Lifeway Christian Resources, the research and publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, has introduced a new resource that will allow users to customize songs and produce sheet music.
SongMap allows users to transpose keys, change the order of the song’s verses, choruses, introductions and transitions, and download their new arrangment and print out sheet music for various instruments.
The SongMap site explains that “nearly 1,000 songs and 8,000 mixes were recorded in just 10 months by over 150 professional musicians, vocalists and engineers.” The songs range from traditional hymns to contemporary worship songs to patriotic anthems like “America The Beautiful.”
Mike Harland, director of LifeWay Worship, says on the Lifeway Worship site:

“SongMap is the first technology that gives users the ability to change songs on the Internet to meet their own tastes. Some churches need sheet music for a full rock band each week, while others rely solely on accompaniment tracks. We set out to find a way to help these churches create music that suits their congregations. In doing so, we created a new music technology that does what none other has done before.”
Registration for SongMap is free, and the cost to map a song ranges from $ 1.49 to $1.99 per part. Once a song is purchased, the user has immediate access to the corresponding MP3 file and sheet music, and the custom file is stored in the user’s online media library for future use.
I’d love to know what you think about this product and how it will help you lead worship and prepare music for events like weddings and school concerts!
For more information about SongMap, visit the Lifeway Worship website.
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