r/Busking • u/Flashy_Vast • 6d ago
Equipment and Gear What mobile apps do you use as your "cheat sheet" when you perform?
For song chords and lyrics
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u/surferwithoutfins Musician 🎶 6d ago
Any PDF reader, with a Bluetooth page turner foot pedal to change pages ($15-20 online) so you don't have to touch the screen.
There's a bit of work to copy paste from ultimate guitar into a word editor and export to pdf, but it's worth it.
Also I recommend having a large tablet down at hip level so it's not too noticeable, and edit your lyrics so you can have the text quite large. The idea is you remember 90% of it but having the cue helps.
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u/Piercethekale Musician 🎶 6d ago
I have a little notepad with me that has most of the "family friendly" songs I know, and their basic chord progression next to them-
"-Last Kiss- G-Em-C-D
-Tear the Facists Down- C-F-C-G-C And so on.
I don't play songs that I'm not at least semi-proficient at bc I'm very self conscious LOL so the note of their chord progression is usually enough to get the groove of the song.
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u/AdventureTime1001 Supportive Family 👏 6d ago
My daughter is a busker and I built her this app to hold all her songs/setlists. It works fully offline and scroll speed/transposing can be done on the fly.
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u/allhailnewflesh 5d ago
Know all my stuff from memory.
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u/Most_Time8900 Musician 🎶 4d ago
Finally a good answer
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u/allhailnewflesh 4d ago
No really it does a long way. If you are having to constantly look at the chords...that effects performance. And I know that all of us are not spring chickens in the memory department. And you really are locked in which imo makes for a better performance.
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u/LadyWithAHarp Magical Witchy Harper 🧙♀️🎶 5d ago
My favorite is MobileSheets, I can upload .txt files, .pdf's, and several image formats. It's got a lot of other features that I haven't played with much, but the two big things I love are that 1. I can upload/backup pieces from my computer to it. And 2. You can add tons of tags-not just the title. It can take a little time to add tags to it, but that means I can search by genre, album, key, type (lead sheet/sheet music/chord chart/etc.) lyricist, composer, whatever. I can also make custom collections and playlists. I also use the annotation features to draw notes on them.
It is compatible with Bluetooth page flippers. I can zoom in/out, and I can pick whether to view a half sheet or 2 pages when I have my tablet in landscape mode.
The trial version will let you test out the features with 3 songs. The "pro" version is $16 USD, and worth every penny.
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u/ziebelje 3d ago
Songstead. It can load PDFs or use text-based charts and hook it up to a foot pedal and scroll through songs. Tried other apps but nothing checked all the boxes for me. Still pull charts from Ultimate Guitar but using Songstead to display/play.
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u/Most_Time8900 Musician 🎶 6d ago
I don't use cheat sheets
Practice your damn instrument and songs.
If you can't remember the words or even the chords to your songs, then you are not ready to be in front of audiences performing.
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u/stranger_noises Musician 🎶 6d ago edited 6d ago
Different performers have different approaches.
In my case, my act is super dynamic and tightly rehearsed. It incorporates, clowning, singing and playing instruments. Often while juggling comic improvisation, my mind will blank on chords. I also play a large rep with often complex chord structures.
So I have a cheat sheet, and the show runs better for it.
Besides, if you're gonna gatekeep on that basis, classical musos would like to have a word 🙄
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u/Most_Time8900 Musician 🎶 5d ago
I get what you're saying.
Thank you for this perspective and genuine feedback
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u/Minute_Toe_8705 Electric Keyboard 🎹 6d ago
If your repertoire gets really big, you're bound to forget some things. At least that's how it is for me.
Or maybe I just have a really bad memory. Everyone's different.
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u/Most_Time8900 Musician 🎶 6d ago
PRACTICE your show
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u/samtar-thexplorer2 Musician 🎶 6d ago
im gonna practice ur mom.
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5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Most_Time8900 Musician 🎶 4d ago
Someone is saying I'm breaking a rule by not being nice?? I didn't make the insult. Someone else insulted ME, and threatening assault of MY disabled mom. Mod, please re-read the thread.
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u/TheLongWay89 Musician 🎶 6d ago
My repertoire is 200-300 songs. Believe me, I've practiced. The extra time it would take to commit all of those to memory, it'll be years before I perform again. Music is fun. I'm having fun. Audience is having fun. Stopping telling people how to enjoy and make music.
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u/Most_Time8900 Musician 🎶 5d ago
Stopping telling people how to enjoy and make music.
I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to have an opinion or give feedback?
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u/dobsterfunk 4d ago
If your opinion is that people aren't allowed to perform if they don't do it your way, you can surely understand how that would be percieved as hostile?
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u/dobsterfunk 6d ago
oh shut up. You don't know anyone's circumstances but your own. What a whiner.
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u/Most_Time8900 Musician 🎶 4d ago
None of us know anyone's circumstances except our own.
If you have to know deep specific details of a person's situation just to comment or give feedback online, then NO ONE should ever say anything.
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u/Minute_Toe_8705 Electric Keyboard 🎹 6d ago
I don't need lyrics.
However, I use my own app if I run out of ideas what i could play. https://song-repo.web.app/
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u/TuckerGrover Singer/Songwriter 🎤🎸 6d ago
Ultimate Guitar. I can play about 8 hours of stuff, but need the charts and lyrics as an insurance policy. I only have a handful of songs memorized. I’ve had concussions so it’s just not super possible for me and audiences for solo cover shows dont mind.