Talk:Chord chart

Latest comment: 6 years ago by CharlesGillingham in topic Response to article

Rewrite edit

I hope no one was too attached to the old version of this article. I rewrote it from a professional musician's viewpoint. It looks like the original intent of this article was to describe a particular kind of computer file, but I think those files are actually awkward imitations of professional charts.

I'd like to scan in a real chart to have it on this page, but that's beyond my capability.

Also, there's another issue that I kind of guessed at: this article previously seemed to confuse a "lyric sheet with chords" as "chord chart," so I kept that in the last paragraph as information about computer files. I just guessed that that's common usage somewhere outside of music in computerland. If I guessed wrong, perhaps the original author could help me out here? CharlesGillingham 10:39, 13 June 2007 (UTC)Reply

As far as I can tell the stuff you put in is correct. However, the guidelines of Wikipedia Guidelines require that information be cited from third party sources. Some of your information was uncited. It may not be original research, but it might be. I tagged it as such in hopes that someone can verify it with published sources. Lexandalf (talk) 21:19, 22 January 2011 (UTC)Reply

Merge edit

I've merged in more information about Chord charts, added an example, and fixed all the redirects into here. ---- CharlesGillingham 17:47, 16 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

Rhythmic notation edit

I think the term rhythmic notation is used more often to refer to "the way that rhythm is notated" (covered in the article rhythm) rather than "one type of notation in a chord chart", so I think it should be redirected to rhythm rather than here. I'll leave it for now, since I've just done the merge, and someone might be looking for the original article and worry it got axed. Eventually I will fix this.---- CharlesGillingham 17:58, 16 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

Done (by someone else, apparently) ---- CharlesGillingham (talk) 21:20, 10 June 2008 (UTC)Reply

Jazz chart edit

I added the term "Jazz chart" to the header. I think (but am not 100% sure) that they're the same thing. Anybody know if and how they are different? There's no article on Jazz chart, so I just created a redirect here. However, if they're distinct enough concepts, we could make separate articles. Torc2 (talk) 21:11, 7 January 2008 (UTC)Reply

I'm certain they are the same thing ---- CharlesGillingham (talk) 21:28, 7 January 2008 (UTC)Reply
Cool, thanks. Torc2 (talk) 21:32, 7 January 2008 (UTC)Reply
I'm pretty sure that "Jazz Chart" generally refers to a lead sheet. When one jazz musician doesn't know a tune, another might say "I've got a chart for it". Though it can also just be the chords. Could make a disambiguation. Additionally, "Chord chart" sometimes refers to a list of chords with voicings under them, not necessarily in any order. Eman235(talk) 03:45, 13 March 2014 (UTC)Reply

Response to article edit

I would add to a couple of your opening statements: 1) Although a chord chart can include some of the melody line in special cases, it most often does not. Same case with lyrics. (Beginnings of lines may be shown as an extra aid to the musician(s) to help keep place with a vocalist, say at the beginning of a section, or where extra dynamics are called for. But once you've added a complete melody, you have surpassed a "chord chart" and gone into "lead sheet" territory.) Also, a musical riff that the song is dependent on for character may be included in a chord chart; 2) You seem to be saying that "chords" are harmony. But when most of us speak of a harmony line, we mean (most often vocal, but sometimes instrumental) a secondary melodic accompaniment to a melody. By it's nature, harmony is a single musical line, just as melody is, although there can be more than one line of harmony. And although technically chords do employ harmony in their structure, they are using it in a highly specific and specialized way. Since it cannot be said that all harmony is chords, it's more correct to call chords "chords", or "chordal accompaniment". For my source, I cite myself with over thirty years of experience as a semi-professional singer/songwriter/composer/musician. Aside from all that, I appreciate your article very much. I hope my comments are in keeping with the rules, and that they are helpful to you.Jas hilsdon (talk) 20:50, 9 March 2012 (UTC)Reply

(1) I'll add a line: "chord charts may include some explicit written parts (such as a musical riff that the song is dependent on for character), lyrics or lyric fragments, and various other information to help the musician compose and play they're part."
(2) Harmony is the chords and chord progression. In every music program everywhere, you learn about chords, chord progressions and related ideas (such as counterpoint and voiceleading, as well as two part harmony) study in "Harmony" class. When you say "singing in harmony". You are choosing notes to sing that are in the harmony of the song, that reflect the key, chords and chord progression. ----CharlesGillingham (talk) 16:46, 6 October 2017 (UTC)Reply

Original research? edit

Why and where does this article contain original research? How should it be cleaned up? Hyacinth (talk) 02:54, 22 March 2012 (UTC)Reply

It's been five years. Removing the tags --- CharlesGillingham (talk) 16:39, 6 October 2017 (UTC)Reply

Merge edit

Nashville number system is a stub about the size of the section, Chord chart#Nashville notation, currently on this page. Thus I propose the former be merged into the latter. Hyacinth (talk) 07:57, 28 August 2012 (UTC)Reply


The Nashville Number System is a Unique system worthy of its own page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jim 3786 (talkcontribs) 08:54, 26 May 2014 (UTC)Reply


  • Oppose merging - Nashville number system may have been a stub last August in August two years ago, when the merge was proposed; now it's at least as long as this article, and gives significant details of unique NNS conventions, along with external links to examples. The section on this page is an appropriate thumbnail description; interested readers can go to the "main article" for NNS. AnotherOnymous (talk) 05:06, 12 June 2014 (UTC); edited AnotherOnymous (talk) 19:49, 9 August 2014 (UTC)Reply


No further discussion for a couple of months; nobody has spoken up in favor of the merge since the proposal two years ago. I'll go ahead and remove the merge tags. AnotherOnymous (talk) 19:49, 9 August 2014 (UTC)Reply

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