*** Updated March 2022 ***
HELP, SUPPORT
in More>Help & Support or Help menu in Mac version.
Or see the Help section on our website for more information:
https://irealpro.com/support/
123
see Number notation
AAC
audio file format (similar to mp3)
see Audio export
Accessibility
iOS>Settings>Accessibility. We have some musicians with poor visibility using some of these options like VoiceOver.
Airplay (Apple)
iOS and Mac versions support Apple Airplay (Mac, Prefs>Audio>Airplay offset)
Airturn
http://airturn.com/
bluetooth (wireless) foot pedals and handheld devices for turning pages, start, stop (bluetooth keyboards might also work.)
iReal Pro for iOS only
- iOS settings>Bluetooth, turn on and pair
- iReal Pro More>Airturn (turn ON)
with 4 options: previous song, next song, play/pause, stop
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...8871#post18871
Alternate chords
appear above the existing chords (changes) in a small size as alternative chords. In this example, you might choose to play B-7 then E7 (two beats each) instead of the E7 throughout the measure. In jazz, different recordings might have different changes, so iReal Pro offers the alternate chords facility to indicate both if needed.
Attachment 481
The player ignores alternate chords. They can be used as reference or for solos, or perhaps indicating a simpler chord quality with the player voicing a more complex chord (or vice versa).
Audiobus (iOS)
No longer supported (2019) however was supported a few years ago (old versions of iReal Pro)
Audio export
.wav or AAC
iOS - from Song view, tap for menus, then tap the Share icon.
Mac - Song view>Share>Share audio
Android - Song view, Share>Share Audio. Save to Drive, email. Some file managers show in the Save window giving options to save to sdcard. Your music app might find it automatically to play. Install the Dropbox app for Dropbox to appear in this save window.
Audio lag - see Bluetooth lag adjustment
Background audio
Works well on recent devices, you can sleep and Play continues.
Backup
Highly recommended! Also recommended before turning on sync on each of your Apple devices. With sync on, it stores your songs in iCloud which functions as an on-going backup (see Sync).
iOS - Settings>Backup (More screen in older versions)
use to create a backup file of playlists and all songs. Email to yourself or save to Files (iOS11 and above) (or Dropbox etc.)
Mac - iReal Pro menu>Backup or Preferences>Utilities>Backup
Save to disk, or cloud backup.
Android - Settings>Backup (older devices More>Backup). A Share window will open once the backup file has been created. Some file managers will list in this share window so you can save to sdcard. Cloud apps (like Dropbox) should show here also as well as email and Save to Drive.
We have implemented Google's Android OS backup to the cloud so if you restore, reset or purchase another device, once logged in to your Google account, song data should restore. Google however does not guarantee this will work on every Android device due to the diversity of the OS, its implementation by manufacturers etc. Make sure your device's Settings>Backup and reset is set up correctly.
Bass notes/inversions
Use the slash text character to create the normal chord and slash bass note e.g. Bb/C, or F-69/D
To hide the chord symbol to only show the bass note, use the invisible character (it looks like a blue blob in Song edit).
Attachment 482
Attachment 483
In Song edit, tap/click the invisible character then enter the bass note. In the Mac version, you can also type w/
You can use the small size for inversions if needed (see Normal/Small below.)
Background color
you can set the color of the chords and background color (default is black chords on white background)
iOS/Android - Settings (cog), colors
Mac - Prefs>General
see Night mode
Bluetooth lag adjustment
Android only - More window. Adjust to correct sync between audio and playback position (showing which measure is playing)
Break
Add the word break at any measure, drums will stop with a shot on beat one, then resume playing at the next double barline in the sequence.
This is usually used in conjunction with N.C. (No chords - see below for definition) so there is silence. This is ideal for pickup measures.
https://technimo.helpshift.com/hc/en...-symbol-break/
The Break is understood in the player in newer versions of iReal Pro only (No Break feature in previous versions 2020.7 or lower)
Changes
a jazz term meaning chords. The 'changes' are the chords that 'change' throughout the tune, hence the term.
Chord anticipation (discontinued October 2015)
related to adjusting the Playback position earlier. This was a feature in earlier versions, but unfortunately had to be eliminated due to the complexity of timing issues etc.
Chord diagrams
(for piano, guitar and ukulele)
piano (both one and two-handed)
guitar and ukulele (support for left or right hand players)
Can be viewed for study within each measure on the chord chart (font) or automatically displayed for each measure as it is played. Multiple diagrams for each chord quality are available (with a few exceptions, where only one is available) and can be chosen for a particular chord symbol by tap/click on the diagram as it plays and choosing the appropriate variant.
iOS - bottom right icon
Mac - Chords icon (right side or bottom menu)
Android - bottom right icon
Chord/Scales
activated in the same way as Chord diagrams are showing options for the scales related to the chords, appearing as each measure is played. They obey the global transpose key set for transposing instruments, so show in the same key as the chords do. As with diagrams, they can be set to show a specific scale for a particular chord (for A maj, it could be set to lydian for instance).
chord quality
see quality
Coda
Coda instructions in our blog:
https://technimo.helpshift.com/hc/en...8-coda-symbol/
The Coda is the ending measures (bars) of a song, although in jazz sometimes it is part of the form and played each time in each repeat. Somewhere in the piece indicates when you jump to the coda (unless there is only one Coda symbol at the end section, and in this case it is only played the last time by the player).
comping
generally a jazz term meaning "accompanying" where a pianist, guitarist (organist etc.) plays supporting chord structures behind the melody, vocal or soloist.
copy/paste
see More>Help for instructions on copy/paste techniques when in edit mode.
Used for instance, to copy an A section lower down in the chart without having to enter all the chords one-by-one again, or copy/paste from one chart to another.
count in
Found in the mixer, settings for either 1 bar, 2 bar, Auto or Off; and its volume.
Auto relates to time; for slow songs only 1 bar is used for the count, for faster songs, 2 bars are used (relates to the tempo set for the song). This is useful for horn players for instance, who tap Play, then need time to pick up their instrument. They need time (seconds) rather than time (tempo) to do this.
Custom quality
if a chord quality is not available in Song Edit, you might be able to enter your own Custom chord quality by using a normal keyboard (not the iReal Pro editor keyboard). The player cannot play your custom chord (a warning appears you when you press play) but the song will play through. This is more useful for producing a chart for visual reference rather than for play.
Always check the chord quality menu first to check if the quality exists in an equivalent form. The chord qualities listed there are the official ones the player understands and plays.
Dark mode (see Theme)
Diagrams (chord)
see Chord diagrams
End
The END in Song edit is not seen on the chart in Song view and is used when wanting the Player to stop at the first beat of the last measure at the end of the song (without continuing through that measure then playing the ending chord).
Commonly used in songs (like "All the things you are”) where you want the song to finish before seeing the last part of the measure which contains a turnaround).
FAQ (forum)
Frequently Asked Questions
located on the forum menu bar;
a generalized set of answers to questions you might want to know about using the forum itself. It comes built-in to our forum software for everyone to view, so it is quite generic in its explanations. If you are seeking information about how to do something at the forum (e.g. how to post or change your password) look here first.
http://irealb.com/forums/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq
If you seek information specific to iReal Pro, then take a look at our Support forum area.
Fine
Fine (FEE-nay) in association with DC or DS (al Fine), can be used to mark the completion of the song's "form" for the player feature. Entered below the final measure of the song’s “form”.
If there are player repeats remaining, the song will jump to and restart at the first A Section.
More: https://www.irealb.com/forums/showth...2925#post52925
Find
Search for the song currently showing on the device (your music folder) or web. Useful for finding the song on YouTube for reference or lyrics etc.
iOS, Song view tap for menus, Share>Find
Mac, Song view, Share>Find on the web
Android, Song view, Share>Find (uses your default browser)
(There is also a Search within iReal Pro to find a specific song; and Search in forums for songs others have posted here at the forum.)
Fermata
A musical symbol meaning a pause at that beat in the measure. Currently the player does not respond to the fermata. It is used as a visual cue for the musicians (as it does in written music notation).
Form
The order in which the sections of a song are played to form the "complete" song for performance..
for example: AABA, AABB, ABA, AABC, ABCD
Help
More>Support, Help, Contact Us (iOS and Android)
Help menu (Mac)
Highlight Rehearsal Symbols
Repeat barlines, rehearsal letters, segno, coda, text is shown in red
Set this either on or off in Song chart settings (cog), (Mac, Preferences>General)
IAP
in-app purchase. Additional playback style packs can be purchased using the same account you used for purchasing iReal Pro. We added Salsa (available in iReal Pro versions 2022.2 and higher) and Blues which has been available for a few years now.
Please see our user guide Help for more information.
invisible character
see bass notes
irb
- acronym sometimes used historically by users standing for 'iReal b' (the previous name for iReal Pro) (iRp)
.irb format (discontinued legacy file format)
originally used in (legacy versions) of iReal b for Mac. The file format was not compatible with iReal Pro for iOS nor Android imports—mainly used for backup or email to others using iReal Pro for Mac exclusively. iReal Pro for Mac can no longer import this file format (nor does it save in it).
Layout conventions
We have published a forum support guide of our layout conventions when inputting your tune. Please refer to it before uploading your tune to our forum.
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...&p=301#post301
Loop
a loop feature for practicing a section of a song with the player. The complete song is analyzed. Any repeats, D.C.. D.S. etc. indicated within the selected measures are adhered to (meaning it could play measures outside the loop if necessary to get to the last measure indicated in the loop selection). Often used with the Practice feature, where you can set it to change keys (and/or tempo) each time the loop repeats. Useful for jazz musicians to practice chord progressions in all keys.
A single measure cannot be looped.
More>Help>Tutorials for information on how to set a loop (Mac Help>Tutorials)
See Practice
midi file export
iOS - Song view>Share>Share Audio>midi
Android - Song view, Share>Share audio>midi
Uses include importing to notation software (like Musescore), Garageband, sequencers, DAWs etc. for further development of the song using iReal Pro as a basis, studying its piano voicings or bass lines.
Because we use our own internal drum sound mappings, the midi drum track does not adhere to the standard midi drum map.
minor or hyphen (minus)
to input a minor chord in Edit, use hyphen, C-7 (equals Cm7). There is a global setting for changing the hyphen into m automatically, but it does not change an inputted m to a hyphen. If you are sharing charts with others, it is best to use hyphen, then on their device running iReal Pro, they can choose which they want to see.
The player should recognise lowercase m and play it as a minor however.
MusicXML file
exports the chord symbols and measures in a similar way to how the chart itself is laid out. (It should also import with D.S., D.C., and repeats.) It does not export any midi notes (you do this separately).
Useful if using notation software (like Musescore) where you need to prepare melody, lyrics with chord symbols or a chart with chord symbols above the staves (for student assessment).
Often used in conjunction with the midi file to study its piano voicings.
Export the music XML of the song using the Share menu.
iOS and Mac—Song view>Share Chord Chart>MusicXML
Android - Song view, Share>Share Chord Chart>Music XML
More info:
http://www.makemusic.com/musicxml/
N or S the size of the chords
Normal/Small
refers to the size of the font used to make the chord symbol. In a song with 4 spaces per each measure, you often need Small where you have chords beside each other in the 3rd and 4th beat for example (however long chord qualities, will still overlap into the next beat.) The Size remains in place until the other size is inserted. (You do not need to use the size for each chord, only when you need them to change again.)
Night mode
reverses colors to white chords on black background (less reflection showing on your face, useful on dark stages or pits)
iOS/Android - Settings (cog)
Number notation
(loosely based on the Nashville numbering system)
iOS - Song settings (cog icon)>FONT>123 Number notation.
Mac - Font>123 Number notation
Android - Song view, Settings (cog) Font>Number Notation
A song cannot be input in numbers, it has to have a key with chords entered in this key.
Individual songs can be shared as a PDF page.
Playlists can be shared as a single (multipaged) PDF (new in v8.2).
Preparation: sort the playlist alphabetically or manually (this is the page order); check (set) Global transpose for the recipient’s instrument.
Player
Playback provides a backing using your chosen style from the various styles available (some styles cannot play in some time signatures).
iOS - Song view, tap to see the player controls at the bottom
Mac - press spacebar or click the play button to play or pause; the period key (.) will stop
Android - Song view, touch for the player controls at the bottom
Options include tempo (bpm), tap tempo, repeats (specifies how many times the song will play through), pause, stop, mixer and shows the selected rhythm style.
Tempo can be changed during playback.
The mixer has volume controls for the instruments (either 3 or 4 according to the style). Tap any instrument icon in the mixer to change the instrument playing that track (not all instruments are available for all the styles). Choose the two sounds used for the count; set volume for the count.
Player settings (bpm, key, style) are retained for each song (and for a song residing in different playlists).
Mac users can click on the Play button in edit mode for checking (without having to exit the song each time, useful for songwriters).
Also see: Playback location, audio export, tap tempo, count in, loop, Styles pack
Playback position
When on, the measure the player is playing is highlighted (a choice of colors in iOS and Mac). This is useful for beginner's, practice or analyzing correct behavior of the song's form—repeats, DC, DS, Coda etc. while preparing the song.
iOS/Android - Settings (cog)
in Settings (Mac prefs)>Playback position ... on or off.
PM (forum)
private message
See forum FAQ:
http://irealb.com/forums/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq
Practice (icon looks like a graduation hat)
Option to increase tempo at each repeat.
Option to change key at each repeat.
Or both at once.
This works with normal song play or looping.
It is global so remember to turn it off after your practice or make sure you check its settings are off before playing live!
quality
refers to the characters after the letter name of the chord. For example, C–7 or Cm7 would have the quality of minor 7.
also see<i>Custom quality</i>
Recording
a very basic recording facility which plays the song and records from your device's microphone at the same time. Useful for analysing your playing, recording for your teacher or just having some fun! (Recommendation: use (wired) headphones.)
Export the audio and use a DAW if you want more control and detail.
Rehearsal letters (marks)
Used to mark out sections of the song.
A, B, C - useful to visually mark the form of the song. In switch styles (Jazz-latin/swing for instance), the A section will play in latin for the first and last chorus. Styles may vary the B section slightly (compared to the A section) as it plays through the song (similar to how a band might play the chorus slightly differently each time.)
IN - INTRO - used to specifically mark the intro section (played only the once when the song plays, unless specifically indicated to return there with D.C.) (Tip: use a letter A where the song actually starts otherwise the player does not know where the introduction ends and where to repeat to each subsequent time).
V - Verse - similar in behavior to Intro. (Some people use V to mean vocal intro).
Tip: use a double barline at a rehearsal letter. (It is usual convention to do this, as double barlines are used to visually mark out different sections of the song). Double barlines provide a drum fill during playback.
(also see Form)
Rousseau
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...MusicPad/page2
http://normanschmidt.net/abc/Rousseau.htm
One of our members here at the forum uses our song format along with a numbering system that indicates melody as a number. It is supported by an iOS app he has developed.
Search (within the Forum window)
used to find song titles posted at the forum. This is a specific search coded to search our forum.
(Tip: If you are uploading a song for others to use, check first to see if it already exists.)
Search (for a song within iReal Pro)
iOS - at very top above letter A in song index or playlist (tap at the very top of the window for fast scroll to the top of the list)
Mac - top menu bar (move mouse to top of the screen in full screen mode to show the search field), then click inside, type the search word(s)
Android - top right of song index
Use to quickly find a song title (Tip: if the title contains an uncommon word, use it.)
Segno
is the musical symbol to mean come back to here when indicated with a D.S. placed later in the form.
Setlist (new in v8.2)
from a playlist, sharing a Setlist will list the songs in that playlist (with their keys) in order. Used for sending the song list to others in your band.
Share menu
Share Chord Chart (iReal Pro format, PDF, image, audio export as .wav or AAC, midi, MusicXML, Record, Add the song to a Playlist. Post the song chart to forums.
Share a Playlist - with the playlist songs and each song’s settings as they are set within this playlist
see PDF
Small
and Normal, refers to the size of the font used to make the chord symbol
see Normal/Small
Support
contact us directly within the app, More>Support (Mac, Help menu)
Staff Text
see Text
Styles Pack
Additional style packs are available from time to time. Currently (v8) the blues styles are available as in-app purchases on all platforms. All previous style packs are now free inside the app. More>Store (Mac, Preferences>Store)
Sync
iOS and Mac only (v8 and above)
sync information available in More>Help, Mac, Help>Help and Support
Off by default. iOS, More>iCloud sync. Mac, Prefs>iCloud sync.
Used to sync songs and playlists between Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, Mac) using iCloud
(NOT available to sync shared playlists among different users in a band). It also acts as a backup (turn it on even if you only have one device).
Purchasing a new device and turning on sync should result in the existing song data being imported automatically (although it will merge any songs already in there, including the default exercise songs, so you might want to Erase all before turning on sync).
(The data is not visible in your iCloud folder. It functions in a similar way to how your calendar syncs your different devices.)
Recommended: before turning on sync, run a backup first unless it is a new device.
System (music notation term)
the line of measures running horizontally across the page is called a system.
(In iReal Pro there are 16 spaces available making a system which works nicely for a 4/4 piece of four measures (bars), but for other time signatures it will still work merely by changing the time signature in Song edit and in general the song should still play. For instance, a song in 4/4 will play in 3/4 after you change the time sig. No re-spacing or reorganising is necessary. Where you might have problems is if there are four chords in a 3/4 measure and similar problems with odd time signatures like 5/8, 7/8.
Tap tempo
tap inside the tempo window (or comma key-Mac) to set the tempo of playback. Although it is possible to tap tempo during playback, it can result in jumps in tempo as it stabilises, so it is best to use the incremental buttons for slight changes while playing (or stop playback altogether to set the desired tempo).
Text
refers to the Text entered in Edit mode beginning at a certain space or measure. Use the arrows to move the text up (or down). Suitable for 'rall' or 'sax solo' etc. The text button opens the menu of often used text, DC, DS, 3x, 4x (repeats) etc.
The font cannot be changed, nor can the text size. It is not designed for lyrics, although it is possible to add lyrics (please no lyrics in songs uploaded to this forum).
Use two forward slashes (later versions) // to move subsequent text to the next line down, so you can have text phrases under each other (similar to how a poem might be shown on a page).
iOS https://technimo.helpshift.com/hc/en...text-to-chart/
Mac https://technimo.helpshift.com/hc/en...3831463/?p=mac
Theme
in later versions of iReal Pro, Settings>Theme (Mac, in iReal Pro Preferences) you can set to Dark mode (options: System or Dark)
This is different from Night mode.
thread (forum term)
a topic containing the collection of questions and replies (posts) relating to the first post. Forum moderators might organise threads and their posts by transferring posts to another thread or forum area, use them to create a new topic, or delete.
See the forum FAQ.
http://irealb.com/forums/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq
Turnaround
a sequence of chords at the end of a tune (harmonically) leading back to the tune's beginning again as it repeats the song each time (there is probably a better way of stating this (!))
An example is if a tune begins with an Fmaj7 and ends with two bars of Fmaj7, a turnaround would be |Fmaj7 D-7| G-7 C7| with the chords leading nicely to the Fmaj7 at the top of the tune as it repeats around again.
Wiki ‘Music Turnaround’ if you are still unsure—there is a whole discussion on this.
Verse (in jazz)
A composed set of music and words that serves as introductory material to a song, lyrically setting up the story (usually rubato -- rarely played by jazz instrumentalists but occasionally sung by jazz vocalists).
See Rehearsal Marks
.wav
audio file format (high quality)
see Audio export
Web editor (legacy)
(historical) Our on-line web editor is no longer available.
