In this article on Naijaknowhow, I’ll be writing about some of the best songwriting apps for smartphones. As a musician, it is a common understanding that one’s thoughts can be random and unpredictable. At times, a great song lyric may come to mind, but before a pen and paper can be procured, it disappears into the abyss of forgotten ideas.
That kind of occurrence can be quite frustrating for any musician. However, with the help of a songwriting app, such occurrences can be eradicated. These apps are an excellent tool for musicians to utilize when they are away from their desks. They enable individuals to capture ideas and jot down lyrics, guitar riffs, or music scores before they slip away.
These apps provide a means to capture and record any creative ideas, regardless of location or time of day. Furthermore, songwriting apps offer a wide array of options to choose from. Whether you need a simple notepad to record your thoughts or a more advanced app with various features, there are choices available to suit your needs.
What is a Songwriting App?
A songwriting app is a digital tool designed to assist musicians and lyricists in creating, editing, and organizing their songs. These apps often feature functionalities such as chord progressions, melody creation, lyric writing, and audio recording, providing users with a convenient platform to develop their musical ideas and compositions on the go.
How We Evaluate the Best Apps:
We prioritise the confidence our readers place in us by conducting evaluations of the top apps on both Android and iOS platforms through extensive testing and research. We deploy humans to test and compile articles to help those who are looking for the best of the best. Our team of tech writers and a small tech community invest significant time experimenting with and using these tech products or software. As a result, we reach well-informed conclusions based on the effectiveness, user experience, and customer support offered by the apps. It’s important to note that we never receive compensation for featuring apps in our articles or for linking to any websites. You can read more about how we review apps and software on Naijaknowhow.
After a series of examinations and tests of these apps, here are some of the features you should look out for in a songwriting app:
- Intuitive user interface
- Comprehensive lyric editing tools
- Melody composition assistance
- Collaboration features
List of the Best Songwriting Apps for Android and iOS
Below is a list of some of the finest songwriter apps available for Android and iOS devices. By exploring the various options, musicians can find the best app to enhance their songwriting experience and bring their creative ideas to fruition.
1. Maestro
Maestro is an exceptional music composition tool designed to facilitate the quick and effortless creation of music. Here you can easily write various types of notes, including layered and chorded notes, in a matter of minutes. In addition to that, the app enables you to apply various musical notations such as bar lines, repeat signs, and transposition, among others.
The app offers a range of functionalities such as the ability to change clef, tempo, time signature, and key signature. It also provides support for over 100 musical instruments, including the likes of organ, violin, guitar, drums, and many more. Also, it offers an array of fun sound effects such as helicopters, seashore, telephone rings, bird tweets, and even screams.
Maestro offers a plethora of other features and functionality, such as the ability to export your compositions as print sheet music, or audio files, or even listen to them within the app. Not surprisingly, it has become one of the most popular free songwriting apps available for smartphones on the market today.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface for quick music composition
- Versatile note types and musical notations
- Wide range of instrument support
- Fun sound effects for creative expression
Cons:
- Limited advanced features
- Contains some glitches
- Ads and in-app purchases
2. Songwriter Pad
Songwriter Pad is designed to help you create a hit song in a matter of minutes. Whenever inspiration strikes, simply grab your smartphone, open the app, and start jotting down your ideas. In addition to capturing your ideas, the app is also a fantastic resource for generating new ones.
Whether you’re in a happy or melancholy mood, the app allows you to effortlessly generate lyrics that reflect your emotions. What’s more, Songwriter’s Pad can help you find words that rhyme, but an internet connection is required for this.
It also includes a dictionary and thesaurus to help you define and discover new words. Best of all, the app allows you to keep all your music sheets and songs in one convenient location, so you’ll never have to worry about losing your work again.
Pros:
- Lyric capture and generation
- Rhyme assistance for lyrics
- Integrated dictionary and thesaurus
Cons:
- Requires internet for rhyme assistance
- May not suit advanced songwriters
3. Lyric Notepad
Lyric Notepad is a versatile tool that can assist you by helping you organize your ideas. The app is not just for taking notes, it also has a built-in recorder to capture new words and record lyrics. Also, it includes a syllable counter that displays the syllable count on the left side of the screen and a measure mode that breaks the lyric into quarter measures.
If you want to specify the BPM, the app is also equipped with a metronome that can be used as both a visual and audio reference. Furthermore, the built-in notepad enables you to keep track of anything related to your lyrics. With all these features and a user-friendly design, songwriting is made easy and convenient for its users.
Pros:
- Versatile tool for organizing ideas
- Recorder for capturing new words and melodies
- Syllable counter for precise lyric composition
- Measure mode to break lyrics into quarter measures
Cons:
- Occasional stability issues
- Ads and in-app purchases
4. Tully
Tully is an excellent app tailored for songwriters and artists, providing a convenient platform to not only write and record their creative ideas but also store and manage them all in one place. The interface is intentionally designed to be simple and clear, making it incredibly easy to work with your artistic content.
The app is a comprehensive songwriting tool that offers everything you need to preserve your musical ideas. Although the main feature is the ability to write lyrics, Tully also boasts additional useful features like rhyming suggestions, mix creation, and cloud storage for easier access.
Moreover, Tully has a range of other useful functions, including the ability to distribute music to major streaming platforms, create split sheet agreements, and manage metadata. All of these features make Tully a versatile songwriting app that is perfect for every musician.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Comprehensive songwriting tools
- Cloud storage for easy access
- Sharing to streaming platforms
Cons:
- Requires paid subscription to use
- Contains glitches
5. Songwriting Wizard
This app has a comprehensive set of features, including the ability to edit various song attributes such as tempo, tonality, and genre. It also offers a theme feature that automatically generates melody and chord progression for each verse and chorus.
Songwriting Wizard helps with song arrangement by specifying the order of each section, and it allows you to choose from a wide range of drum, keyboard, and bass accompaniment patterns. Once you’ve finished composing your music, you can easily export your song as sheet music (in image format) or a MIDI file.
Also, the app comes equipped with a sharing option that lets you share your creation with your friends. All in all, Songwriting Wizard for Android devices is a perfect app for anyone who wants to create music, whether you’re an experienced musician or just starting.
Pros:
- Comprehensive song attribute editing
- Theme feature for melody and chord progression
- Song arrangement assistance
- Easy export options for sheet music and MIDI files
Cons:
- Contains ads
6. Song Memo
Song Memo is a useful tool for jotting down your lyric ideas and organizing your songs effortlessly. As one of the top-tier songwriting apps out there, it also allows you to write chord progressions with ease, as it automatically detects chords while you take notes.
But that’s not all – Song Memo also supports key transposition and song synchronization across all your iOS devices. And if you’ve already written a song elsewhere, you can easily import it into the app from the cloud and edit it before sharing it with your friends.
Pros:
- Easy lyric jotting
- Automatic chord detection
- Key transposition support
- Cloud import and editing
Cons:
- In-app purchase for more feature
Download Link: iOS
7. Songwriter Pro
This songwriting app offers a wide range of features that can be leveraged to create exceptional songs. Among these features are the rhyme and phrase search functions that help generate lyrics when inspiration is lacking. Also, the app supports word search, enabling you to find words that match your mood.
With standard audio recording and instrument importing, you can create exceptional soundtracks alongside your lyrics. Furthermore, the export feature enables you to save your creations to popular cloud storage platforms such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud.
Pros:
- Advanced rhyme and phrase search
- Word search for mood matching
- Audio recording and instrument importing
- Export to popular cloud storage platforms
Cons:
- Premium subscription for more features
Download Link: iOS
Conclusion
There are many songwriting apps available on the market for all smartphones that can assist you with songwriting no matter where you are or when you want to. But to assist you in decision-making, I’ve given you a list of some of the best, such as you have seen above. By installing one of these apps on your device, you can effectively manage your sporadic thoughts.
