Adding lyrics directly to iReal Pro charts

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11-12-2013, 08:26 PM
nimbleswitch

Adding lyrics directly to iReal Pro charts

I did searches hoping to find tips about using Text to add lyrics to charts, and pretty much found nothing. So I'm hoping to get some discussion going here. I've been adding lyrics to a couple of dozen tunes, and I keep redoing them because of new things I keep learning in this process. I like to know what those who've already been doing this have learned so I'm not just reinventing the wheel.

Things I've stumbled on include: raising a text line from the chord line below so as to add a second line of lyrics under the top chord line; using a string of spaces to enable inserting text from a left chord under a chord some distance to its right; and using the composer info line to note the lyricist and the date(s) of composition, as well.

But the app has some limitations for lyrics that I wish could be improved upon: First, when you've entered a string of lyrics text, you can't get back to the left to edit it with the cursor—you have to erase text all the way back to a more left position and re-enter the text later. (Unless, of course, I'm missing something, which is part of the reason I'm starting this thread.)

Second, we need to be able to lower lyric lines a few more clicks from their default position so we can enter two lyrics lines under the chord line from the top. And we also need to be able to raise lyric lines several clicks higher than we can now so we can bring lyrics up from a chord line below even when we've dropped the bottom chord line down using the move-down arrow.

Anyway, any tips that you guys have regarding lyrics entry, I'd sure appreciate hearing about them.
11-12-2013, 08:54 PM
pdxdjazz

There is some information here:
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...ody-and-Lyrics

Some add text to remind themselves of the first line of each verse, just enough to get them "rolling down the hill".
Using Text - Example

Others multi-task using a PDF reader.
Posting/sharing charts with melody or lyrics on the forums is not allowed.
:))BOB
11-12-2013, 10:07 PM
nimbleswitch

Yeah, I won't be posting any lyrics. Although there are lots of websites dedicated to collecting and disseminating lyrics. Don't know how they're getting away with that.

Sometimes, when there just isn't space for all the lyrics, I do what you indicate and post just the opening words as a cue, or sometimes just the first letter of each word works, too, as in "Y m r t, a k i j a k, a s i j a s." (from the film "Casablanca.")
11-12-2013, 10:26 PM
pdxdjazz

Cool idea, whatever works...
It's been talked about since before iRealbook became iReal b (now Pro)
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...=3749#post3749
:))BOB
11-12-2013, 11:14 PM
DaleMac

iReal can run in the background. After a little practice and some getting used to, it's pretty easy to start the Player then quickly open lyrics (or, for that matter, a chart with the melody) from another app. Of course, you won't be able to see both at the same time. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a lyrics/melody option to be added. Before that happens you'll probably have the songs memorized anyway... ;)
11-13-2013, 08:17 AM
nimbleswitch

No, I'm not looking for a lyrics feature--although it is a bit hard to understand how someone could hassle Massimo about lyrics while many lyrics websites are adding more song lyrics every day.

But I'm just interested in a bit more versatile text editor, as I described in my opening post in this thread. I'm sure enjoying this app. It's gotta be the No. 1 app for iPhone. What a great concept AND execution. And support people like Nikki are the best.
11-13-2013, 02:00 PM
DaleMac

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

...when you've entered a string of lyrics text, you can't get back to the left to edit it with the cursor—you have to erase text all the way back to a more left position and re-enter the text later...

You can touch-and-drag to place the cursor without using the backspace key. Fairly sure that's just an inherent characteristic of Apple's iOS keyboard rather than iReal, since it's the same with other apps. I do all my editing with OSX so I'm afraid I can't suggest many tips for iOS.

But I will drop this onto the iReal back-burner: There have been a few times I would have liked to make text larger (usually with symbols) or smaller. And occasionally the up & down arrows don't let me scroll enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

I'm sure enjoying this app. It's gotta be the No. 1 app for iPhone. What a great concept AND execution. And support people like Nikki are the best.

Hear, hear! :)
11-13-2013, 03:21 PM
nimbleswitch

Thanks, DaleMac-

I played around with the Copy feature and found that I can get the cursor over to the front of a line of text by double tapping the text (which makes highlight handles appear) and then touching and dragging the left-most handle to the left end of the text or wherever I want it. Then taping on that handle removes the highlight and leaves the cursor right there. Great! That's great to know, thanks again.

Now if we can get them to gives us a but more up/down scroll leeway with the text lines, we'll have it.

ANOTHER thing you mentioned was interesting: doing your editing in OSX. You need to have iReal Pro for OSX for that, right? And then can you transfer iReal Pro charts between your Mac and your iPhone? So you can export the edited file from your Mac to your iPhone iReal Pro app?
11-13-2013, 04:12 PM
dflat

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

... get the cursor over to the front of a line of text ...

Hello Jack, are you trying to get to a specific place/character in the text line in the text box?
Explaining Dale's procedure in more detail: tap-hold with your finger and a magnifier window should open showing you enlarged text of where your cursor is. Do not lift your finger off, if you slide it left or right you should be able to position the cursor anywhere along the text string (and to the beginning of the text.)
This is normal iOS behavior and works in email, text notes etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

...doing your editing in OSX. You need to have iReal Pro for OSX for that, right? And then can you transfer iReal Pro charts between your Mac and your iPhone? So you can export the edited file from your Mac to your iPhone iReal Pro app?

Yes the files are the same so can be emailed to iReal Pro on any device or Mac. Tapping/clicking them from the email will activate importing of the song or playlist. You should find the Mac version is easy and quick to use for creating, editing song charts and organising playlists.
11-14-2013, 02:04 PM
DaleMac

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

...You need to have iReal Pro for OSX for that, right? And then can you transfer iReal Pro charts between your Mac and your iPhone? So you can export the edited file from your Mac to your iPhone iReal Pro app?

Yes. I fumbled around for about a week on my iPod Touch with my big fat fingers before springing for the OSX version. It's infinitely easier and faster to edit (and preview and sort) on my iMac. I can honestly say it's the best twenty bucks I ever spent.
12-05-2013, 07:13 AM
nimbleswitch

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleMac

Yes. I fumbled around for about a week on my iPod Touch with my big fat fingers before springing for the OSX version. It's infinitely easier and faster to edit (and preview and sort) on my iMac. I can honestly say it's the best twenty bucks I ever spent.

Yes, I just bought the OS-X version for my Macbook, too. The only difficulties I've found are:

(1) when I "send" an iReal Pro file in either direction by email, it sounds like it sent (WHOOSH), but nothing ever arrives. I think I have a setting wrong. Also, do you have to be using an internal mail program? I've always just gone to the yahoo mail website to use my yahoo email.

(2) when you create a chart with lyrics in iReal Pro for OS-X (which, as you say, is a whole lot easier—particularly for a lyrics nut), you have to be careful to stop entering lyric characters about three to four characters sooner than you can with iReal Pro for iOS7—or else when you import it into your iPhone those characters will be off the chart to the right. In other words, the iReal Pro OS-X will handle about three to four characters more in text on each line than will iReal Pro iOS7. At least that's the case with my iPhone 4S.
12-05-2013, 12:37 PM
DaleMac

I no longer use email for transferring so I won't be much help there. (My POP server doesn't get along at all with Apple Mail. Having to mail my files always annoyed me anyway. I've described here the 2 app's I use.) Using the Sandbox is probably your best solution for the time being. And, as for lyrics, iReal was never designed to accommodate them so ya gets whatcha gets. But the good news is, with all the hours you'll save now by using the OSX program, you'll have plenty of time to...
Memorize The Lyrics!! ;)
12-05-2013, 02:33 PM
nimbleswitch

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleMac

I no longer use email for transferring so I won't be much help there. (My POP server doesn't get along at all with Apple Mail. Having to mail my files always annoyed me anyway. I've described here the 2 app's I use.) Using the Sandbox is probably your best solution for the time being. And, as for lyrics, iReal was never designed to accommodate them so ya gets whatcha gets. But the good news is, with all the hours you'll save now by using the OSX program, you'll have plenty of time to...
Memorize The Lyrics!! ;)

Ha! :-)). I sing like a calf anyway.
12-05-2013, 02:43 PM
dflat

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

when I "send" an iReal Pro file in either direction by email, it sounds like it sent (WHOOSH), but nothing ever arrives. I think I have a setting wrong. Also, do you have to be using an internal mail program? I've always just gone to the yahoo mail website to use my yahoo email.

It cannot send via webmail directly. You would have to set up your Mail app correctly. Check in its out box (or sent box) to see if anything actually has left.
The Yahoo website will have information on how to set this up.
12-05-2013, 02:49 PM
dflat

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

... I've always just gone to the yahoo mail website to use my yahoo email.

Jack,
from the Mac version, you could try Exporting Playlist or Song to disk. Make sure it is the .html format. Then attach it using webmail as you would any other file. I have not tried this, but it should work.
12-06-2013, 12:43 PM
nimbleswitch

Quote:

Originally Posted by dflat

Jack,
from the Mac version, you could try Exporting Playlist or Song to disk. Make sure it is the .html format. Then attach it using webmail as you would any other file. I have not tried this, but it should work.

Yes, thanks, dflat. That worked fine. I didn't notice the save-to-disk feature at all. At least I can go from Mac to iPhone that way, which is probably the only direction I'd be going anyway. Works well for me, thanks again.
04-26-2014, 06:04 AM
nimbleswitch

Transferring iReal Pro files easily without Internet

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimbleswitch

Yes, thanks, dflat. That worked fine. I didn't notice the save-to-disk feature at all. At least I can go from Mac to iPhone that way, which is probably the only direction I'd be going anyway. Works well for me, thanks again.

Actually, I've found that using DiskAid on my Macbook and FileApp on my iPhones, I can send iReal Pro files back and forth in either direction. I can even send quickly between phones using DiskAid on my Mac as an intermediary. Both DiskAid and FileApp are free and it's like they were made for transferring iReal Pro files. No Internet access needed; just USB cables.
04-26-2014, 06:28 AM
nimbleswitch

Back to lyrics (the original thread topic) . . .

I've been working with adding lyrics directly to iReal Pro charts using Text mode for quite a few months now. I've made full arrangements of some pretty complex tunes, lyrics-wise (e.g., Begin the Beguine, C'est Si Bon, Day In Day Out, Night and Day, Dancin' Cheek to Cheek, etc.) using my own abr'v'a'tns sometimes with "reminder lyrics" to save space and it's worked well for me. Reading both chords and lyrics from the same iReal Pro chart is not a problem in landscape mode on my iPhone 5C, especially using my iPhone clip on my mic stand. And I'm a glasses-wearing 68-year-old, so . . .
02-15-2016, 04:19 PM
pdxdjazz

iOS (9) w/ v.7 iRp app now has split-screen multi-tasking
https://www.facebook.com/irealproapp...type=3&theater

Remember, posting/sharing charts with melody or lyrics on the forums is not allowed.
:))BOB
12-30-2022, 05:40 PM
Bobsax

Is a template for blues, adding lyrics, I always try to keep the actual chart to as few staves as possible.
Jump, Jive An' Wail For Lyrics (Example) - Louis Prima