11  Print (or Export) a Lead Sheet (macOS)

Capo can take all the work you’ve done mapping out the song and put everything together into a tidy lead sheet that you can take to a gig, or file it away to catalog your repertoire.

Step 1: Get your sections in order

Using the Structure song view, verify that you have the whole song mapped out correctly:

  • If needed, fix the beat grid to track the song well
  • Make sure the sections accurately capture the song (e.g., with an Intro, Verse, Chorus).

Step 2: Double-check the chords

Jump to the Chords song view, and check the chords are all represented.

If you need to change anything, use the Practice song view to add missing chords or change them to match how you play the song.

Once you’re happy with what you see (and hear), you can prepare the lead sheet.

Step 3: Open the print panel

Choose File > Print… from the main menu to show the standard print panel. A preview of your lead sheet appears on the left.

TipPaper Size/Layout

You can choose File > Page Setup… if you need to configure Capo to use different paper, or to print in landscape instead of portrait.

Step 4: Configure the output

Locate the Capo section in the print settings, and add/modify the title and subheading(s) to suit your song. By default, Capo tries to fill this in with the song’s title and artist information, but you might want to include your own details like “Words and Music by Stevie Ray Vaughan”, or “Drop D Tuning”.

You can also choose to hide the chord vocabulary, which lists all the chord shapes for your preferred instrument.

Step 5: Print (or export) your work

When you’re done, you now have a choice:

  • If you want to export a PDF file, press the PDF button, and choose a location to save your lead sheet.
  • If you would like to print the lead sheet, just press the Print button at the bottom right of the print panel.
Tip

If you just want to see the PDF output before you decide, or add your own markup to the file, click the arrow on the right of the PDF button to show a drop-down menu, then choose ‘Open in Preview’. From there, you can add your own notes to the PDF before you save or print it.