edge of the lyrics that it's associated with. You can change this to:
- Left aligns the left edge of the chord text to the left edge of the lyric. (Default)
- Center aligns the center of the chord text to the left edge of the lyric.
- Right aligns the right edge of the chord text to the left edge of the lyric.
- Character aligns the center of the chord text to the center of the first character of the lyric.
- Word aligns the center of the chord text to the center of the first word or fragment to which the chord is associated.
Chord Decoration
OnSong recognizes bracketed chords and chords over lyrics for denoting chords in text-based files. This removes square brackets. Use the chord decoration to surround chords with various types of decorative brackets.
Chord Lines
Sometimes it's important to output chords with symbols such as vertical bars and slashes to indicate strum patterns. When OnSong encounters a line of chords containing a vertical bar or pipe character, it will automatically place chords inline with those characters. This behavior can be changed to the following parameters:
- Above displays chords above the characters as if the text were lyrics.
- Inline displays the chords on the same line as the characters. Default.
Chord Line Requires
This setting determines what is required to determine if a chord line has been encountered. Options include:
- Bar and Chords requires the presence of a vertical pipe character (bar) as well as only chords on the line. Default.
- Bar Only requires only the presence of a vertical pipe character (bar).
Chord Position
When chords are placed with lyrics in a chord chart, OnSong typically draws them above the lyrics where they are placed. This position can be changed to:
- Above displays chords on a line above the lyrics. Default.
- Inline display chords on the same line as the lyrics to conserve vertical space for less scrolling.
Chord Localization
OnSong uses alphabetic letters as a convention for defining chords. By default, OnSong understands capital letters A through G. Some regional preferences exist which vary from this convention. These include:
- Default displays chords as capital letters from A through G with flat or sharp symbols as needed. Minor chords are denoted by a lowercase "m" to the right of the chord.
- Čeština displays chords in a convention familiar with the Czech language. This displays "B" as "H" and "Bb" as "B". In addition, minor chords are denoted by lowercase "mi".
- Deutsch displays chords in a convention familiar with German-speaking people. This displays "B" as "H" and "Bb" as "B".
- Scandinavian displays chords in a convention familiar with Scandinavian-speaking people. This displays "B" as "H" and "Bb" as "Bb".
Lowercase Minor Chords
OnSong denotes minor chords with a lowercase "m" to the right of the uppercase chord letter and option enharmonic symbol. This settings gives you different options for using lowercase to indicate minor chords.
- Off is the default so minor chords display as an uppercase chord with a lowercase "m" like "Bbm".
- Note Only will remove the "m" and the chord letter is lowercased. For instance, "Gm" becomes "g".
- Full Chord will lowercase the chord and keep the "m". For instance, "Gm" becomes "gm".
Lowercase Split Bass
Split bass notes are separated from chords using a forward slash. Some cultures prefer this to be expressed as a lowercase letter. Toggle this setting on to lowercase the bass note. Default is off.
Split Chord Displays
OnSong supports compound chords that provide a bass component as well as the chord. For instance, Am/G is described as "A minor over G". In this case, G is what the bass player plays or what is played with the left hand on a piano. By default, OnSong displays the entire compound chord but can be configured to one of the following options:
- Both shows both the chord and the bass component. For instance, "Am/G" displays as "Am/G" with no changes.
- Bass Only shows only the bass component of the chord. For instance, "Am/G" displays just "G".
- Chord Only shows only the chord component of the chord. For instance, "Am/G" displays just "Am".
Use Superscript
When expressing a variation or voicing of a chord, OnSong simply outputs the text indicating that. Enabling superscript will make text like "m", "sus4" or "dim" smaller and place it slightly above the baseline.
Use Symbol Replacements
When this option is enabled, common symbols are used to replace common chord voicing. For instance, an "m" indicating a minor chord becomes "-". The following replacements are made:
- minor becomes -
- diminished becomes º
- augmented becomes +
- major seventh becomes ∆
- major becomes M
