Chords
Stage Traxx automatically detects and displays chord symbols in your lyrics. Chords can be written using standard notation (A, Bm, Cmaj7) or the Nashville Number System (1, 2m, 4maj7). Lines containing only chords are displayed in a distinct chord color.
Tip
Stage Traxx can automatically transpose chords when you change a song's pitch. Enable the Transpose Chords option in settings.
Adding Chords
Automatic Placement
Write chords in square brackets directly within your lyrics text. Stage Traxx positions them automatically above the lyrics, aligned with the word that follows.
Example
[Bm]Like the legend of the [Dmaj7]phoenix
Bm Dmaj7
Like the legend of the phoenix
Manual Placement
You can also write chords outside of square brackets on their own lines. This gives you full control over spacing and layout.
Note
For manual placement to work reliably, set the Font Style to Mono in settings to ensure character alignment is preserved. You can also switch a single passage to a fixed-width font with a font tag. Manual placement does not work well with Centered Text enabled.
When using manual placement, transpose and highlight features only work with chords on separate lines (not mixed with lyrics text).
Chord Syntax
Stage Traxx recognizes most standard chord notations:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Basic | C, D, F#, Bb, Cmaj |
| Minor | Am, Dm, F#m, Cmin, C- |
| Seventh | G7, Cmaj7, Am7, Dm7b5 |
| Extended | Cadd9, Dsus4, Fmaj9, G13 |
| Minor Extended | Cmadd9, Fminadd9, Am9, Dm11 |
| Suspended | Gsus4, Asus2, G7sus4, D9sus |
| Augmented | Caug, G+ |
| Diminished | Bdim |
| Minor-Major | Cmmaj7, Cminmaj7 |
| Slash | C/E, G/B, Am/G |
| Nashville | 1, 4, 5m, 2m7 |
Sharps and flats can be written as #/b or ♯/♭. The no-chord symbols NC and N.C. are recognized, along with bar separators (|), repeat symbols (%), and beat placeholders (/).
Added extensions work on minor chords as well, written with either the short or the long minor spelling — Fmadd9 and Fminadd9 are both recognized, as are altered extensions such as Cmadd#11. This also applies to Nashville numbers, for example 2madd9.
Not recognized: Cx (double sharp), Cminor (use Cm or Cmin), C maj (no spaces allowed)
Force Chord Formatting
To force an entire line to be rendered as chords regardless of its contents, prefix the line with a backtick character:
` Render as chord line
This displays the entire line using the chord color.
Warning
Lines formatted this way will look like chords, but they won't transpose when you change a song's pitch. Automatic transposition only works with chords that Stage Traxx recognizes. If you need this command to make a line appear as chords, it means the chords weren't recognized and therefore can't be transposed.