Try ChordPro and Fumen

You can display a song’s chords without a PDF. Choose ChordPro to read chord changes with the lyrics, or Fumen to follow a progression measure by measure. Start with one short example, change one chord, and check the result.

Paste one example into a new page

With Viewer installed, use a new page for the trial. Text saves as you type, so a separate example keeps changes out of a score you already use. Access is currently for beta testers; without the app, inspect the example images first, then see how to join.

1. Open a setlist. If you have none, create one from the add button on the opening list. Inside it, choose Add → Create New → Text Page.
2. Choose ChordPro or Fumen to match the example.
3. Copy the complete source from the Japanese examples page and paste it into the new page's editor.
4. Switch to Preview to see the score. Change one chord and preview it again. When that chord changes in the expected place, the first trial is complete. See Text Page Editor for the controls; you do not need to learn every notation first.

The examples page includes copy buttons, rendered images, and these four complete sources:

• ChordPro: lyrics and chords. Two short lines of original Japanese practice lyrics, with chords above the words.
• ChordPro: verse and chorus. The same song with sections, tempo, time signature, and a performance note. You can replace the Japanese lyrics with your own words.
• Fumen: four measures. A C–F–G–C progression. Change F to Am to try a different chord.
• Fumen: sections and repeats. An eight-measure practice chart titled Evening Walk, with A and B sections and a repeat.

The Fumen examples contain no Japanese text. The images use the Fumen v1.3.3 engine bundled with PagePilot Viewer; the ChordPro images use the PagePilot display preset.

Display chords in another key

Both ChordPro and Fumen let you transpose the chords together and display them in a key that suits your singer or instrument. See how to transpose for details.

Fumen references

• Structure: measures, rows, rehearsal marks, and repeat boundaries.
• Chords: minor, seventh, slash chords, and other chord symbols.
• Cheat Sheet: look up a symbol when you need it.
• Playground: edit the official examples in your browser.

Refine Fumen display when you need it

PagePilot Viewer supports additional settings for Fumen chord display and bar numbers. Add %PARAM={"minor_label":"m","major_label":"M","diminished_label":"dim","half_diminished_label":"m7-5","augmented_label":"aug","chord_suffix_style":"inline"} on its own line at the start of a chart to show minor, major, diminished, half-diminished, and augmented qualities as letters, with suffixes at normal size on one baseline. If %PARAM already exists, add the needed keys to its JSON object.

Keep writing chords such as Am, Am7, AM7, Cdim, and C+ as usual. Choose "compact" to change only the labels while keeping the original upper/lower layout. Add %PARAM={"bar_number":"on"} to show performance-order bar numbers at row starts, and use bar_start to choose the first number. Omitting these options preserves the default display shown in the examples.

The options apply to Preview, the Score Viewer, and PDF export. They are independent additions, not upstream Fumen parameters; other tools and the upstream Playground may look different. See the complete example and parameter reference.

Write on a computer with Fumen Language Support

For longer charts, try Fumen Language Support for VS Code, provided by Katsushi Kawato, the developer of PagePilot Viewer.

It combines syntax highlighting, setting and symbol completion, templates, offline live previews, and English/Japanese notation guides. It also supports the chord-display and bar-number options above. Search VS Code Extensions for @id:kawato3.fumen-language-support to install it.

Save a .fumen file, transfer it to your tablet, and import it into PagePilot Viewer for use in a setlist. Importing is not automatic synchronization, and page settings may differ, so check Preview after importing. The extension is optional; you can also write charts entirely in PagePilot Viewer.

See the extension guide. This is an independent extension, not an official Fumen product. It does not suggest chord names or judge chord progressions or beat counts.

If the preview does not look right

Check that the selected format matches the example, then copy the entire source again. If it changed only after you edited a chord or symbol, undo that edit and compare. Once the example displays correctly, replace lyrics or progressions a little at a time.

Use Adjust Display in Preview to check the size. For missing controls or a request for the source key, see Text Page Editor. For another problem, open the manual’s problem finder.