Transposing

Transposing needs to be fast. If a singer needs a different key, a guitar part works better with a capo, or you just want to try another range, you should be able to shift the chart in seconds instead of rewriting every chord by hand.

The important difference: editor vs Play Mode

Chordly has two different transposing workflows, and they do not do the same thing.

In the editor, transposing changes the song

When you transpose from the editor toolbar, Chordly rewrites the chord symbols in the document itself.

That is the right choice when you want the chart to actually live in the new key from that point on.

In Play Mode, transposing is temporary

When you transpose in Play Mode, Chordly only changes the version you are viewing there.

It does not rewrite the song in the editor. That makes Play Mode transposing useful when you need a quick key change for performance, rehearsal, or capo use without changing the original chart.

Transpose in the editor

The editor toolbar has a two-button transpose control:

• the top button transposes up by one semitone
• the bottom button transposes down by one semitone

If you select part of the song first, Chordly transposes the chords inside that selection.

If you do not select anything, Chordly transposes every chord in the document.

That makes it useful for both full-song changes and section-specific changes.

Transpose in Play Mode

Play Mode has its own transpose control in the performance toolbar.

Use the down arrow to lower the chart by one semitone, or the up arrow to raise it by one semitone. The number in the middle shows the current transposition amount.

For example:

• 0 means no Play Mode transposition is active
• +2 means the Play Mode chart is being shown two semitones higher
• -1 means the Play Mode chart is being shown one semitone lower

Play Mode remembers the transpose setting for each song, so if you come back later, the chart opens with the same temporary transpose value you used last time.

What Chordly transposes

Chordly transposes recognized chord symbols, including slash chords such as F/A.

If an entry is not actually a chord symbol, Chordly leaves it alone. That matters when you use the chord layer for cues or labels like repeats, dynamics, or other shorthand notes that should not move with the key.

Chordly also keeps the accidental style of the original root when it can. If the source chord uses a flat, the transposed result continues in that direction instead of forcing everything into sharps.

When to use each version

Use editor transposition when:

• the song should actually be saved in the new key
• you want to change only one selected section
• you are preparing a chart for someone else to edit later

Use Play Mode transposition when:

• you want a quick temporary key change
• you are adjusting for a singer or instrument on the fly
• you are using a capo and want the performance view to match what you need right now

Capo and transposition

Capo use and transposition are closely related, but they are not the same thing.

A capo changes the sounding key while letting you keep familiar chord shapes on the guitar. In Chordly, that usually means one of two things:

• leave the written chart alone and use Play Mode transposition as a temporary reading aid
• rewrite the written chart with editor transposition if you want the song itself saved in the new key

For the full capo workflow, read Capo.