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1 | <HTML> |
2 | <HEAD><TITLE> | |
3 | Tablature notation | |
4 | </TITLE></HEAD> | |
5 | <BODY> | |
6 | <P> | |
7 | <A HREF="lyrics.html"><-- previous page</A> | |
8 | ||
9 | <A HREF="index.html">Table of Contents</A> <A HREF="shaped.html">next page --></A> | |
10 | </P> | |
11 | ||
12 | <H1> | |
13 | TABLATURE NOTATION | |
14 | </H1> | |
15 | <P> | |
16 | Mup can print tablature staffs. Tablature notation is commonly used for | |
17 | guitar and several other instruments. Mup supports tablature for 1 to 9 | |
18 | strings. | |
19 | </P> | |
20 | <P> | |
21 | Mup will automatically create a normal 5-line staff above each tablature | |
22 | staff, giving the equivalant music on that staff. | |
23 | This staff will be referred to as the "tabnote | |
24 | staff." Normally, you will input music just for the tablature staff, and | |
25 | the tabnote staff will be derived from that. However, for any given measure, | |
26 | you can explicitly input music for a tabnote staff, | |
27 | which will turn off the automatic | |
28 | translation for that measure. If you only want either the tab or tabnote | |
29 | staff to be printed, you can mark the other one as invisible | |
30 | <A HREF="param.html#visible">(see the "visible" parameter).</A> | |
31 | You should specify the appropriate | |
32 | <A HREF="param.html#clef">clef</A> | |
33 | and | |
34 | <A HREF="param.html#key">key signature</A> | |
35 | for the tabnote staff, so that Mup can make the best derivation. | |
36 | </P> | |
37 | <H2> | |
38 | Specifying a tablature staff | |
39 | </H2> | |
40 | <P> | |
41 | To set up a tablature staff, you use the | |
42 | <A HREF="param.html#stlines">stafflines parameter.</A> | |
43 | To get a standard 6-line guitar tablature staff, you can just say | |
44 | <BR><PRE> | |
45 | score | |
46 | staffs=2 | |
47 | staff 2 | |
48 | stafflines = tab | |
49 | </PRE><BR> | |
50 | There are 2 staffs, because there is both the tablature staff and the | |
51 | automatically generated tabnote staff. The tablature staff is always | |
52 | immediately below the corresponding tabnote staff. | |
53 | Setting the | |
54 | <A HREF="param.html#stlines">stafflines parameter</A> | |
55 | to "tab" marks staff 2 as a tablature staff. | |
56 | </P> | |
57 | <P> | |
58 | If you want tablature for an instrument other than a 6-string guitar with | |
59 | standard tuning, you specify | |
60 | the pitches of the strings from top to bottom | |
61 | within parentheses after the "tab." For example: | |
62 | <BR><PRE> | |
63 | stafflines = tab (e a d& g) | |
64 | </PRE><BR> | |
65 | would define some instrument that had 4 strings, with the string on the | |
66 | top line of tablature staff being an e string, the next a, the next d flat, | |
67 | and the bottom g. | |
68 | As shown in the example, pitches can include a # or & if necessary. | |
69 | Strings are assumed to be in octave 4 unless otherwise marked. | |
70 | You can specify a different octave by specifying an | |
71 | <A HREF="chordinp.html#oct">octave number</A> | |
72 | after the | |
73 | string's pitch (using either an absolute octave number or pluses or minuses). | |
74 | If the instrument | |
75 | has more than one string with the same pitch | |
76 | (even if they are in different octaves), | |
77 | they must be distinguished by adding one or more ' marks after the | |
78 | pitch. The tablature definition for standard guitar is | |
79 | <BR><PRE> | |
80 | stafflines = tab (e5 b g d a3 e'3) | |
81 | </PRE><BR> | |
82 | This specifies that the top string on the staff is e in octave 5. | |
83 | The next three strings | |
84 | are in the default octave of 4, and the last two strings are in octave 3. | |
85 | Since there are two different strings with pitch letter of e, the lower e is | |
86 | marked as e'. Note that the octaves given are how they | |
87 | should be printed on the tabnote staff. A standard guitar actually sounds | |
88 | an octave lower than written. If you just use "stafflines = tab" without | |
89 | specifying any strings, Mup not only assumes the standard guitar layout, | |
90 | and prints in the appropriate octave, | |
91 | <A NAME="autotran">but it also automatically</A> | |
92 | <A HREF="trnspose.html">transposes</A> | |
93 | the | |
94 | <A HREF="midi.html">MIDI output</A> | |
95 | to the actual pitches an octave lower. If you specify | |
96 | strings explicitly, you will have to specify the octaves and any | |
97 | desired MIDI transposition values yourself. Stated another way, | |
98 | <BR><PRE> | |
99 | score | |
100 | staffs = 2 | |
101 | staff 2 | |
102 | stafflines = tab | |
103 | </PRE><BR> | |
104 | is equivalent to | |
105 | <BR><PRE> | |
106 | score | |
107 | staffs=2 | |
108 | staff 2 | |
109 | stafflines = tab (e5 b g d a3 e'3) | |
110 | staff 1 | |
111 | ifdef MIDI transpose = down perfect 8 endif | |
112 | </PRE><BR> | |
113 | Note from this last example that MIDI is taken from the tabnote staff, | |
114 | not the tablature staff, so MIDI directives should be placed with the | |
115 | tabnote staff. | |
116 | </P> | |
117 | <P> | |
118 | Mup should be able to handle almost any instrument with up to 9 strings. | |
119 | Several strings can have the same pitch; you just need to distinguish | |
120 | them with ' marks. | |
121 | The strings must be listed in whatever order the strings are to appear | |
122 | on the tablature staff. | |
123 | As another example, | |
124 | <BR><PRE> | |
125 | stafflines = tab (g3 d3 a2 e2) | |
126 | </PRE><BR> | |
127 | would define a standard bass guitar. Note that a bass guitar also sounds | |
128 | an octave lower than written, so it should be transposed for MIDI purposes. | |
129 | </P> | |
130 | <H2> | |
131 | Music input on tablature staffs | |
132 | </H2> | |
133 | <P> | |
134 | Input of tablature is similar to that on regular staffs. Each note in a | |
135 | chord is specified by a string and a | |
136 | fret. | |
137 | So fret 3 on the g string | |
138 | is designated by g3 or fret 0 on the e' string is designated by e'0. | |
139 | If your open string pitch includes an accidental, that would be included | |
140 | as well, so if you had an instrument with an f# string and wanted to | |
141 | play the 6th fret on that string, it would be f#6. | |
142 | Fret numbers can range from 0 to 99. | |
143 | If you want fret numbers to be placed inside parentheses, | |
144 | put parentheses | |
145 | around them in the input. | |
146 | You can also put both the string and fret within a set of parentheses, | |
147 | in which case, the note generated on the tabnote staff will have parentheses | |
148 | around it. | |
149 | Here are some examples of chords: | |
150 | <BR><PRE> | |
151 | 2: d4; d5a3; b0 d(5); e2(b3)g2; | |
152 | bar | |
153 | </PRE><BR> | |
154 | <IMG SRC="mugex53.gif" ALT="Picture of Mup output"><BR> | |
155 | </P> | |
156 | <P> | |
157 | <A HREF="chordinp.html#duration">Time values</A> | |
158 | are specified just like on non-tablature staffs: a number | |
159 | optionally followed by one or more dots (like 4 or 8..), | |
160 | or a list of such numbers added together (like 2+8), | |
161 | preceding the chord pitches. Tablature staffs follow the same | |
162 | rules as non-tablature staffs for using time values from the previous | |
163 | chord if no time value is specified on the current chord. Similarly, | |
164 | if no notes are specified for a chord, the same notes used in the previous | |
165 | chord are reused. As an example: | |
166 | <BR><PRE> | |
167 | 2: 4.e5; ;8;b2; | |
168 | bar | |
169 | </PRE><BR> | |
170 | <IMG SRC="mugex54.gif" ALT="Picture of Mup output"><BR> | |
171 | Since nothing is specified for the second chord, both time value (dotted | |
172 | quarter) and note (e string fret 5) are copied from the first chord. | |
173 | The third chord in the measure has only a time value | |
174 | (an eighth note) so the note (string/fret) is repeated. | |
175 | The final chord has only a note, | |
176 | so the previous time value is used. | |
177 | </P> | |
178 | <P> | |
179 | Rests and spaces can be specified with r and s, just like on non-tablature | |
180 | staffs. They result in nothing being printed on the tablature staff, and | |
181 | rest or space being printed on the tabnote staff. | |
182 | </P> | |
183 | <H2> | |
184 | Chord attributes | |
185 | </H2> | |
186 | <P> | |
187 | Any chord on a tablature staff can be preceded by a list of | |
188 | <A HREF="chrdattr.html#chstyle">chord attributes</A> | |
189 | in brackets, just like with non-tablature staffs. If you want a chord to be | |
190 | printed with X (for a muffled string) rather than a fret number, | |
191 | use [xnote]. | |
192 | In this case, the fret number will be used only to determine where to put | |
193 | the X on the tabnote staff, and what note to use for | |
194 | <A HREF="midi.html">MIDI.</A> | |
195 | Using [diam] | |
196 | will have no affect on the tablature staff, but will cause | |
197 | diamond notes to be used on the tabnote staff. | |
198 | Using [grace] or [cue] will cause the fret numbers to printed in a smaller | |
199 | size, and the corresponding notes on the tabnote staff to be printed | |
200 | in a smaller size. Using [slash <I>N</I>] | |
201 | will cause <I>N</I> slashes to be printed below the chord on the tablature | |
202 | staff, as well as | |
203 | <A HREF="chrdattr.html#slashes">slashes</A> | |
204 | on the corresponding chord on the tabnote staff. | |
205 | You can use the other chord attributes (with, pad, and =tag) just | |
206 | like on a non-tablature staff. | |
207 | </P> | |
208 | <H2> | |
209 | Ties | |
210 | </H2> | |
211 | <P> | |
212 | From an input point of view, | |
213 | <A HREF="noteattr.html#ntie">ties</A> | |
214 | work much the same on tablature staffs as on other staffs. | |
215 | On output, tie marks on tablature staffs are normally not printed, | |
216 | and the frets are not printed on the tied-to chord. If a tie goes across | |
217 | to a new score, the frets are printed, but in parentheses, to indicate the | |
218 | chord is really just the continuation of a tie. | |
219 | </P> | |
220 | <H2> | |
221 | Slides | |
222 | </H2> | |
223 | <P> | |
224 | In Mup input, | |
225 | slides are shown with <>, rather like | |
226 | <A HREF="noteattr.html#nslur">slurs</A> | |
227 | on non-tablature staffs. | |
228 | There is a special variation used for slides that come from nowhere in | |
229 | particular or go to nowhere in particular. | |
230 | These are shown with <\n>, </n>, <n\>, or <n/>. | |
231 | A slide is indicated on output on tablature staffs | |
232 | as a slanted line between 2 fret numbers on a string. | |
233 | On tabnote staffs, they as drawn as a slanted line between 2 notes. | |
234 | See the examples below: | |
235 | <BR><PRE> | |
236 | 2: a5<>; a6; d3<>; d2; | |
237 | bar | |
238 | ||
239 | 2: b4</n>; e3<\n>; a2<n/>; e'5<n\>; | |
240 | bar | |
241 | </PRE><BR> | |
242 | <IMG SRC="mugex55.gif" ALT="Picture of Mup output"><BR> | |
243 | </P> | |
244 | <H2> | |
245 | Bends | |
246 | </H2> | |
247 | <P> | |
248 | A bend (stretching a string to make it sound higher than normal) | |
249 | is specified on tablature staffs | |
250 | by putting a text string after the string. The | |
251 | text string can be the word "full" or a number and/or fraction. | |
252 | Some examples: | |
253 | <BR><PRE> | |
254 | 2: e4 "full"; e "1/2"; 2e "1 1/2"; | |
255 | bar | |
256 | </PRE><BR> | |
257 | <IMG SRC="mugex56.gif" ALT="Picture of Mup output"><BR> | |
258 | </P> | |
259 | <P> | |
260 | If you want to bend back down to having no bend (a release), | |
261 | the text string specifying | |
262 | the bend is just an empty string of "". | |
263 | Note that if both a fret and bend other than "" are specified, | |
264 | <A NAME="prebend">this indicates a prebend,</A> | |
265 | whereas if only a bend is specified, this indicates a normal bend. | |
266 | </P> | |
267 | <P> | |
268 | Bends need not be an integer number of half steps, but if you specify a bend | |
269 | that falls between half steps, when it is used on the tabnote | |
270 | staff, the bend is rounded to the nearest half step, or rounded downward | |
271 | if it is exactly in the middle of a half step. | |
272 | When possible, bends of 1/4 step or less are shown on the tabnote staff | |
273 | by a small curve rather than by a separate note. | |
274 | </P> | |
275 | <P> | |
276 | You can specify bends on more than one string at once, but a continuation | |
277 | bend (bending to a new distance without replucking the string) is only | |
278 | allowed on a single string at a time. Here are some examples: | |
279 | <BR><PRE> | |
280 | 2: g0b2e'0; e' "1/2" g "full" b "3/4"; e' ""; a2; | |
281 | bar | |
282 | ||
283 | 2: a "1/2"; a "full"; a "1/2"; a ""; | |
284 | bar | |
285 | </PRE><BR> | |
286 | <IMG SRC="mugex57.gif" ALT="Picture of Mup output"><BR> | |
287 | </P> | |
288 | <P> | |
289 | If you have more than one voice on a tablature staff, | |
290 | bends on other than the top voice may collide with other voices in some | |
291 | cases, and if there are bends from more than one voice simultaneously, | |
292 | they may collide. | |
293 | </P> | |
294 | <P> | |
295 | On non-tablature staffs, bends are specified with a ^ symbol followed | |
296 | by the note to bend to. The note to bend to is specified by letter and | |
297 | optional octave (accidentals are not specified). If you want just a small | |
298 | bend (1/4 step), this is specified by ^/. For example: | |
299 | <BR><PRE> | |
300 | 1: e ^f; f; b ^c5; c#5; | |
301 | bar | |
302 | ||
303 | 1: d+^e+ g^a; e+a; g ^/; c ^/ c+^/; | |
304 | bar | |
305 | </PRE><BR> | |
306 | <IMG SRC="mugex58.gif" ALT="Picture of Mup output"><BR> | |
307 | </P> | |
308 | <H2> | |
309 | Miscellaneous | |
310 | </H2> | |
311 | <P> | |
312 | Note attributes of ~ for tie, ? for a small note, and = for a tag work the | |
313 | same on tablatures staffs as on non-tablature staffs. | |
314 | </P> | |
315 | <P> | |
316 | If bm, ebm, or esbm are given on tablature staffs they are | |
317 | transferred to the tabnote staff and used for | |
318 | <A HREF="ichdattr.html#custbeam">custom beaming</A> | |
319 | there. | |
320 | <A HREF="chrdattr.html#withlist">Items in "with" lists inside [ ]</A> | |
321 | are also copied to the tabnote staff. | |
322 | In general, unless otherwise specified here, | |
323 | if you want items such as | |
324 | <A HREF="stuff.html">tempo and dynamic marks</A> | |
325 | to appear on both tablature and tabnote staff, you | |
326 | have to specify them for both staffs. | |
327 | </P> | |
328 | <P> | |
329 | The | |
330 | <A HREF="ichdattr.html#alt">"alt" inter-chord attribute</A> | |
331 | is not allowed on tablature staffs. | |
332 | </P> | |
333 | <P> | |
334 | When there is a tablature staff, the | |
335 | <A HREF="midi.html">MIDI</A> | |
336 | is actually generated from the | |
337 | tabnote staff. There are some limitations. | |
338 | Currently, no MIDI pitch bends are generated; slides and | |
339 | bends are instantaneous rather than gradual. | |
340 | </P> | |
341 | <P> | |
342 | If a | |
343 | capo is being used, it probably better to declare a | |
344 | <A HREF="trnspose.html">transposition</A> | |
345 | of the tabnote staff rather than declaring the strings to be different | |
346 | notes. This is because most people would rather think of the original | |
347 | string letters when entering the tab staff information; and if you decide to | |
348 | put the capo on a different fret later, | |
349 | you only have to change the "transpose" line. | |
350 | <A HREF="tabstaff.html#autotran">The automatic MIDI octave tranposition for standard guitar</A> | |
351 | will also then still apply, on top of your transposition. | |
352 | </P> | |
353 | <P> | |
354 | If you specify an | |
355 | <A HREF="octave.html">octave mark</A> | |
356 | (discussed in a later section) | |
357 | on a tabnote staff, the derived music will be printed with the notes | |
358 | raised or lowered the appropriate number of octaves to correspond to the given | |
359 | octave mark interval. | |
360 | </P> | |
361 | <P> | |
362 | Since ties are not printed on tablature staff, and input notation for | |
363 | tablature slides is like what is used for slurs on ordinary staffs, if | |
364 | you want a curved line like a tie or slur on a tablature or tabnote staff, | |
365 | you have to use a phrase mark. See the section on | |
366 | <A HREF="phrase.html">phrase marks</A> | |
367 | for more details. | |
368 | </P> | |
369 | <P> | |
370 | The chord-at-a-time input style can also be used for tablature. | |
371 | The staffs being mapped to from a single input line must either be | |
372 | all tablature or all non-tablature, however. | |
373 | <BR><PRE> | |
374 | score | |
375 | staffs=4 | |
376 | brace=1-2, 3-4 | |
377 | tabwhitebox=y | |
378 | staff 2 | |
379 | stafflines=tab | |
380 | staff 4 | |
381 | stafflines=tab | |
382 | music | |
383 | ||
384 | // The first two notes in each chord go to staff 2, | |
385 | // and the last two go to staff 4. | |
386 | [ 2; 2; 4; 4] : a2d0 g0b3; e'0a2 g0e0; 2 e'0d2 b0e3; | |
387 | bar | |
388 | </PRE><BR> | |
389 | <IMG SRC="mugex59.gif" ALT="Picture of Mup output"><BR> | |
390 | </P> | |
391 | <HR><P> | |
392 | <A HREF="lyrics.html"><-- previous page</A> <A HREF="index.html">Table of Contents</A> <A HREF="shaped.html">next page --></A> | |
393 | </P> | |
394 | </BODY></HTML> |