DIY song sheets

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Knit-wit
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Is there software available for folks to create their own do-it-yourself song sheets?

Ideally I'd like to be able to produce sheets that have the song lyrics with the chords called out above, using the picture-type images. You know what I mean....the little, partial fretboard representation using lines for the frets and strings and dots for the chord shape.

I don't mind typing in the lyrics, and I don't mind specifying the locations for chord changes....but how do I incorporate the chord image? :anyone:
 
when I need to remind myself, I just open up a jpg image of a chord chart in MS paint, or anything like that, and select the chord, then paste it into a word document as an image
 
I use Guitar Pro 5. You can set it up for ukulele, and it will generate musical notation, tabs, and chord diagrams, with the option to add lyrics. It is about $59, and it can play back what you have written in midi, so you can check it. It might be more than you want to tackle though. You don't have to know how to read music to use it. You can enter notes from a virtual uke fingerboard, or click on strings in a chord diagram to enter your info. Or, you can enter numbers on a tab staff, and it will automatically create standard notation for you. The only thing that gets a little difficult, is making sure you have the proper timing for each measure (you need to choose quarter note, half note, etc). But there is a command that straightens that bit out for you whenever there is a problem.

–Lori
 
I made a generic sheet a while ago and use it for just about everything I do. Here it is:

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/4695/uketabsheet.jpg

the image fits a piece of paper perfectly, so I just print out a bunch whenever I get low and draw the songs onto the paper by hand. Sometimes I use the lines for tabs. If there isn't anything being picked out, I sometimes write lyrics in the lined areas and write the chord above. If there's a funky chord I tend to forget, I draw the diagram above.

Oh, and if I ever get a scanner or gain access to one I'll upload the songs I've worked out so far for the community.
 
An ARRRGGGGHHHH Moment

I found a nice one yesterday sometime and thought I saved the link.. but, no, not my luck. I thought it was on the Vermont Uke group's page.

I'm calling it a Word document.. but I really believe it was a PDF doc that allowed you to type in speciic areas.. that is the words of the song and you could place the chord label above the words in the correct place.

Also, on the far right margin you could drag the chord pictures and place them.

If this rings a bell with someone, Please .. I want to find it.

Bill
 
Thanks, the one at Kiwi was the one I was looking for. When I have more time I'll try the gochords one.
 
TuxGuitar is another option -- it's what I use because it's free and import/exports to other formats pretty easily. Support on their site is pretty darn good -- initially for Linux operating systems, but i think they have variants for PC and mac now too.

http://tuxguitar.herac.com.ar/

Have fun!

Lori said:
I use Guitar Pro 5. You can set it up for ukulele, and it will generate musical notation, tabs, and chord diagrams, with the option to add lyrics. It is about $59, and it can play back what you have written in midi, so you can check it. It might be more than you want to tackle though. You don't have to know how to read music to use it. You can enter notes from a virtual uke fingerboard, or click on strings in a chord diagram to enter your info. Or, you can enter numbers on a tab staff, and it will automatically create standard notation for you. The only thing that gets a little difficult, is making sure you have the proper timing for each measure (you need to choose quarter note, half note, etc). But there is a command that straightens that bit out for you whenever there is a problem.

–Lori
Click to expand...
 
Does either Tux of Go support uke chords? IE.. I'm interested in applying pictures of chords so the newbies like myself don't have to continue to look back at chord charts while we are learning a new tune.

So far the Kiwi works well for me but, I think at a later date I might want to show notes... possibly tabs.
 
Wow these are all some great options! Thanks all for the info!
 
Most of the time I do my own chordsheets in "Chordpro" style, like the ones you find on Alligator Ukulele Boogaloo. I create a 2x2 table, put the title in the upper right cell, lyrics in the lower right cell, and a set of chord diagrams in the lower left cell. (Adjust the cell size as necessary) I use the chord diagrams from either the Alligator Ukulele Boogaloo Chordchart, or I use the ones I downloaded from Brother Ray's UKUkes site. (Download the zip file) I like the CHordpro format because I can use a larger font and still squeeze more lyrics onto a page.


But, if you really like the chords above the words, there is a program called UKEPIX that will put chord grids over the words like the songs on Dr Uke's page. You can read about UKEPIX and see some screen shots on LazyRiver's blog.

Like someone mentioned before the GoChords site is another good one. It seems to work better with Google Chrome than IE.

Hope this helps!
 
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