How to create chord diagrams and libraries in Guitar Pro
Chord diagrams are most useful when they answer a real fingering question. Guitar Pro can store chords with a project and show a chord name, a diagram above the staff, a collection at the top of the score, or a combination, but adding every possible shape usually makes the page harder to use.
The practical answer
Build a small, intentional project chord library and display each diagram only where it helps the player choose or remember a voicing.
A step-by-step approach
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1
Select the musical moment
Place the cursor where the harmony begins and identify the exact voicing the player should use.
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2
Open the chord editor
Use the chord control in the Editing Palette or the documented A shortcut to open the chord view.
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3
Choose or build the shape
Select a suggested voicing or define the fretted, open, and muted strings for the required shape.
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4
Name the chord clearly
Use a musically accurate root, quality, extension, inversion, or altered bass so the label matches the diagram.
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5
Choose its display
Decide whether readers need the name, a local diagram, a first-page reference collection, or a restrained combination.
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6
Check and reuse it
Play the score, inspect the fingering and tuning, then reuse the project entry consistently at later occurrences.
Start from the voicing, not just the chord symbol
A chord such as C major can be played in many positions and inversions. Decide whether the score needs a beginner open shape, a compact upper-neck voicing, a specific bass note, or a shape that connects smoothly to the surrounding chords before accepting a suggested diagram.
Check the track tuning and capo first. A familiar visual shape may produce a different sounding chord after either changes, and the displayed name should describe the musical result expected by the arrangement rather than merely the untransposed fingering.
Build a dependable project library
Guitar Pro describes its chord library as individual to each project. That is helpful because an arrangement can carry exactly the voicings it uses, including alterations, inversions, omissions, and custom shapes, without turning the score into a general-purpose chord dictionary.
Use consistent naming when the same voicing returns. If two shapes share a harmonic name but serve different ranges or bass motion, distinguish them in a musically meaningful way and place the intended version at the exact beat where it begins.
Choose where diagrams appear
A compact diagram collection at the top of the score works well when a short song uses a stable set of unfamiliar shapes. Local diagrams above the staff are better when a special voicing appears once, changes mid-phrase, or must be seen next to the relevant rhythm.
Chord names alone are often sufficient for experienced players or dense ensemble scores. Showing names, top-of-score diagrams, and a diagram at every occurrence can repeat the same information three times, consume vertical space, and push musical phrases onto extra pages.
Make diagrams easy to interpret
Check that open and muted strings are unambiguous, the starting fret is apparent for higher positions, and barre indications match the fingering you expect. Avoid adding finger numbers unless they solve a genuine ambiguity, because excessive annotation can obscure a simple shape.
Keep diagram scale and notation style consistent throughout the document. Guitar Pro exposes chord-diagram appearance through its score formatting controls, so test the final size on paper or a small screen instead of judging it only at a high desktop zoom level.
Validate the harmony in context
Listen to the chord within the full arrangement and inspect every string in the shape. Watch for an omitted melody note, an unwanted doubled bass, an open string that clashes with a chromatic chord, or a diagram that is technically possible but impractical at the song tempo.
When sharing the file, ask whether the recipient needs the exact voicing or only the harmony. Exact shapes belong in diagrams; flexible accompaniment may be clearer as chord names over slash notation. The best score gives enough direction without preventing sensible musical choices.
Common questions
Sources and review notes
Product details were checked against the official sources below on 9 August 2026. Offers and software details can change, so confirm current terms before buying.