Sheet Music - When you Sing & Play - What's Your Solution?

[CaptainUnderpant]

When I just play (and not sing) in my band, I don't use any notes / sheet music / Chord charts. I can follow the music well enough and know the songs well enough. But I want to start singing lead on some songs, and the extra distraction of having to sing, plus the need to remember the lyrics, has me thinking that I better have some good Cue Sheets .

 

Right now I use lyrics with chords above. Created in Adobe InDesign (page layout program) and converted over to a PDF for display.

 

My thoughts are to maybe get a tablet, or ipad. I currently use Cantabile, so I could even get a bigger touch screen to display the pdf's, Currently I use a 10" screen in Landscape mode, which is just a little too small. But there are many possibilities and it is likely that this wheel has already been invented.

 

For those who sing and need the lyrics, what is your solution?

[drawback]

All my charts, cheat sheets and lyrics with-or-without chords are either made up in InDesign or handwritten on 4x6 index cards. Landscaped. Just tape them together for more verses, cheat notes, whatever. They last forever. I store them in a recipe card box and they fit in pockets my Nord gig bag pouch if I only need a few for a gig. This may seem a strange solution but this method had served me well for 30+ years. I've got handwritten ones from the 80s and some done in Aldus Pagemaker!

[Kenny.]

If the 10" screen is too small, have you looked into the iPad Pro 12.9" yet? It's what I'll be upgrading to this summer. I've used an iPad 3 for a few years now, but the more I use it, the more limitations I see (especially in the screen size). Most malls have an Apple store, so you can walk right in and really see if the display is right for your use case.

[harmonizer]

Some things that might help:

- for some songs, I have written a tiny cheat sheet which lists only the first line of each verse, because if you get the first line right, you will probably remember the rest of the verse.

- we play gigs from set lists whose order has been decided in advance, and we print out large print hardcopies of the song list for each set. Usually there is room on these to include (on my copy) the reminders of the first line of each verse for those few songs I sing lead.

- writing anything by hand on a piece of paper imprints things into my memory, in ways that copying them from the web or typing them by hand does not.

[aronnelson]

Everyone knows what I use - I have an iPad Pro - but even the regular iPad is fine for me. The beauty is that I play with many different bands and I can always pull up their music. Many times I have more music ready than they remember playing.

[StanC]

I don't use any music or charts. I only sing lead a few songs. For those, my cheat sheet consists of only a few words. Usually just the first couple words of each verse is enough to trigger the rest. That all fits on a half sheet of paper taped to my board.

 

 

 

 

[CEB]

I can't remember ****.

 

I use Mobilesheets Pro on an Android tablet with a suction cup mount that sticks to a keyboard.

 

http://www.zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/

 

Only issue is you need to arrive to the gig early because the suction cup does NOT stick well if the keys are changing external temperture. My notes are mainly things like when to mute certain zones. Or what zones are what sounds.

 

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/CEB2/498247AC-8480-4156-B4DB-92F79C8C7D2E_zpsfuvvcej8.jpg

[Daniel Heslop]

I only use charts or lyrics when I first learn a song. I do quite a bit of freelance work so it can be hard to remember it all.

 

I generally use an iPad and create my charts in word. If I need notation I create the part I need with Encore and take a screen shot, then paste it into the word document. Then I save it as a pdf, email it to my iPad and open it in iBooks.

If it is all notation then I save the encore file as a pdf.

 

If it's just a chord chart and I don't need lyrics or notation, I make charts with bar lines so I know timing, and use a big font, make a pdf and send it to my iPod (or iPhone for most of you)

 

I know a couple singers who use "set list" or other scrolling lyric apps too.

 

[Danny Linguini]

I suffer from chronic CRS (can't remember shit), so I need charts for everything. I've got a library full of MS Word docs of lyrics and changes right above them. I used to just do the changes for the first verse and chorus; but as my CRS has progressed, I now squeeze the changes through the whole thing for every verse. Since I started this stuff ages ago before there was such a thing as an iPad, I've done everything the old fashioned way -- printed, punched, and hung in a 3 ring binder. I also scribble program and drum machine settings on the top of the pages. I also do what Shutoku does with notation if there's something particular I might forget -- cut and paste it out of Finale into the doc. Because every gig is a little different, I keep them in alphabetical order, which makes it a bit of a pain shuffling pages between songs, but it works. I just don't have the ambition to find an app that I like and then transfer maybe hundreds of docs into it, only to find after actually using it that I'd rather have a different one and go through that all over again. The paper and binder works for me, and the only thing that can go wrong with it is forgetting to bring it... or the music stand.

[theGman]

Just memorize the song! Make a CD if you need to, and burn it into your brain... When you can YouTube a different version of the same song by the same group and notice their variations, you got it.

 

Sometimes, if there is someone else singing a song in a different key than usual, if I start the song, I just write the key with a pen on my copy of the set list. Not very fancy, but it works every time as long as you have ink in the pen.

 

If I don't intro the song, I just listen to the first note played and immediately go into that key. Sure beats writing them all down.

The set list will be modified depending on the crowd anyway...we have so many songs (as I'm sure you all do), we rarely get a request that we can't play. The biggest problem on an old song, or a new one we haven't yet played, is to just get through the intro and then things will be fine.

 

Sure, if we are bringing back a song that we haven't played in, say, 3 to 6+ months, we run through the necessary areas once or twice as needed at practice. Usually this is in intros and occasionally endings.

 

Our biggest gig problem is the lead singer not getting the timing issues right. The second biggest is the drummer generally not starting it right.

 

Paul

[Kenny.]

I suffer from chronic CRS (can't remember shit)

Haha! I feel your pain, brother.

[tiny66]

I can't believe any gigging musician is still using paper sheets and ring binders.

I started using OnSong on my IPad about six months ago and have never looked back - It's brilliant!!!

http://onsongapp.com/

 

My band has about 150 songs in its current repertoire which I can organise into set lists in minutes. Adding new songs is fairly easy. You can import lyric/chord sheets from word or PDF. I can even change key and edit on the fly.

 

I cannot recommend it enough and no I don't work for the company

 

Simon

 

 

[Danny Linguini]

I can't believe any gigging musician is still using paper sheets and ring binders.

I started using OnSong on my IPad about six months ago and have never looked back - It's brilliant!!!

http://onsongapp.com/

 

My band has about 150 songs in its current repertoire which I can organise into set lists in minutes. Adding new songs is fairly easy. You can import lyric/chord sheets from word or PDF. I can even change key and edit on the fly.

 

I cannot recommend it enough and no I don't work for the company

 

Simon

 

 

I'd love to try it. How do you get the word docs from your Mac into the iPad?

[Justin Havu]

Easy way to do it is save the documents as PDF's, then get a PDF reader on the iPad (I use Adobe Reader), then just transfer the files to the iPad using iTunes.

[Danny Linguini]

Easy way to do it is save the documents as PDF's, then get a PDF reader on the iPad (I use Adobe Reader), then just transfer the files to the iPad using iTunes.

 

I see Onsong can also import Word docs through Dropbox, so I just dragged a bunch of my charts in there to see how it works. WTF for $20 ... I dump many times that on far more useless crap. So let's give it a go.

 

Next question will be what people use to mount an iPad to the keyboard stand, but I'm sure my ol pal Google will be of great help there.

 

Edit: Major pain in the ass. I'll have to reformat every friggin one of my charts in order for them to import into Onsong as anything remotely usable. Or I have to go edit the crap out of the imported files, which is almost as much work as entering them all in manually. I just don't see the benefits of the app to warrant all that work, especially seeing that their smaller text size will be difficult for me to read. I'll mess with it a bit more, but I'm not seeing anything that's going to save me from a crapload of editing. I guess I'll be sticking with my archaic binder at least for now.

[CEB]

I hate typing. Most of my notes in Mobilesheets Pro I just write on a 5x8" index card then take a picture with my tablet. When you install Mobilesheets your Picture Gallery has a button to export them straight to Mobilesheets. In Mobilesheets you give the picture a name that makes sense then add them to your setlist.

[Stokely]

I've been singing more lead, and unfortunately I've noticed I can remember how to play songs 1000 times better than I can remember lyrics.

 

Even songs I've sung lots of times still give me issues.

 

Using cue sheets or having a tablet is a pain, plus my eyesight for reading has gotten pretty bad! So I do my best without lyrics. Though, having the first word or two of verses is a pretty good idea...that's enough to get you going most likely.

 

I do better when I memorize songs and just "let it flow" at the show---vs concentrating and going over and over the lyrics in my mind. When I do that it just sort of slips away...kind of like when Princess Leia tells Tarkin "the more star systems will just slip through your fingers" LOL

 

Our regular lead singer knows I have trouble at a few spots and jumps in with harmonies if she hears me hesitate. Example: You May Be Right, which *does* have verse harmonies but not on the first line...ours often has them on every line

 

Hilariously, I sing Some Kind of Wonderful and a couple times completely blanked on the first line...the band was just grooving along and finally the guitar player turns around and mouths the line to me

 

 

[tiny66]

Re the mounting on keyboard stand.

I use a Quiklok IPS11 and it works great.

 

Re importing Word docs.

I use a Mac but the principle is the same when using Windows. Your Word files will be .doc or .docx - Make sure you use "Courier" font and save as "Plain Text" format. I then drag the file into Dropbox. Open the OnSong app and import the file.

There it is!

I understand that sometimes you may have to use PDF's for sheet music but for chord/lyric sheets use Word, then you can edit with ease.

 

Simon

 

 

[Danny Linguini]

Tiny66, I'm using MS Orafice for Mac. The import via Dropbox worked very well. My problem is that I have the song title, artist, and file name in the header area, and the first line of the doc itself is usually the key and/or changes for the intro. So the heading area of the song when it's imported is two lines of chord changes in very large font.

 

Other issue is that the chord changes don't come over well. I have them above the lyric lines in a smaller font, but after import the spacing is totally borked. More major editing needed to get them lined up with the lyrics that I don't feel like doing.

 

[Chris Link]

OnSong does require a lot of editing after importing a lyric and chord sheet. But I don't know if any of the apps work any more smoothly. You can upload PDFs easily and I have every fake book tune that I know in a songbook.

 

Making and editing set lists is very easy.

 

BTW, you can change the font size for each category (lyrics, chords, etc.) individually. Tap the slider button in the upper left between the sticky note and the gear icons.

[Chris Link]

Also, the sticky note is a good way to leave yourself a reminder as well.

[tiny66]

Sleepngbear. What appears in the header such as your song title and artist is easily changeable. OnSong uses a format called Chordpro and it uses various command lines and this can be a bit troublesome. Something as simple as a full stop or semi-colon in the wrong place can produce bold words where you might not want them. Use the editing function (the pencil in the menu bar) and examine your text. As I stated previously if you use Word documents you must use Courier font and save in Plain Text format. This will make editing a lot easier.

 

The suggestion of the "sticky note" is a great one as this works very well for simple reminders.

Simon

 

[Danny Linguini]

Sleepngbear. What appears in the header such as your song title and artist is easily changeable. OnSong uses a format called Chordpro and it uses various command lines and this can be a bit troublesome. Something as simple as a full stop or semi-colon in the wrong place can produce bold words where you might not want them. Use the editing function (the pencil in the menu bar) and examine your text. As I stated previously if you use Word documents you must use Courier font and save in Plain Text format. This will make editing a lot easier.

 

The suggestion of the "sticky note" is a great one as this works very well for simple reminders.

Simon

 

Thanks much for the tips -- I do appreciate it.

 

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Actually, you can take your existing Word documents, open in the computer, then save the documents in text format. Then import from the .txt file instead of the .docx file. Done, although this alone won't change the header information if you don't have it in the right order.

[CaptainUnderpant]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I am starting the process of implementing digital cue sheets. I chose the following path to start.

Samsung Galaxy S2 Tablet 9.7 - $400

Set List Maker - $12.99

 

I bought the tablet yesterday, so this is very preliminary assessment, and I have no android OS experience.

 

In SetList Maker, I imported one of my previous cue sheets, a pdf (Single Page 8.5 x 11) with all of the lyrics and some chords for Billy Joel Piano Man, a fairly information dense sheet. My initial reaction was that the pdf displayed in portrait mode on the 9.7" screen would be two small and if displayed in landscape I would need to scroll.

 

However, after reviewing the capabilities of the Tablet and Set List Maker, I think I am going to be quite pleased if I make the following changes.

 

1) Change the formatting of the text in the original pdf. Eliminate margins. Change the fonts from Serif Fonts to San Serif Fonts (easier to read). Use a significantly larger font.

 

2) Use the auto scroll Feature of Set List Maker to manage the flow of lyrics over the screen. This one feature seems like it is well thought out and will greatly help limit the clutter on screen and make the 9.7" display work.

 

One thing I REALLY liked with Set List Maker is that PDF's are displayed "Negatively". My pdf's with White background and Black Text are displayed as Black background with White Text. For a dark lounge setting this seems much more readable and looks more elegant.

 

Now I just have to figure out how to mount it. Does anybody recommend a "Tablet Attachment Head" that attaches to a "Microphone" stand?

[WesG]

That's way too much for "Piano Man". The problem you're going to run into is that you will be tempted into reading from the tablet. This immediately translates into two things:

 

1 - audience interaction is gone

2 - mic technique suffers

 

I'll add that I when I read, sing, and play that I have the additional problem that the microphone blocks my view!

 

IMO, your chart for Piano Man should look something like

 

Key: C - chorus Am - solo Am blues

 

V1: It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday

V2: He said son won't you sing me a melody

 

V3: Now John at the bar is a friend of mine

V4: He said Bill I believe this is killing me

 

V5: Now Paul is a real estate novelist

V6: And the waitress is practicing politics

 

Solo

 

V7: It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday

V8: And the piano it sounds like a carnival

 

If you need more than that, you don't know the song, and should consider learning it better before performing it.

[BluesKeys]

I use Setlist Maker with and iPad 3 for about 4+ years. It has worked like a charm, especially those songs you rarely play or sing.

 

You should be able to use a bluetooth pedal to flip-scroll pages.

[NoahZark]

iPad Air with OnSong for me. I mount the iPad on its own mic stand using a K&M iPad holder.

 

It definitely takes some work to get everything inputted/formatted but dead simple to use and reliable after it's set up.

[CaptainUnderpant]

That's way too much for "Piano Man". The problem you're going to run into is that you will be tempted into reading from the tablet. This immediately translates into two things:

 

1 - audience interaction is gone

2 - mic technique suffers

 

I'll add that I when I read, sing, and play that I have the additional problem that the microphone blocks my view!

 

IMO, your chart for Piano Man should look something like

 

Key: C - chorus Am - solo Am blues

 

V1: It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday

V2: He said son won't you sing me a melody

 

V3: Now John at the bar is a friend of mine

V4: He said Bill I believe this is killing me

 

V5: Now Paul is a real estate novelist

V6: And the waitress is practicing politics

 

Solo

 

V7: It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday

V8: And the piano it sounds like a carnival

 

If you need more than that, you don't know the song, and should consider learning it better before performing it.

 

Wes, Yes good suggestion. I do know the song well, but I guess if the lyrics are there then there is a temptation to read rather than use it for a Cue. Thanks..

[CaptainUnderpant]

I just downloaded "Band Helper" which is essentially "Set List Maker" but networked, so that you can input everything on your own desktop and everything then shows up on your Tablet. Much more productive.

 

Plus if my band members decide to get with the digital program, I sync all of my info with them.

 

Set List Maker was $12.99. Band Helper is $1 per month for just me. Well worth it IMO.

 

Just a heads up to anybody using Set List Maker, that they should look at Arlo Media's big brother "Band Helper". It turns a good tool into an AMAZING tool.