Lyrics

The lyrics of a piece are a “Text” document. You write the text as it is sung; a few markers, at the start of a line or between braces, add the formatting. NoteStand then shows the lyrics at a size readable from a distance, in the run and in My stand.

Writing or editing a text

In the piece, tap “Text” in the “Documents” list to create a text, or open an existing text, then “Edit text”.
Type or paste the lyrics.
Tap “Preview” to see exactly what the stand will show.

The buttons above the text area insert the formatting for you: “Free title”, “Translation”, “Phonetic” and “Dynamic”. Hover over a button to see the matching syntax. The “Formatting guide” shows all the rules below inside the app.

You can also import a .txt file with “Import”, or, on a MusicXML score, use the ⋮ menu › “Create a text from the score”: NoteStand drafts a text with these markers from the score’s lyrics.

Blocks

A blank line separates two blocks (a verse, a chorus, a passage).

Au clair de la lune
Mon ami Pierrot

Prête-moi ta plume
Pour écrire un mot

A first line # followed by a space gives the block a free title, with no other formatting:

# Introduction
Ooh, ooh, ooh

Block types

An English keyword glued to the # (no space), on the first line, gives the block a type. A keyword line always starts a new block, even without a blank line before it.

You type	Result
`#chorus`	Chorus, with an optional name and `xN` for the number of times. A `#chorus` on its own, without lyrics, repeats the previous chorus.
`#verse`	Verse, numbered automatically (1, 2, 3…); `xN` optional.
`#section Name`	Section: when the sections don’t sing the same words. Each section has its colour; consecutive sections are drawn close together, as they are sung together.
`#solo Name`	Solo, followed by the soloist’s name; the text is indented.
`#spoken`	Spoken: a passage that is said, not sung, shown in italics.
`#note text`	Manager’s note: an instruction shown small in a frame, not sung. The text may follow on the same line.

Examples:

#chorus x2
Alleluia, alleluia

#verse
A verse

#chorus

#section Sopranos
High in the sky
#section Basses
Doom, doom, doom

#note Breathe after “moon”, not before.

Weight

Lyrics are bold. :regular glued to the keyword shows the block in regular weight, for example to set apart a secondary section. It works with every type except the note.

#section Sopranos
High in the sky
#section:regular Altos
Far over the sea

Translation and phonetics

Under a sung line:

a line starting with = is a translation, shown small and in italics under the line before it;
a line starting with ~ gives the pronunciation.

Kyrie eleison
= Lord, have mercy
~ kee-ree-eh eh-leh-ee-son

Dynamics

A dynamic between braces, placed just before the text, shows the marking and colours the text until {/}, until the next dynamic or until the end of the line:

blue for soft dynamics (ppp to mp);
orange for loud ones (mf to fff, sfz);
green for changes (cresc., dim., rit.…).

In the morning {mp}the town still{/} sleeps
{f}Rise up, light
A window {cresc.}opens

With text selected, the “Dynamic” button wraps it in {p}…{/}.

Good to know

# Chorus with a space stays a free title: only a keyword glued to the # gives a type.
Keywords can be written in lower or upper case (#chorus, #Chorus).
An unknown keyword (#intro, for example) is treated as a free title.

Lyrics

#Writing or editing a text

#Blocks

#Block types

#Weight

#Translation and phonetics

#Dynamics

#Good to know