OpenSong

Choirs can sing much better if they have lyrics in front of them. Projecting a slideshow presentation would be sufficient, but it can take some time to prepare everything. If you have to do this on a regular basis, OpenSong can make your work much easier. The software allows you to organize lyrics, chords and lead sheets and project them. The best part is that it supports multiple monitors, which gives you the possibility of projecting and preparing the next lyrics at the same time. What's more, OpenSong is free and open source. It was created for church choirs, but it can be used for other similar events as well.

Once you run OpenSong, you may start a new project and type a song's lyrics right away, but you can also load an existing one. You can specify the song's title, author and other information in separate input fields and you can type the lyrics themselves in a large text box. Also, the program provides various options, for inserting new sections, chords, comments and other elements. OpenSong comes with a large number of sample lyrics, for various songs, which can be loaded instantly, just by selecting their titles, in the lower left area of the interface.

Selected lyrics sets can be saved or exported, along with their annotations, printed or projected. You can choose to present lyrics using a single monitor or preview them in dual-screen mode. If you opt for the second option, a presentation helper will show up on your main screen, on which you can find a wide range of useful controls. You can use these controls and see how they affect the actual presentation on the other screen, in a small preview, on your main screen or directly on the projection.

The presentation helper allows you to overlay logos or switch to other view modes. Additionally, you can load the lyrics for the next song, which can be selected on a separate window. It is also possible to insert text alerts, as well as Scripture quotes. The program includes numerous quotes, which are neatly organized by the Old and New testament, paragraph and verse. What's more, you can choose to insert one verse or a certain range.