Skip to content
Fonts, sizes for ch...
 
Notifications
Clear all

Fonts, sizes for chord sheets

14 Posts
6 Users
0 Likes
5,324 Views
(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
Topic starter  

What font do you guys use for chord (or lead) sheets?

Age is creeping up and he lasiks surgery is giving way to aging eyes. I can't wear glasses that go ver the ear and for another reason, I was a horrible candidate for contact lenses. Sooo, I'm left to a folding pair of reading glasses I stole from the missus for late night reading. They are actually worse than not using them for distances over two feet away. Hence, I need a simpler solution for my chord sheets.

I've been messing around with fonts and sizes, but never one that works well with an astigmatism, and often requires a second page when I do. after trying several, my eyes get burned out. In turn, I turn to yu folks.

All of my chord sheets I take and modify to the extent that my chords are in the lyrics, not over or below. Like this, using what would be a great Country Song and written in the time it took to type:
[A}My Sister stole my [C] wife for a night and [G}now it feels like I'm {G7} p'ing on and eee{D}lekkk{D7}tric {Am}fence____

So, this means I might need therapy, but do not need an even sized type font. :mrgreen:

Lastly, I'm using Notepad - the most under-rated development tool Microsoft ever came up with.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions on helping me get rid of the blur.... :D :D

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
Quote
(@kent_eh)
Noble Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 1882
 

Probably a nice simple Times Roman or Ariel, in a size big enough to be seen.
The more plain the better, I would think.

Take a look at some billboards and see what style of fonts they use for maximum readability from a distance (and at 60 MPH). They've spent a bazillion dollars researching this kind of stuff.

I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep


   
ReplyQuote
(@greybeard)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 5840
 

Why hamper yourself with Notepad?

At worst try Wordpad.

For decent results try Open Office Writer, which is just as good as MS Word and free.

I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN


   
ReplyQuote
 Nuno
(@nuno)
Famed Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 3995
 

Sans serif fonts (i.e. Arial) are more readable. They are used in traffic signs but also in many, many different signs and many, many internet websites and recommended for slides and presentations.

The size is a matter of what are you able to read and if the song fits in a single sheet. I don't use chord sheets but I am getting some troubles with music in standard notation...

You're right: age is creeping up. I'll try to improvise more! :mrgreen:


   
ReplyQuote
(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
Topic starter  

Thanks for the responses, guyg! 8)
Sans serif fonts (i.e. Arial) are more readable.
I'll try.
They've spent a bazillion dollars researching this kind of stuff.
.....yet some still get it wrong. Baffles the mind. I digress.
At worst try Wordpad.
I had completely forgotton about this one and others like it. One of them even did color coding for various scripting languages at one time. That would give me more options within a single txt file.....

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
ReplyQuote
(@jwmartin)
Noble Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 1435
 

As a software developer who looks at letters on screen for 8+ hours a day, I'm a big fan of monospaced fonts. All letters take up the same amount of space so it helps with things lining up. My favorite is Consolas. Calibri is not monospaced, but it's nice and easy on the eyes. When I do chord sheets like what you are talking about, I usually bold the chords too to make them jump out. I print mine at 10pt size so I can get the full song on one side of the page, but if you have trouble seeing, bump up to 12 or 14.

Bass player for Undercover


   
ReplyQuote
(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
Topic starter  

Thanks, JW. I imagine once I get a wordpad or other free & better version of notepad, I'll be able to force the color issue better. Both of those options do look good, but my system is rendering them a gray instead of darker, especially on certain letters. Odd. Hopefully wordpad will implement differently.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
ReplyQuote
 Nuno
(@nuno)
Famed Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 3995
 

Roy, try OpenOffice or even LibreOffice, they are better alternatives to Wordpad.

http://www.openoffice.org/
http://www.libreoffice.org/


   
ReplyQuote
(@jwmartin)
Noble Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 1435
 

An even better option if you trust online storage is using Google Docs. I don't own Word at home because Google's version does everything I need. And if you don't want to store it online, you can download it as a word file or pdf.

Bass player for Undercover


   
ReplyQuote
(@chris-c)
Famed Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3454
 

Hi Roy,

I feel your pain, my world is also getting increasingly blurry.

I wouldn't rule out using a plain old felt marker pen. The chunky ones.

That way you're not restricted to A4, or whatever your printer handles. You can take a piece of cardboard of whatever size you need and write it out as large as you want. You might also find that the prompts for the words don't need to be quite as big, if you can partly recall them. So the chords could be bigger - or maybe a different colour. Stronger light on the page also helps.

If you get to the stage where you're hanging a bed-sheet on the wall and painting the chords on with a roller then it might be time to consider sky-writing. Unfortunately, this will play merry hell with practice on windy days.... :(

Good luck with it mate, I know how frustrating it can be.

Cheers,

Chris

PS. I've also seen pictures of piano players using computer screens to display sheet music. I'm not sure how the scrolling worked, but I once made a very simple version that used an old mouse that I just operated with my foot. You can write it as big as you need on the screen and just keep moving it down as required. There might even be karaoke software that rolls it automatically at a pre-set rate?


   
ReplyQuote
(@chris-c)
Famed Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3454
 

I can't wear glasses that go over the ear and for another reason, I was a horrible candidate for contact lenses.

If the problem lies with glasses that have uncomfortable arms that sit on your ears, then it might also be worth looking into the other options for holding lenses in place. I have an old pair of 'pince nez' style frames that simply clip onto the bridge of the nose, without using arms over the ears. It's also possible to use some kind of light strap or band that goes right around the head. Even attaching them to some kind of comfortable cap arrangement is possible. Eyes only get worse with age, so it might be worth hanging in there trying to find some way of holding lenses that you can live with.

Good luck finding something to suit.

Chris


   
ReplyQuote
(@kent_eh)
Noble Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 1882
 

I can't wear glasses that go over the ear and for another reason, I was a horrible candidate for contact lenses.

If the problem lies with glasses that have uncomfortable arms that sit on your ears, then it might also be worth looking into the other options for holding lenses in place.

Perhaps something along these lines :P

I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep


   
ReplyQuote
(@chris-c)
Famed Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3454
 

Perhaps something along these lines :P

I like it! :D

Roy's a motorcycle man, and playing with a pair of goggles on is a hell of a lot more stylish that sticking a junk food bucket on your head.

I used to have regular pair like that in my motorcycling days. Nice idea making a prescr*ption version (sorry about the asterisk, but the software Nanny apparently thinks I might be spamming drugs, and changes the word ) . It reminds me of a routine that comedian Billy Connelly did about telling his rather fearsome father that he might be able to cure the vision difficulties that he had when driving by getting "one of those prescr*ption windscreens...". for his car. According to the story, Dad swallowed it, and Billy then had a somewhat nervous time waiting for Dad to discover that he's been taking the piss. :)

Chris


   
ReplyQuote
(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
Topic starter  

If I ever have to wear glasses full time again, I want me a pair of Wild Thing's Vaughn's from Major League I & II.
Skulls, crossbones and everything that goes with it. :lol:

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
ReplyQuote