I.The idea
The Ledger was built for pen and paper. Songledger is built for the same craft, on glass.
Not every songwriter carries a notebook. Some carry an iPad, and write in the same way using Apple Pencil. Songledger holds the same rule the Ledger does: no AI. Nothing here completes your lyric or suggests the hook that’s been optimised to land. Songledger keeps what you make. It doesn’t make it for you.
II.How it works
Songledger follows a song from the first scratch of an idea to the stage.
Sketch
Write with Apple Pencil, the way you would on paper. Sketch a lyric, brainstorm a new idea, attach a photo for inspiration, and attach voice notes to the page the moment a melody arrives.
Fair Copy
When the song is ready, move into Fair Copy view: a clean, typed, structured version, verse by verse, chord by chord. The mess becomes the manuscript.
Gig Mode
Build a setlist, and take the songs on stage. Auto-scroll follows you through the lyrics and chords, hands free. Or export as a PDF and send it to your bandmates.
III.What’s inside
- Pencil-first writing — a page that responds to Apple Pencil like paper does.
- Paper types — a selection of beautifully designed paper types for songwriters, including plain, ruled, wide ruled, dotted, music score and guitar tab.
- Voice notes — attached directly to the page, at the moment the idea arrives. Add layers to stack harmonies, and one of three reverb effects to shape your recordings.
- Photos — attach photos to the page, like a scrapbook, for inspiration while you write.
- Fair Copy mode — a clean, structured, typed version of every song.
- Gig Mode — setlist and auto-scroll, built for performing, not just writing.
- Metronome and guitar tuner, built in.
- Songwriting prompts — simple prompts to spark new, original ideas.
- No AI — no generated lyrics, chords or melody. Songledger keeps what you make. It doesn’t make it for you.
IV.Privacy
Songledger works entirely offline. No internet connection required, no account to create, nothing sent anywhere. Your songs, voice notes and recordings stay on your iPad. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is analysed, nothing leaves the device.
V.A note from the founder
Songledger isn’t a different idea from the Ledger, it’s the same one, carried differently. Some songs get written at a table, with a pen. Others get written on a train, or on a sofa, iPad in hand. Either way, the song still has to come from you.
I built Songledger for songwriters who live on iPad and want a tool that respects that: one that helps you capture and shape the idea, without ever finishing the thought for you.
Keith McInally
Founder & Songwriter