For me there have been many faults, particularly for note-based lyrics, ever since bar-based lyrics were introduced. These days I have to get the white-out and ink pen working before I can produce a clean leadsheet to distribute to band members. Thus, I need heaps of extra filing on my computer for the PDFs of the corrected versions I have scanned.

The problem of the last words of a stave being carried down to the bar starting the next stave below is extreme. It does of course depend on how many words of the lyric are in the last bar that was carried down. It also depends on the type and size of the font you use for your lyrics. I normally want more than a 100% for the lyrics font. I have to use mostly PG Text at 120% to make it readable on the music stand. It was much better when we had line-based lyrics because you could space the lyrics along the line to suit.

I was very encouraged when Oliver Gannon started to clean up the whole of the notation area the year before the dreaded (for me) bar-based lyrics were introduced. Unfortunately the process did not continue.

I believe some considerable programming effort needs to be put into the whole area of creating proper readable lead sheets using note-based lyrics. The ideal situation, which is used by most fake books, is four bars per line, and nine lines on a page. Of course the chords have to be accommodated as well as the lyrics and any Section Text, Section Letters and Notation Symbols also. And please have a thought for we trombone types who need their lead sheets in Bass Clef where we commonly need at least four ledger lines for the trombone range.

And please make the lead sheets produced using the just the 'Print' button the same as those using the Green button for 'LeadSheet Window'. There are several annoying differences at present.

Please also give some thought to properly showing triplets in Even time, without having to tick the 'Triplet Resolution (Swing)' box.

The ability to produce really good Leadsheets using Band-in-a-Box used to be one of its best features. And it was getting better ever year until you know what.

This is very important for those using Band-in-a-Box leadsheets for band practice purposes. And I am told be some teachers I know, even more so for those in the education world!

Grah Jive Talk
"Don't worry baby, they'll swing their arses off."