This chapter will explain writing music in tablature, and tell
you all you need to
know to use tablature in Harmony-Melody.
Introduction
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The classical notation of musical notes on a staff
requires the performer to relate the written note to the way of playing
that note on his instrument.
In tablature, notes are written in a simpler way
that shows directly how to play them on the instrument. It eases the
work
of the performer.
Three kinds of tablature can be used in Harmony-Melody:
tablatures for fretted string instruments (Guitar, Bass,
Banjo...), for Harmonica (diatonic and chromatic), and for diatonic
accordion (Harmony Assistant only).
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Note: Harmony-Melody
can automatically compute tablatures for various instruments: Guitar,
Bass, Lute, Harmonica, Accordion... You can even define your own
instruments,
save them into independent files, and share them with other users. |
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To ask Harmony-Melody to compute and display a tablature,
select the "Staff>Tablature" menu, then the staff and the
instrument. Tablature
is calculated and displayed according to the existing standard staff.
Any
change to the standard staff will result in a corresponding change to
the
associated tablature.
You can also create a new staff and define it is a tablature staff.
Some standard templates also include predefined tablature staves.
Creating a tablature
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In Harmony-Melody there are several ways to display
a staff with a tablature:
Standard staves do not have an
associated
tablature. To add a tablature to a standard staff, select Edit
tablature in the staff contextual menu or click on the little
"Tab" icon in the
staff margin, and select the kind of tablature you want to use.
Standard staves with associated tablature
display notes in the classical way, and also display the associated
tablature.
When you insert a note, tablature is computed again. To avoid this,
select
"Priority to tablature" in the staff contextual menu. The staff becomes
then a "Tablature" staff with a visible classical (standard) staff.
It
is however possible to "freeze" the fingering calculation, in a note
basis, in non-priority tablatures. The note contextual menu (right
click or Shift click) enables to do this. A "frozen" note won't be
computed and will always keep the fingering that the user set.
When
a note is moved or inserted on the standard staff, its fingering is
automatically computed. It's the same for transposition of pitch
shifting. When a note is moved or inserted on the tablature part, it is automatically "frozen".
A
"frozen" note is displayed in a specific color (in scroll mode or in
page mode when control handle are displayed). This color can be changed
in the global setup, "Appearance" topic.
Tablature staves with associated standard staff
staff appearance is the same as the one above. You cannot insert notes
into the classical staff, however, but only into the tablature. You can
switch back to a standard staff with associated tablature by
unselecting
"Priority to tablature" in the staff contextual menu. The tablature
will
then be recalculated.
Tablature staves display the tablature
only.
You can activate the classical staff display by modifying the staff
display mode (staff contextual menu); you get a tablature staff
with an associated standard staff. You can then change the staff type,
to get a standard staff with an associated tablature.
Summary:
- Tablature can be associated with a standard
(classical) staff; it then displays notes in tablature format according
to the existing notes in the standard staff
To associate a tablature with an existing staff, select "Staff>Tablature" then the target staff.
You can insert notes into either the standard staff, and the fingering is automatically recomputed
- A "Tablature staff" displays notes only as a
tablature. When you insert a note, it always stays at the string
and cell you selected. To create a tablature staff, select
"Staff>Add staff" then select the "Tablature" staff type.
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Note: Regular
notation can still be displayed. This can be done through the tablature
display option window. |
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The following chapters are a detailed description of all the tablature
types which can be managed by Harmony/Melody.
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