1 Overview

With smartChord you can use a Bluetooth pedal to control the songs in your Set list while playing — completely hands-free. This is a huge help on stage when both of your hands are busy with your instrument.

The Bluetooth pedal control allows you to navigate between songs and within a song without ever touching your phone or tablet. It works with the PageFlip pedal and any other external Bluetooth device that sends standard key signals.

2 Supported Devices and Actions

Any external Bluetooth pedal that appears as a keyboard to your phone or tablet will work — for example a PageFlip pedal. smartChord also supports MIDI devices via USB or Bluetooth MIDI, which gives you the same actions plus additional MIDI features.

2.1 Available Actions

• Next — jump to the next song in the set list
• Previous — jump to the previous song
• Page up / Page down — scroll one page within the current song
• Scroll up / Scroll down — scroll line by line
• Start/stop — start or stop the auto-scroller, the audio player and the metronome together
• Start/stop auto scroll — control the auto-scroller only
• Start/stop metronome — control the metronome only

3 Opening the Pedal Configuration

The pedal configuration lives inside the Set list settings. Three quick taps and you are there.

3.1 Step by Step

1. Open the smartChord toolbox and tap Set list
2. In the Set list screen, open the menu and choose Settings
3. In the Settings, tap Pedal to open the pedal configuration

For a complete tour of the Set list, see Set list overview and Use a Set list.

Open the Set list and choose “Settings” from the menu

Tap “Pedal” to open the pedal configuration

4 Assigning Actions to Your Pedal

Once the pedal configuration is open, you can teach smartChord which pedal button should trigger which action. The process is the same for every action and every pedal button.

4.1 Step by Step

1. Select the action you want to assign to your pedal (for example Next)
2. Tap Assign to start the assignment
3. smartChord now waits for a signal — the prompt “Press your pedal” appears
4. Press the button on your pedal that should trigger the chosen action
5. The detected signal name (e.g. DPAD_RIGHT) is stored next to the action — the assignment is finalized

Repeat for every action you want to control with your pedal. Use Reset to clear an existing assignment, or Cancel while waiting for a signal to abort.

Select the action and tap “Assign”

smartChord waits for a signal — press your pedal

The signal name (e.g. DPAD_RIGHT) confirms the assignment

5 Tips for Live Performance

A few small settings turn your pedal-driven Set list into a smooth on-stage experience:

• Enable “Automatic start” in the Set list settings so that scroller, audio and metronome start as soon as you open a song
• Enable “Fullscreen” to keep the lyrics and chords as readable as possible during the gig
• Bind a single pedal button to Start/stop to control scroller, audio and metronome together — one tap, everything in sync
• Use Page up/Page down for songs with chord diagrams or PDFs, and Scroll up/Scroll down for line-by-line lyric sheets
• Pair smartChord with your pedal once via the Android Bluetooth settings — after that it reconnects automatically

For more tips on running a gig from the Set list, see the Set list FAQ.

1 Overview

With a MIDI source — for example a MIDI foot pedal — you can control your Set list and Songbook hands-free while playing. Switch songs, scroll through chords and lyrics, and start or stop the player, the auto-scroller, or the metronome by simply tapping a pedal.

2 Supported Actions

Each MIDI signal can be mapped to one of the following actions in the Set list or Songbook:

• Next — jump to the next song in the set list
• Previous — jump to the previous song
• Page up / Page down — scroll one page within the current song
• Scroll up / Scroll down — scroll line by line
• Start / stop — start or stop everything (auto-scroller, audio/video player, metronome) at once
• Start / stop auto scroll — control only the auto-scroller
• Start / stop metronome — control only the metronome

For details on the auto-scroller, see Auto-scroll songs, images, and PDFs.

3 Open the Set List

The MIDI source is configured from inside the Set list (or alternatively the Songbook). Start by opening the Set list tool from the smartChord toolbox.

An example set list ready to be played live

Need to build a set list first? See Create a set list and Set list overview.

4 Select Your MIDI Source

Open the Set list Settings and scroll to the Set list section. Two entries are relevant:

• MIDI source — pick the connected MIDI device (e.g. AKAI LPK25 Wireless) that smartChord should listen to
• MIDI source configuration — assign actions to the keys, pads, or pedals of that device

If you prefer a Bluetooth pedal instead of MIDI, use Pedal configuration on the same screen.

Set list settings with the MIDI source selected

5 Assign Actions to MIDI Signals

Tap MIDI source configuration to open the assignment dialog. The list shows every supported action; the column on the right shows which MIDI signal is currently bound to it.

5.1 Step by Step

1. Select the action you want to assign (for example Next)
2. Tap Assign — smartChord switches into listening mode and shows “Press a key”
3. Press the desired key, pad, or pedal on your MIDI device
4. The detected MIDI signal (e.g. NoteOn(1, 0) / NoteOff(1, 0)) is shown next to the action and the assignment is finalized
5. Repeat for every action you want to control, then confirm with OK

Use Reset to clear an existing binding, or Cancel to abort the current assignment.

Pick an action and tap “Assign”

smartChord is waiting for a MIDI signal

The signal name confirms the finalized binding

6 Sending MIDI Commands from Songs

The integration also works the other way around: a song in the Songbook can send MIDI commands when it is opened or closed — for example to switch the patch on a synth or pedalboard at the start of a song.

6.1 Available Directives

• {x_sccrd_midiOpen: <commands>} — sent when the song is opened
• {x_sccrd_midiClose: <commands>} — sent when the song is closed
• {x_sccrd_midi: Name; <commands>} — named command, triggered manually
• {x_sccrd_midiSongSelect: <number>} — selects a song by MIDI number (range 0–127 or 1–128, depending on the device)

6.2 Command Formats

• Shorthand:
  • Control Change — CC#<controller>:<value> (channel optional, defaults to 1)
  • Program Change — PC#<program> (channel optional, defaults to 1)
• Hexadecimal — space-separated bytes without a 0x prefix

Valid ranges: channel 1–16, controller / program / value 0–127. Edit these commands per song under Edit → MIDI → MIDI on opening / closing.

7 Verify with the MIDI Test Tool

If a key press does not seem to reach smartChord, the built-in MIDI Test tool helps you find out why. It displays every incoming MIDI message in the same directive format used by the Songbook, and it can also send commands to a connected MIDI device for outbound testing.

• Activate the MIDI interface in the settings
• Pick a MIDI source for receiving and a MIDI receiver for sending
• Press a key on your pedal or keyboard — the message appears in the log
• Type a command and tap Send to forward it to the receiver

For the full description, see MIDI Test.

8 Tips for Live Use

• Enable Fullscreen and Automatic start — both options sit right above the MIDI settings and are perfect for stage use
• Bind Start / stop to a single pedal — one tap controls scroller, audio, and metronome together
• Use Page up / Page down for songs that do not auto-scroll well, e.g. lead sheets with many chord diagrams
• Combine MIDI control with set list link to keep multiple devices in sync — see Set list link
• For more questions, check the Set list FAQ