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Topic: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet? (Read 7122 times) previous topic - next topic

How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

I want to annotate in typical lead sheet style, like by writing
Bb7  ... Eb7 ....Gm7 ... etc.

Is there any special feature to use or is it just "Insert>>Text"  ?

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #1 –
Hi Morgan,
Insert Text it is.  However, if you want to insert chord diagrams then these can also be added as text if you have access to the correct fonts and other tools...

This link will take you to the latest version of a zipped font called fretqwik.

Also get Typecase - it is mentioned in the article below and is both excellent and indispensable.

https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=4925.msg30744#msg30744 will take you to a really good explanation on how to use fretqwik from the guy who created it (thankyou Robert A.)

This link will take you to Roberts home page - lots of other "good stuff" here.

There are also many good "chord" fonts available that can give you some of the more specific character formats.  You just need to hunt around "your favourite search engine is your friend".

Lawrie

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #2 –
Whichever font you use, it may be easier to use the lyric editor for the chord symbols.  You need to use a separate staff that will be layered, and anchor the chord names with hidden, muted notes.  Using the Alt key and your numeric keypad, Alt0176 will give you the ° sign.  Alt0150 will give you the dash – , which you need to use for chords like Bb7-5.  The regular hyphen will treat the chord name as 2 syllables, anchored by successive notes.

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #3 –
One advantage of using lyrics is that it's a little easier to transpose them if you need to - you can paste them all into a word processor and use find+replace functions.

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #4 –
Recently, someone attempted to follow the links provided in reply 1, but got my "file not found" page. Reason: To discourage hot links (directly to the zip files), my site periodically moves things around. Or, the site detects the referring page, and requires it to be my own.

This practice is commonly used. It discourages commercial sites - the kind with ads all over the place, that links to things on other sites as if they were part of the listing page.

Moral: Link only to html, etc.

I have edited the 404 error processing, so that if something in the fonts folder is targeted, it will go to the font cover page rather than to the general error message.

The chord font (FretQwik) is still there, and is widely used according to occasional Emails I get.

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #5 –
The problem chord symbols as lyrics is that I am seldom satisfied with having them all in the same vertical position.

Best solution I have found is to put them on their own layered staff attached to invisible rests (but don't use whole rests). When I am satisfied with the rest of my work, I put hard line breaks in. Then I move the chord symbols a line at a time just high enough to clear the notation. When they are on their own staff with just rests, I can select them as a group and adjust them with the cursor keys.

Now if I could layer/unlayer with a hot-key or while I have something selected grr....
Registered user since 1996

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #6 –
No one-key shortcut, but when the Page Setup is on the right tab, Alt-F, G Alt-A suffices.Works for me. Alt-F, G is hard wired into my hands already, anyway.

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #7 –
Bizarre that Alt(fga) enter works with a selection but Alt(va) doesn't. Too bad that it cancels the selection and homes the cursor. grr...
Registered user since 1996

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #8 –
Yes! That's one of the very serious bores. Maintain Cursor Position! And it could be a simple matter of 'go back to the bar number where I left off'. Sounds simple.

A thing I sometimes do, when I want to check a clef: I insert a space, press Home, make a (mental) note, and press Undo (Alt-Backspace). City Of Workarounds. It works, but it takes discipline for it to work well. And with Alt-F G Alt-A it does not work; it will undo the layering operation...

Re: How to put chord symbols on a lead sheet?

Reply #9 –
We will change the restrictions on Allow Layering in the next release of NWC2.