Lyric Versions
A single song in Band Central can hold several lyric versions — plain words for a singer, a chords-over-lyrics (ChordPro) chart for a guitarist, a number chart, or a PDF for a horn player. Every version lives on the shared song, so the whole band sees all of them, and each member picks the one they want to open by default. This guide covers how versions work on iPhone, iPad, Android, and the website.
What is a lyric version?
Different players need different views of the same song. Rather than duplicating the song, you add several lyric versions to it. A version can be:
- Plain lyrics — just the words, for a singer.
- ChordPro — chords positioned above the words, for a guitarist or keyboard player. This is the format that also draws chord diagrams and follows the Transpose tool.
- A number / Nashville chart — for players who read by scale degree.
- A PDF, image, or DOCX — a scanned or engraved chart, in the iOS and Android apps.
Everyone opens the same song and sees exactly the version they need. Because the versions are attached to one shared song, a change to the song's key, tempo, or details stays in sync for the whole band, and the song only appears once in your catalog and your setlists.
Your default version (the star)
The lyric that opens automatically for a song is your default, marked with a star. The star is saved per person, so every band member can have a different default for the same song — the guitarist stars the ChordPro chart, the singer stars the plain lyrics, and each of them opens the song straight to their own version.
- You always have exactly one starred version per song. Starring a different version clears the previous one.
- Adding a new version stars it for you automatically (it becomes your new default).
- If you have never set a default, the app opens the first version it finds.
- Switching versions while you read (below) is view-only — it does not change your starred default.
Adding a lyric version
Open the song's Lyric Versions list and tap the + (add) button. There are two ways to reach the list:
From the song list
Tap the info button next to a song — in your Songs catalog or inside a setlist — and choose Lyric Versions.
From the lyric view
While reading any lyric, tap the three-dot menu and choose Lyric Versions (version 3.5 and later).
New versions are named automatically — Version 2, Version 3, and so on — and you can rename them. Type or paste the words as plain text or ChordPro and save, or attach a PDF, DOCX, or image as the version instead of text. If a song has no lyrics yet, opening it also offers an Add Lyric button directly.
Naming before and after 3.5
The Lyric Versions list is labeled “Lyric Versions” in version 3.5 and later. In earlier versions the same list was labeled “Lyrics.” It is the same list either way.
Switching versions while you perform
You do not have to leave the lyric to change versions. In the lyric view, tap the three-dot menu and choose Lyric Versions (version 3.5 and later). The song's full version list opens as a picker; tap the version you want — or tap + to add a new one — and you land right back on the lyric showing that version.
- The swap happens in place: transpose, text size, scroll speed, format, metronome tempo, audio, and annotations all re-resolve for the version you picked.
- It works the same whether you opened the song from Songs or from a setlist.
- Picking a version is view-only — your starred default stays the same, so the next time you open the song it still opens your default.
- Picking the version already on screen just closes the picker.
Editing a version
Open the Lyric Versions list and tap the info button next to a version to edit it — change its name, its words or chords, or its key and tempo. Remember that a version is shared with the whole band, so editing it changes it for everyone who uses that version. If you want your own copy to transpose or mark up without changing what the rest of the band sees, add a new version instead and star it as your default.
On the website
At bandcentral.com you get the same versions. Open a song to see its list of lyric versions, add or edit a version in the live ChordPro editor (chords render above the words as you type), and set your personal default. The website shows text and ChordPro lyrics; attached PDFs, images, and audio play in the iOS and Android apps.
Where it works
Lyric versions, the per-person default star, and switching versions from the lyric view (3.5+) are available in Band Central on iPhone, iPad, Android, and the website. Your versions and your starred default sync across every device you sign in on.