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Tutorial 4: Guitar Notation
SongWriter offers a variety of features for notation of guitar and
other fretted instruments. In this chapter you will learn how to
create a score with tablature, and edit tab staves. If you do not
plan on notating for guitar (or another fretted instrument), feel
free to skip ahead to the next chapter.
Creating Guitar Tablature
Let’s start by creating a new document
containing both standard and tablature notation. We’ll use the Document
Setup Wizard to do this.
- Click
the File menu, choose New, then select Document with Setup Wizard.
You will now see page one of the Setup Wizard.
- Click
Next. We’ll set up our document staves manually. In the future
you can select pre-set guitar documents and document styles here.
- In
the left column, click the Fretted Instruments category. A list
of stringed instruments appears in the second column.
- In
the second column, click Guitar and then click the Add button.
“Guitar” appears in the third column.
- In
the second column, click Guitar [Tab] and then click the Add button.
Now, both “Guitar” and “Guitar [Tab]” appear in the third column.
- Click
Next. In the Score Information page the wizard asks you to enter
some basic information.
- Type
“Guitar with Tab.”
- Click
in the Composer box and type your name.
- Click
Next. The Score Settings page of the appears. Here, the Wizard
asks for the time signature and the key signature. We’ll leave these settings
alone for now. The Wizard asks you to specify a tempo, pickup measure,
and default music font. Again, we can leave these settings alone.
- Click
Finish. The document opens with a standard notation staff above
a tablature staff. You are now ready to begin entering your music.
The document you just created is already
set up to take into account the standard guitar transposition which sounds
an octave lower than written. Now, let’s learn the best way to enter music
into a guitar score.
Copying Music to and from
a Tab Staff
There are a few ways to enter into a tab
staff. We’ll start with the most basic, copying music directly from a
standard staff into tablature. To demonstrate this we’ll continue with our guitar score that includes one standard staff above one tablature staff.
- Enter some notes in the first measure of the standard staff.
- Click
the Selection tool .
- Click
the first measure so it is highlighted.
- Drag
the highlighted region down to the tab staff, and release the mouse button.
You should now see the Lowest Fret dialog box.
- Click
OK. The first measures of music translates into tablature
notation. In this case, the fret numbers represent the
pitch as played on the lowest possible fret in standard guitar tuning. If you want the tab positioned
farther up the neck, you would enter the desired fret in the Lowest Fret dialog box.
This ability to copy music from standard notation
into tab, and specify a lowest fret, can be applied to smaller areas of
the score by selecting part of the measure. To do this, click and drag
over a region including the partial measure(s).
In addition to translating standard notation
directly to tablature, you can also copy tablature directly into a standard
notation staff. We will use the second half of “Spanish Dance No. 2” to
demonstrate this. For this example the tablature is entered for you already.
Changing the
String and Fret Number
You can edit tab numbers and move them
between strings manually with the Simple Entry tool. This method gives
more control over the movement of single and non-contiguous fingerings.
- While pressing
the key, click a fret number and drag it down to the adjacent string. The fingering moves to the new string and fret, and
the number changes accordingly.
- Use the up arrow and down arrow to move selected tab numbers
between strings, or the left arrow and right arrow to move selection between fret numbers horizontally.
You can also easily change the fret number.
The Simple Entry tool should still be selected.
- While
pressing the key, click any fret
number in the tab staff. The tab number changes color to indicate
it is selected.
- In
the numeric keypad (or while holding down
+)
, type a new
number. You can now use the numeric keypad to enter any one- or
two-digit number.
- Hit
the “+” or “-” key to raise or lower the fret number by one. Remember
that when you change the fret number, you are effectively changing its
pitch. To ensure the standard notation accurately represents the tablature,
drag the tablature up to the standard notation staff with Selection tool.
Entry Directly into
a Tab Staff
In addition to copying from a standard
notation staff, you can also enter tab directly into a tab staff. This
comes in handy if you are working with a tab staff only or already know
the tablature and not the standard notation. Again, we’ll continue to
use the same file we’ve been working on to describe how to do this, first
by entering tablature with your mouse, and then with your computer keyboard.
- Click
the Selection tool and highlight the first two measures of the tab staff.
Measures 1 and 2 of the tab staff should be highlighted.
- Press
the key to remove the existing tab notation
from these first measures. You should now see standard notation
above an empty tab staff for the first two measures.
- Click
the Simple Entry tool . We are now ready to begin entering
into the tab staff manually. For now, we’ll enter tab for the existing
notes in the standard notation staff. In the future, you could use this
procedure to enter into a score containing a tab staff only.
- Click
the Eighth Note tool in the Simple
Entry palette. You will need to choose the rhythmic value of the
entry first so SongWriter knows its duration, and how to properly space each
fret number.
Use the up and down arrows to move a selected
fret number up or down a string. The number will adjust to reflect the
same pitch on the new string.
- Click
the tab staff on the third (G) string directly below the first note in
the piece. A “0” (zero) appears. When you click directly into a
tab staff, you will always see a “0” first.
- Press
numeric keypad 2 (or while holding down +).
The “0” changes to “2”.
- Click
the tab staff on the third string directly below the second note in the
piece. A “0” appears on the G string.
If you do not have a numeric keypad, you
can press to add a 0 on the caret pitch, then hold down
+
and type the number.
- Press
numeric keypad 3. The second fret number changes to 3. You can
use this method, first clicking the rhythmic duration, clicking the string
and then typing the fret number to create all of your tab notation, but
you can also quickly enter tablature without the use of the mouse with
the Simple Entry Caret.
- Press
the right arrow key. The caret is now active on
the second beat of the first measure.
- On
your QWERTY keyboard, type 2. Notice the Caret moves to the second
(B) string. Use numbers 1 through 6 on your QWERTY keyboard to specify
the string for the fret number you are about to enter. 1 is the top string,
6 is the bottom.
- Press
numeric keypad 3. SongWriter places a “3” on the B string and the caret
moves to the right. (Notebook users, see the tip at right.)
- Press
numeric keypad 1. SongWriter places a “1” on the same string. Now,
let’s say we want to add another note below the “1” on the second beat.
- Hold
down and type 4 on the QWERTY keyboard. SongWriter adds a “0” on the fourth string below the fret number you just
entered.
- Hold
down and type numeric keypad 3 (or,
++ 3). The “0” changes to a “3”. You can use the last two steps at
any time, first entering the string and then the fret number to create
chords. You can also use the up and down arrows to specify the string
for an additional fret number and then hold down and press ) to add a note on the same
string displayed on the caret. Then hold down and type the desired number on the numeric keypad.
- Press
to remove the extra fret number. Now, let’s finish
the measure.
To see a list of Simple Entry keyboard
shortcuts from the Simple menu, choose TAB Specific Commands.
- On
the QWERTY keyboard, type 3 to specify the G string, then, on the numeric
keypad, type 3 and then 2. You have completed tab for the first
measure. The Caret should appear at the beginning of measure 2. Note that
you can always press the left arrow key to select the
fret number you just entered, type a new number on the numeric keypad
to replace the old, and then press the right arrow key to
continue entering.
Refer back to Tutorial 1a for information
on entering standard notation with the Simple Entry Caret.
- Type
numeric keypad 3 to enter the first fret number in measure 2. Now,
we’ll enter a rest.
- Press
. SongWriter adds a rest ‘on the and’ of beat 1. Since
rests are generally not displayed on tab staves, the rest is hidden. It
will display as a shaded rest in the score, and will not appear in the
printout. Now, let’s enter the half note on the second beat.
- Hold
down , and and then, on the QWERTY
keyboard, type 6. Notice the note on the Caret changes to a half
note. The next fret number is on the same string, so we can just type
in the fret number.
- Press
Enter. SongWriter places a 0 on the string. You could have instead
hit the 0 key on the numeric keypad. Measures 1 and 2 are now complete.
Instead of typing the string and fret number,
you can also use a MIDI device to enter tablature with the Simple Entry
Caret. First, from the Simple menu, ensure Use MIDI Device for Input is
checked. Then, with the Caret active, choose the rhythmic duration , and and the number
on the QWERTY keyboard) and then play the note. SongWriter will place the
fret number on the appropriate string.
There are many additional keystrokes you can
use while entering tablature using the Simple Entry Caret. For a complete
list, from the Simple menu, choose TAB Specific Commands.