Flat > Editor > Music notation tools > Add lyrics

Add lyrics

Summary

FeatureToolbarIconDefault Keyboard shortcut
LyricsTextDotCtrl + L or + L

What are the lyrics?

Lyrics are words that make up a song usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. On Flat, you can easily write lyrics under your notation using our Lyric tool, available in the Text toolbar.

Getting started with Lyrics on Flat

To start writing lyrics under your music notation, focus the note where you want to start adding your lyrics, then open the "Text" toolbar and click on the Lyrics icon.

You can input lyrics like regular text, pressing space will go to the next note or rest.

Basic lyric input

Multiple words on the same note

If you want to have two or more lyrics words attached to the same note, you need to use shift+space in order to insert and espace, instead of moving to the next note.

Syllable

If you have a word that spans on several notes, you can have a syllable on each note, and connected them by pressing - instead of the spacebar.

Lyrics with hyphen

Melisma

If you have a syllable/vowel that spans over several notes, you can add a melisma with the underscore _. First write the syllable, press _. Then press it again for each note on which you want to extend the melisma.

Lyrics with melisma

Removing Hyphens & Melismas

To remove an hyphen, you just need to press the space-bar while selecting the lyrics at the left side of the hyphen. To remove a melisma, select the melisma, remove the underscore ("_"), then press the space-bar.

Removing hyphens & Melismas

Multiple verses

You can move to the different verses with the arrow keys

Lyrics on multiple verses

To learn more about the keyboard shortcuts available, check out the list below.

Lyrics Keyboard Shortcuts

Go to the next lyricSpace or or Enter
Go to the previous lyric
Add a new verse / Go to the next verse
Go to the previous verse
Add a space within a lyric + Space
Add a hyphen after the lyric-
Add a melisma after the lyric_
Exit the Lyrics modeEsc

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