Song Editing

You are editing a song whenever you create a new song or want to modify an existing song. You can change how a song's buttons are programmed, you can reorder the buttons, and you can rename the song. Each of these operations is described below. You can also create text comments that are saved with the song. The Playlist chapter describes how to edit a song's comment text.

Selecting a Song

To edit a song you first select it either by tapping on its name on the Playlist screen, or by navigating to it on the main screen by using the previous/next song arrows. (These arrows are to the left and right of the song name.) Once it is selected on the main screen you can begin editing it by tapping the Song Menu button in the lower right corner of the screen, and then selecting the "Editor" button. The button selection wheels will appear indicating that you can now edit the song.

Creating a New Song

There are 2 simple methods of creating a "New Song" in Guitar. The first is to tap the General Menu button in the lower left of the main screen and select "New Song". A pop-up dialog will ask you to confirm to prevent unwanted songs from appearing in your Playlist.

The second is by tapping the "+" (plus) symbol in the Playlist tool bar. With either method a new song with 10 blank buttons will be added to your Playlist and Song Edit window open. If your Playlist already contains an entry named "New Song" then a number will be added to the name to prevent duplicate names.

Changing a Button

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When you are editing a song, one button (and only one) is active. It is shown as pressed down, and its title is highlighted in yellow. The button selection wheels always reflect that state of that button. You can scroll the wheels up and down to select different button types with different detailed settings for that button. (For more on the 6 button types, see the Button Types chapter.) You can tap any button to make it active, and the wheels will change to reflect that button's type and settings.

Tap the Song Menu button (in the lower right) at any time to see a list of possible actions. This list changes depending on what you are doing in iShred. If you select a User Chord, some new actions appear on that list, namely:

        New User Chord
        Edit User Chord
        Delete User Chord

You can only access these User Chord actions while editing a song. Details are described in the User Chords chapter.

Reordering Buttons

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It is not unusual to program a set of buttons for a song, and then later realize that you wish you had put them in a different order to make the song easier to play. Fortunately it is very easy to reorder the buttons while editing a song. You just press your finger on a button and slide your finger to where you want that button placed. As you do this, a yellow glow will appear under your finger to remind you that you are moving this button. When you release your finger, the button you first pressed will swap places with the button that is where your finger lifted up.

Renaming a Song

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While editing a song, you can rename it by tapping on the song name at the bottom of the screen. A keyboard will slide into view, and above it the name of the song being edited is shown on a large, black field. Use the keyboard to change the name. You can also press your finger on the black name field to move the keyboard insertion point within the name. As you do this, a magnifying glass view of the name will appear so that you can see where you are moving the insertion point. Tap the "Done" button when you are finished editing the song name.

The keyboard that you use to edit the song name does not have musical symbols on it. If you want to use a sharp, natural, or flat sign in your User Chord name, type in ".s." for a sharp, ".n." for a natural, or ".f." for a flat. After you hit "Done" these abbreviations will be translated into real musical symbols in the name.

Note: The following characters cannot be used in a filename, and will be stripped out if you try to include them:

 "  /  \  *  ?  <  >  |  :

The Capo Setting

Every song has its own setting for a virtual capo. It may be off, or set anywhere from fret 1 to fret 7. The setting is part of the song, is saved with the other song settings, and is restored with the rest of the song. The capo is set using 8 icons that are just above the button selection wheels. Tap one of these icons to set the capo to a fret number, or tap "Capo Off" on the left to not use the capo. (This is the default for new songs.) If the capo is in use, a yellow capo icon with the capo fret number is shown in the middle of the strings as a reminder.

When you use a capo to transpose a song to a higher key, the button names do not change, the labels on the strings do not change ... only the string pitches and the marks related to fretboards change. For example, a "C" chord plays the notes C, E, and G when no capo is used. But if you set the capo on fret 5, the chord is transposed up 5 semitones (a fourth) and the notes played are F, A, and C. But the button is still called "C" and the chord note names (if shown) are for a "C" chord ... just transposed up a fourth to "F."

When You Are Done Editing

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Once you have made all the changes you wish, just tap the Song Menu button and select "Save Song and Exit" and you'll be brought back to the main view. Think you've screwed up your song badly? No problem! Select "Discard Changes and Exit" from the menu instead, and be back on the main screen with your original song just as you had it before. The second option, "Continue Editing", closes the menu and leaves you in the Song Edit mode. "Clone as User Chord" is another option that is discussed in the 'User Chords" chapter.

You may also want to move your song's position in the playlist. For instructions on doing that see the Playlist chapter.