Hi all, I'm looking for software that displays music in the form of "chords over lyrics" - the kind typically found in Ultimate Guitar and used by Songbook pro), and also prompts and highlights the lyrics synced with the song - like an LRC file.
You can also think of it as the Apple synched lyrics but with the chords on top.
I used to memorize words to a song and chords later, but my current thought is it would be easier to see and memorize both at the same time. Yeah - you can just display the chord chart with lyrics, but then you don't hear the music (out loud, at least). And memorizing the sound/feel of the song is also important.
[Intro] Am D7 G La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la, la C F La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la, la Dm E Esus4 E La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la, la-la, la
[Verse 1] Am D7 G Now that I’ve lost everything to you C F You say you wanna start something new
Ahh - it loses the correct chord positioning with respect to the words, but this is the format I'm talking about. The standard apple lyrics playback, or general LRC files are exactly what I'm looking for, but with the chords on top of the correct words, and a view that allows complete verses and choruses to be displayed on one screen so I can really see the whole progression on one page.
I believe that you are looking for OpenSong freeware. Half the members of my praise bands can't read music so I investigated this but found it faster just to type those charts up in Word.
Quote
Ahh - it loses the correct chord positioning with respect to the words, but this is the format I'm talking about.
Hint: by using mono-spaced fonts (all Courier typefaces and a few others), any changes in resolution will preserve spacing.
There's also this guy trying to reinvent that wheel: ChordsOverLyrics
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia/Tahoe, M1 & M5 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
Brian, Mike - do those play the mp3 (or backing tracks) after opening the file - that's what I'm looking for. Plenty of software lets you enter and manage the music, but I would like the song to be played (and auto scrolling done so you don't have to change pages) as the song or backing track is playing.
I find Songbook Pro has a recent feature that allows this, but it's a little difficult for me to load it up. And you have to enter all the songs first. One incredible feature of Songbook pro is it lets you search for the chord/lyrics files from Ultimate-Guitar, which has almost all of them already entered....much better than OnSong from what I've heard of it.
Just drop the file into SMP and it will analyze the song for the chord structure. You can have it play from from the tracks (mixer), chord table or the Song Sheet View (similar to what is asked for above) Song Sheet View
It rolls ie follows the song as it plays no need to change the pages.
It can search and download Lyrics from the web.
Importing Lyrics ...... "Lyrics come in two flavors: synchronized and unsynchronized. Synchronized lyrics have a timestamp associated with each line of the lyric that is used to match it to the time the lyric is sung in the song. Unsynchronized lyrics are just the text (they don't have a timestamp). Song Master works with both types, however, of the two, synchronized lyric format is preferred"....
It seems to work smoothly as long as it can find synchronized tabs for the song otherwise one need to manually line up the lyrics or if not found at all manually enter the lyrics and line it up.
They have trail versions just do download and check it out. SongMaster Pro
BIAB 2026, Studio Pro 8, Song Master Pro, Win11 Home. i7-9700K CPU, 32GB, ESI MAYA44eX, ZOOM UAC-2, Guitar Pro 8, Transcribe, (EZKeys2, EZD3, SD3, EZBass, EZMix3) Amateur: fiddle, guitar, vocal, beginner on bass.
Well - thanks for your replies - in addition to Songbook pro doing this, so it seems OnSong and Songmaster Pro can do this. But I think OnSong and Songbook run on phones and ipads, which is more convenient. And Songbook is way less expensive. Does BB or RB do this well and could replace the function of these apps ?
Is anyone using any of these apps with backing tracks and autoscrolling of the chord sheets for live performance ?
Now - I don't get paid to perform, and though I would prefer to have all my songs memorized, I often forget a chord here and there. That's a stress I don't need in my life lol These apps are really great
Regardless of whether you use these for liver performance, what a wonderful tool for sharing music with the other members of your band during rehearsals and introducing new songs. Believe it or not, easily sharing music with others has always been an obstacle for me. I tend to have one printed chord sheet page for each song with lots of highlights and markups that nobody else could read lol
Hi Why dont you just use BIAB with lyrics and export a video? I export my songs as a video and then use VLC on my iPad to play the video. Just be aware that BIAB video export creates a very big file so I usually convert to mp4 before uploading to my iPad. I have loads of ready made backing tracks here https://band-in-a-box-files.com/
[vide:youtube]He Aint Heavy He's My Brother: A Fun and Easy Band-in-a-Box play along with chords anf lyrics [/video]
Hi Why dont you just use BIAB with lyrics and export a video? …
That.
If mp4 export gives you files that are too large, there are apps for Windows that can make them smaller. Quicktime does this as well and is part of the macOS.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia/Tahoe, M1 & M5 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
Why dont you just use BIAB with lyrics and export a video?
Thank you Joanne - for the suggestion and backing tracks.
I realize that I have a LOT of trouble memorizing lyrics to entire songs, and I need a format where I can easily see the words that rhyme underneath each other, bars that match the musical structure, and lyrics that show the 'pauses' by the way they are placed on different lines.
While I don't object to reading from an ipad during performance, I do have the goal to commit as many to memory as possible - and the format I described is much more friendly to my memorizing process.
Hi Joe I play at a farmers market every Saturday and have over 150 videos on my iPad.
Personally I don’t try and memorize all the lyrics and chords. I simply enjoy playing (using the video with backtrack and lyrics). I have found that the iPad is very unobtrusive and after playing a particular song a few times I really just need to glance at the chords.
I always add at least two new songs every week and the first time I play a song it is always a bit shaky. But the more I play it, obviously, the easier it gets. For example, on Saturday I tried playing “Gentle on mind” which has quite easy chords but lots of lyrics in quite interesting places. So it was not good, but if I simply play along with the videos at home first it gets infinitely better when I next try to play it at the market.
It has done wonders for my sense of timing. People don’t even know I have scrolling chords and lyrics as my iPad is off to the side.
Hi Joe I have a love/hate relationship with my acoustic guitar. Recently I have started playing bass with my backing tracks and I much prefer it. I think it gives the backing track more "space" to fill in the wonderful guitar realtracks which I have no hope of ever replicating. So I think bass is my new instrument of choice.
That said, there is nothing (now) that I battle to play on bass with the scrolling chords and lyrics and backing track, even if I just play the one and five and some basic bass runs. The problem comes in with some of the songs is the singing. Like I really battle with some of Elton John's stuff like "Rocket Man". It simply does not suit my style. What type of music (or artists) are you looking to play? If I have any I can send you an SGU and you can try out the video thing, Having the lyrics above the chords just takes a bit of getting used to but it doesn't take long.
read rhe rb manual re lyrics...also some tricks you might find usefull. eg in rb tracks view which displays chords you can also have lyric view.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 06/10/2510:07 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
I love your videos - they are excellent for learning the chords and words while taking a walk. Ok - the format doesn't separate verse, chorus, solo, etc into a 1-pager where you could really see the structure and review it quickly at a high level, but that's just the nature of the BB chord view.
Thank you for sharing - I never would have looked.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
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Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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