QuickChord Guitar Diagram Generator

QuickChord V1.2.07 (Updated 1/31/2008)	QwikChord 3
Category: Utility	[Zipped Setup]
OS: WinXP	Looking for tips on recording in your home studio? Recording How-To Articles

UPDATE! We have finished work on the new version! It has a new name: QwikChord. And it's own website:
http://www.QwikChord.com.

THANK YOU! QuickChord is now the #1 download on the site! If you are a visitor from www.jazzguitar.be or coming in from www.cnet.com.au in Australia, we welcome you, and thanks!

QuickChord is an application that lets you quickly and easily create guitar chord diagrams that can be used in any program that allows you to insert graphics.

I've been looking all over the place for a simple app that lets me create guitar chords that I can paste into a web page or Microsoft Word document. There are lot of great programs out there for guitar players to create tabs and complete sheet music, or to enter notes on a virtual fret board to find matching chords, but nothing that would let me just click on a chord chart and let me save the chart as a graphic like this:

So I wrote one myself!

Quick Chord is very easy to use. So easy the instructions are just 3 lines:
1) Click anywhere on the chart to put a dot where your finger is,
2) Click above the chart to X (mute) or O (open) as string,
3) Click the blue up/down arrows to change the first fret.

As you create a chord, the chord name (if it can be determined) is filled in at the top. To use the chord diagram in another app, just click the "Copy" button, go into your app and paste it.

Or if you need it saved as a file, click "File->Save Image As…" to save the diagram as a BMP file.

Use alternative tunings? No problem. Just click the tuning key at the bottom right! A dialog will open to allow you to enter the note for each string. The chord name algorithm uses the base tuning to figure out the actual chord notes you are fingering, and therefore calculates the correct chord name.

As always, this is freeware. All I ask is you drop me a line if you find this app useful!

Zipped Setup Installation
Download the zipped installer and follow these steps:

Click the [Zipped Setup] link in top right of the header to go to QwikChord.com to download the installer and save the file to your hard drive,
Unzip the 'QC1Install1207.zip' file,
Run 'Setup.exe' (from within the folder you unzipped the files to) to install the app.
When finished, you will find a 'QuickChord' folder on your start menu.

FEATURES AVAILABLE IN THE NEW QWIKCHORD3 SOFTWARE
First off, let me offer a sincere thank you to the following people who have taken the time to write me at length with suggestions for improving QuickChord: Neil Whittaker, Ian St.Martin, Benoit Champagne, and Don Venne. It is people like you that drive improvements to these apps!

Add custom tunings to the default list that is initially available
Use up to 10 frets to make scale diagrams
Export graphics to BMP, JPG, and PNG format
Export graphics in ANY SIZE!
Save chords as a file so users can share chord diagrams
Selectable fonts
Ability to create diagrams for instruments with 4 to 7 strings (mandolin, ukulele, and banjo)
Create custom chord "shorthand" so chords are automatically named the way you like them

REVISION NOTES
V1.2.7: This version adds the ability to put chord fingering numbers at the bottom of the chord. There are now three modes that the program works in:

Diagram+Notes mode automatically shows the note names under each string that is used in the chord. This is the default mode that QuickChord starts in.
Diagram+Intervals mode automatically shows the note interval numbers under each string used in the chord.
Basic Diagram mode shows nothing under the chord diagram. However, if you click under the diagram, you can specify the finger numbers to show there

I also re-vamped the tooltops, so the blue text above the chord tells you what you can do as you move your mouse around the chord diagram. Lastly, I added a PDF "Basic Chords for Beginners" guide in the Help menu. Thanks to Neil Whittaker for the suggestions!

V1.1.2: Major overhaul and several new features! You can now export small and large chord diagrams, insert your own custom chord names, and chose whether notes are displayed as A#/Bb, A#, or Bb. The interface was updated to include a statusbar at the bottom, which you can click on to change program settings. Also fixed a bug where intervals would 'stick' after a note was muted. Thanks to Alan Hawkins for the suggestions!

V1.0.26: Moved note and interval options to the Chord menu, and made Notes the default option. Minor link updates.

V1.0.19: Updated to include note or interval marks beneath the chord graphic. Thanks to Frank Doll from Germany for the suggestion!

V1.0.13: Updated to include a much better chord recognition engine and now features 49 unique chord forms. It is now almost impossible to enter positions and not get an accurate result. QuickChord is now the most popular download on the site, and I owe big thanks to all who have written in with feedback and suggestions.