How to Make a Setlist Book for Gigs & Rehearsals

Every gigging musician knows the feeling: you're between sets, scrambling through a pile of loose sheets to find the next song. The bass player has a different order than the singer. Someone's chart fell off the music stand. And the iPad died during the second set.

A printed setlist book solves all of this. Here's how to make one.

The Problem with Loose Setlists

Loose sheet music and printed setlists are a liability on stage. They fall off music stands, get shuffled out of order, and blow away outside. Binders are better but bulky — and flipping through 60 songs in plastic sleeves is slow when the crowd is waiting.

Tablets and phones solve some of these problems but introduce others. Batteries die. Screens glare under stage lights. Apps crash. And when you're sharing one tablet among four band members, someone always needs it at the wrong time.

Why a Printed Setlist Book Wins

A properly bound setlist book has real advantages over both loose sheets and digital devices:

• Lies flat on the stand. No clips, no page curling, no plastic sleeves.
• No battery, no crashes. It works at every gig, regardless of venue conditions.
• Survives the gig. Spill a drink on it? Dry it off and keep playing. Drop it? Pick it up. Try that with a tablet.
• Everyone gets a copy. Print one for each band member with the same song order. No more "what song are we on?"
• Quick to flip through. Tabs, chapter dividers, and a table of contents mean you find any song in seconds.

How to Organize Your Sets

The most common way to organize a gig book is by set number and energy level. Start each set with an energy-building opener, peak in the middle, and wind down before the break.

Use set dividers as chapter markers — they appear in the table of contents and make it easy to jump to the right set during the gig.

A good set flows naturally. Group high-energy songs together for momentum, and place crowd favorites at peak moments. Save the big singalong for the encore.

Other Organization Strategies

Energy level isn't the only way to organize. Depending on your band and venues, consider:

• By key: Group songs in the same key together to make transitions smoother. Great for bands that segue between songs.
• By genre: If your band plays mixed genres (rock, country, Motown), grouping by genre creates themed mini-sets that feel cohesive.
• By venue type: Wedding songs in one chapter, bar gig staples in another, corporate event safe picks in a third. One master book, multiple gig types.
• By medley groups: If you play medleys, keep those songs together as a group so everyone knows the order and transitions.

For more general tips on organizing your music files before building a book, see our guide to organizing sheet music PDFs.

Building Your Setlist Book

Here's how to build a setlist book with MakeMySongBook:

1. Collect your chord charts and lyrics. Gather PDFs for every song your band plays. Name each file clearly — the filename becomes the song title in the book.
2. Upload to MakeMySongBook. Drag all your PDFs into the builder. You can upload everything at once.
3. Create chapters for each set. Add chapter dividers for "Set 1", "Set 2", "Encore", etc. Drag songs into the right set.
4. Reorder songs within each set. Arrange for flow — openers, peaks, wind-downs. Drag to reorder until it feels right.
5. Add a cover. Pick a cover design, add your band name and gig date. The cover prints as the first page.
6. Export and print. Choose full book (A4) or booklet (A5) format. MakeMySongBook handles page alignment automatically — every song starts on a fresh page spread.

Printing Copies for the Band

The real power of a printed setlist book: everyone in the band gets an identical copy. No more miscommunication about song order or which key you're playing in.

Print one master copy and verify it's correct. Then print additional copies — one per band member. If you're printing more than 3-4 copies, consider using a print shop. They'll do it faster, cheaper, and can add spiral binding so the book lies flat.

Check out our band book recipe for more tips on building books for full bands.

Gigging Tips

• Laminate the cover. A laminated cover page survives drink spills, rain, and years of gigs. Use a self-adhesive laminating sheet or get it done at a print shop.
• Use spiral binding. Spiral-bound books lie completely flat on a music stand and can be folded back to show a single page. Most print shops offer spiral binding for a few dollars. See our binding guide for options.
• Keep a master and gig-specific books. Your master book has every song the band knows. For specific gigs, create smaller books with just the songs you'll play — faster to flip through and lighter on the stand.
• Mark song transitions. Use a pencil to note segues, key changes, or special intros. Printed books are easy to annotate and erase.
• Print at home for quick updates. When you add new songs to the setlist, print a new book in minutes. No waiting for a print shop turnaround. See our home printing guide for setup tips.

Frequently Asked Questions