First of all, on a recent trip to Nashville, a performer there showed me her digital fakebook. It was the first time I ever heard of anything like that. When I perform locally, I usually do so with two 2-inch binders of songs. So when I returned, I looked for one that would be compatible with my new Kindle HDX 8.9. While other fakebook Android apps MAY run on the Kindle HDX, this one said it was optimized for it. So I downloaded it to my Kindle.

Now, this isn't just a page displayer that shows text, doc, or PDF files on your Kindle. This app actually imports "tabs". If you play guitar or perform, you know what a tab is: lyrics and chords. SongBook will import tabs in "text" format and convert them to the Chordpro format used internally. Sometimes Chordpro format is hard to come by, but standard tabs are not. However, I did find a Chordpro file full of most of the Christmas standards on-line.

Once you have your song imported and in Chordpro format, then Songbook comes to life. Need to play for a singer who sings in a different key? Songbook will transpose your chords for you...just select the key you need. Need to correct the errors that the person who wrote the tab included? Go to edit mode and correct it. Don't know how to play that D7-5 chord? Tap on the chord and a chord tab appears showing the proper fingering. Have that secret special chord that you play for your favorite song? You can edit a special chord tab for it and put it in your song. Want to play on a different instrument? Select one of 10 that are available. Even tablatures are available for you to document that special riff you use on the intro.

This app is available on several platforms besides Android/Kindle, including Mac and Windows. I also have the Windows version and I can use that to edit my songs as I want. Editing with a real keyboard and mouse/touchpad is often easier than on a smaller touch screen. Then I copy the song from my PC to my Kindle either through Dropbox, via USB cable, or with one of the Wi-Fi file transfer apps available. The songs are cross-platform compatible.

Do you play in public...or just for your family? It doesn't matter, because that's where SongBook really shines. You can separate you songs into "Song Lists" of your choosing, like, "Children's Songs", "Slow Songs", "Dance Songs", "Country Songs", etc. Songs can be sorted by Title or by the "Subtitle", which is usually used for the Songwriter and/or the original recording artist. Choosing a song is as simple as tapping on the list.

You can also auto-zoom your song so the whole song fits on the screen. Oh, have "old eyes" like I do...then zoom the screen to a size you like and let Songbook show all your songs in that size. Now, if the whole song doesn't fit on one screen, you are going to have to scroll down the page. Put a "tempo" command in your song and set "Accelerometer Scroll" and it will move down the page at the speed you need. Or, use a Bluetooth pedal to control the scrolling yourself. I happen to use the Cicada Page Flip Pedal...but there are others. There's even a flashing metronome if you need it.

So it's perfect, right? Ok, it's REAL good, but not quite perfect. It would be nice if there were a file containing the "User's Guide" that explained all the settings and options available. Even some of the information on the website is not current with the newest software update. But hey, the updates are free. It also wouldn't hurt if it could display text or doc or PDF files. While I wouldn't have the editing capabilities, it would let me move my current set of fakebooks over to SongBook a lot faster. But these are "wish list" items to me. The app I received is a solid 5 stars.

In my case I had one problem. I could zoom my song "view" page to the size I wanted, but could not get it to save that setting. Every time I brought up another song, it reverted to the single page mode. So, I sent LinkSoft a support request. Well, because I didn't explain my problem all that well, and it was in the middle of the holidays, it took several days and several emails to get the "problem" solved. In the end, the problem was "operator error". Somehow I had set a global setting that auto-zoomed all my songs. I wasn't aware of this setting, but LinkeSOFT support kept in touch with me until I was satisfied. That, my friends, is what you call SUPPORT!

So, if you perform, own an iOS, Android, or Kindle tablet, and want an electronic Fakebook, this should be at the top of your consideration list. It's an awesome app.

And about the commenters that gave negative reviews? Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I suspect they either just didn't understand what this app would do for them or didn't work with it long enough to learn to use it. You do not need wireless to read your songs. But you will have to import or write your own songs to allow SongBook to show you its stuff.

Have fun...and SING!

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.1 (233 ratings)
Price	$N/A
Category	Songbooks