Blank chord boxes
Nut on top. Dots go on the crossings, O = open, X = muted.
Blank chord charts
Set up blank chord boxes, TAB staves and fretboard diagrams, then print or save as PDF. One sheet is one A4 page, free, no signup, no watermark.
- formats
- 3 sheets
- densest grid
- 54 boxes
- page
- one sheet = one page
- cost
- no signup
the printable sheetsctrl/cmd + P prints the same sheet
Nothing to set up here: TAB paper is staves end to end, and the page is filled.
20 boxes, 4 across, 5 frets each, one A4 page
One sheet is one A4 page: the grid is measured against the paper, so nothing spills onto a second page and you never set a page count. Want a filled-in reference next to your blanks? Grab the 36-chord printable chart, or browse all 166 chord diagrams.
Print settings that keep the sheets clean
Print settings that keep the sheets clean
The sheets are line art, so the print dialog decides how they come out far more than the page does. These are the settings that leave the fret lines sharp.
The page count is not one of them. The sheet is fitted to the paper before you ever open the dialog, so one format is one page: if the dialog offers two, the scale is not at 100 percent and shrink-to-fit is scaling the last row over the edge.
| Setting | A4 | US Letter | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper | A4 210 x 297 mm | Letter 8.5 x 11 in | The preview is A4. On Letter the same sheet re-fits to the shorter page and stays one page. |
| Margins | None or 0 | None or 0 | The sheet carries its own 12 mm margin, so the page adds nothing. A default margin still prints one page, just smaller. |
| Scale | 100 percent | 100 percent | Shrink to fit scales the sheet up and can push the last row onto a second page; keep the scale at 100. |
| Background | Off | Off | The sheets are line art drawn in text colour, so they print with backgrounds off. |
How to print a sheet
- Set the density first. Pick the format, then how many boxes go across and how many frets each box draws. You never set a row count: the grid is fitted to the page, so the drawing beside the controls already shows the whole sheet you are about to print.
- Press print. The button in the control panel calls the same dialog as Ctrl/Cmd+P. Only the sheet you configured is printed: navigation, the controls and this text drop out.
- Choose Save as PDF for a worksheet file. Set paper to A4 or US Letter, set margins to none and keep the scale at 100 percent: the sheet brings its own margin, and shrink-to-fit is what pushes a row onto a second page. A PDF can be emailed, reused next term and printed again without the browser.
- Write the first row yourself. A blank sheet with one worked example teaches faster than a blank sheet alone. Fill in C, G and Am, then copy the page and let the student complete the rest.
What are blank chord charts?
A blank chord chart is a printable sheet of empty chord boxes, and teaching with a blank sheet is a different job from handing out a filled-in chart. A blank box leaves the shape for the student to write, so copying the dots becomes part of the lesson. This page prints three formats, and you set the density of each one before you print: how many boxes go across, whether a box shows four, five or six frets, and how many frets a fretboard diagram draws. How many fit on the page is not a setting: the grid is measured against A4, so every sheet prints as exactly one full page. TAB paper runs 10 staves down the page, and the fretboard diagram draws twelve to twenty-two frets with the inlays marked. Everything is line art in text colour, so a sheet costs almost no ink and prints on A4 or US Letter without scaling. Use the boxes for voicings, the staves for riffs, and the wide fretboards for scale maps. The chord wall has the filled-in version of every shape, and reading chord charts explains the dots and numbers.
54boxes, the densest grid this tool prints
22frets, the longest board it draws
3formats, each fitted to one A4 page
Learn & referenceExamples, charts and deeper explanation
Three paper formats, and what each one is printed for
Each format answers a different lesson, and each one is set up in the panel before you print. These are the ranges the tool draws, so you can plan a handout before you open the print dialog.
chord boxes
- Per A4 sheet
- 4 to 54 boxes, always one page
- Grid
- 2 to 6 across, rows fitted to the paper
- Frets per box
- 4, 5 or 6
- Typical use
- Fingering charts
TAB paper
- Per A4 sheet
- 10 staves, filling the page
- Lines per staff
- 6
- Top line
- high e string
- Typical use
- Riffs and solos
fretboard diagrams
- Per A4 sheet
- 6 to 6 diagrams, always one page
- Frets drawn
- 12, 15, 17 or 22
- Position marks
- inlays and fret numbers
- Typical use
- Scales and positions
How teachers use these sheets
The sheet is the worksheet, not the answer key. Write four or five shapes into the boxes before the lesson and photocopy the page: the student fills the gaps from memory, then checks them against the chord wall, where every diagram carries fingerings and audio. The same page works as a songwriting pad. When a shape sounds good but has no name yet, sketch it into a box, then take it to the chord identifier to name it, or to the chord builder to hear it spelled out by interval.
For a full lesson plan around the neck, pair the sheets with the fretboard notes chart and the scale finder, then send students home with the song sheets that use the shapes they just wrote down.
The shapes students write into the boxes
These four open chords are the usual first row of a worksheet. Print the thumbnails as a reference strip, or keep the sheet blank and let the student fill it from these.
Blank chord charts FAQ
Can I change the number of boxes or frets?
You set the density, the paper sets the count. The panel picks the format, then how many boxes go across and whether each box draws four, five or six frets. The rows follow from that: the grid is measured against the A4 page, so a sheet is always one page filled top to bottom, anywhere from 4 to 54 boxes. The readout under the controls always shows the count you are about to print.
Will a big grid print on two pages?
No. The row count is not a setting, it is the result of fitting the grid to the page, so the print dialog shows one page per sheet. If it ever offers two, the scale is not at 100 percent: shrink to fit is scaling the sheet up and pushing the last row over.
Can I use these sheets in my classroom?
Yes, print as many copies as you like for lessons, worksheets and handouts. They are free for personal and educational use, with no watermark and no signup.
How do I print these as a PDF?
Press the print button (or Ctrl/Cmd+P) and choose "Save as PDF" as the printer. The page switches to a print stylesheet automatically: navigation, controls and the article text drop out, and only the sheet you configured is printed.
What are blank chord boxes used for?
Teachers write chord voicings into them for students; songwriters sketch new shapes before they forget them; students use them to quiz themselves. Each box shows four to six frets with the nut on top, dots go on the string crossings, O above open strings, X above muted ones.