This is LyriCue, the audio lyrics prompter.
LyriCue reads your song lyrics out loud, one line at a time, whether you're learning a brand new song, practicing one you mostly know, or performing live in front of an audience. Advance to the next line with a foot pedal or a touch control, and it just keeps going.
I built this for myself. I've long held a deep-seated envy for sighted musicians who can just read their lyrics off a sheet or an iPad. I came home from a songwriting retreat not long ago wishing I could have performed a new song for the other participants, but I didn't have time to memorize the lyrics well enough to sing the song and play guitar at the same time. That wasn't the first time it had happened, but it was the one that got me building LyriCue. LyriCue uses its own text to speech, separate from VoiceOver, so it works the same whether VoiceOver is on or off. It's built for blind and visually impaired musicians first, but anyone who wants hands free lyrics in their ears can use it too.
Put in an earbud, or put on your smart glasses, grab your instrument, and you're ready.
When you're still learning a new song, LyriCue reads the lyrics to you line by line while you follow along, and can speak the chord name as it changes so you hear exactly where each change lands. Turn on "line breaks with chords" to force a new line every time the chord changes, which makes it easy to hear precisely which word a change falls on.
Once you know a song loosely but aren't fully off the page yet, LyriCue works like a patient rehearsal partner, prompting each line just ahead of when you need it, at whatever length and pace fits how you're practicing that day.
When a song's ready for a real audience, LyriCue is there to support you in case you need the lyrics, and lets you try new material or take unfamiliar requests on stage hands-free. Whether you're advancing with a foot pedal, a touch control, or a swipe, you can focus on the performance itself.
LyriCue is currently in beta testing on TestFlight. If you'd like to be considered as a tester, fill out this short survey: LyriCue tester survey.
Questions? Email me at rusty.perez@gmail.com.
The fastest way in is to try one of the built-in demo songs first, just to get a feel for it. Or if there's a song you already know by heart, use your phone's dictation to speak it straight into the New Song screen, saying "new line" between lines so each one lands on its own line. Then double-tap the "Load Song" button at the bottom of the screen to put the song on the lyrics display screen.
Touch the center of the screen and VoiceOver will say "Lyrics." Advance to the next or previous line with a one-finger swipe up or down, or a foot pedal.