Guitar TAB option

• Mar 1, 2012 - 05:02

Hi I'm back. I think that there should be a Guitar TAB option so you can create TAB, possibly even bass tab. If it is successful there could evenutally be a thing that converts the normal stuff to TAB. this might take quite a while and might be out of your capabilities but if there could atleast be an option to create TAB it would be awesome.

Comments

• Mar 1, 2012 - 11:22

"a thing that converts the normal stuff to TAB"
...makes no sense, since there are like 3005621 fingerings possible for any piece.

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• Mar 1, 2012 - 11:40

"3005621 fingerings"

Well maybe not quite so many :)

TAB is a very useful tool in the early stages of teaching fretted instruments.

I use what is known as Rock School format with notation on the top stave and the TAB underneath.

Sight reading for guitarists is a major hurdle because of the number of fingerings possible, so one needs to be a pretty good player before it becomes second nature.

Consequently you will find teachers pass on a particular fingering for a piece, and for this TAB is ideal, and beats peppering the notation with fingering signs :)

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• Mar 1, 2012 - 12:47

...do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with tabs
"you will find teachers pass on a particular fingering for a piece, and for this TAB is ideal"
exactly, i was only referring to "a thing that converts the normal stuff to TAB" any teacher wants to keep it in his own hands.

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• Mar 5, 2012 - 00:40

Where did you get that term? The idea of having both notes and tab together is widespread and I've never heard of this term, and in fact I find it annoying because there shouldn't be some stylistic association with something like this.

Anyway, notes+tab is a mediocre way to represent things. It isn't smooth to read two lines like that at once. When that notation is used, too often important markings about strings or fingerings are left out of the notes and rhythm is left out of the tab. Tab with rhythm stems works, and notes with extra fingerings and details also works — both of those are independently superior to notes+tab with only notes in notation and only numbers in tab. Tab with rhythm stems can also clearly show voices. Tab without rhythm stems should not be used when you have the option for rhythm stems in modern software.

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• Mar 5, 2012 - 11:20

It's called Rock School, because as I understand it the Rock School Examinations, now part of the Trinity College London Grade Examinations pioneered it.

Your comments about the dual format may apply to experienced players, but when you are teaching beginners the dual notation/TAB format is a godsend - an uncluttered score is important at that stage.

By Grade 3 I would be expecting them to shift to just notation, and IMO reading from TAB alone is best left until Grade 6+

As for reading 2 lines at once - pianists do it - so why not guitarists?

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• Mar 5, 2012 - 14:01

Ok, so it isn't "called" Rock School by anyone generally, though you are free to refer to it that way. The notation style was already ubiquitous before the Rock School Examinations existed, which are mostly unknown in many other countries anyway.

I can understand the dual system making some sense, but you are incorrect about the "uncluttered" idea. Having rhythm-stems in the tab does not add clutter, it only adds clarity. You could have the rhythm stems in tab even with the dual system, and it only reinforces the connection between the two staves. Rhythm-stems in tab is only positive. I really do not believe it could ever make something more confusing, even to beginners. Tab+rhythm without notation is easy to read and does not necessarily have to wait until late grades.

As to the 2 lines at once, you are partly right about the piano analogy, but it is a little different because the two lines in guitar look different yet carry redundant information, so the experience is not the same as piano.

To put simply: you are concerned about "clutter" — and that's my concern as well. My complaint about the dual system (esp. when there is no rhythm-stems in the tab and no fingering/string markings in the notes) is not that it is unreadable nor that it serves no function. My complaint is that it is overly complex and cluttered. For certain levels of teaching, I agree that it can work. But it is a lot more clutter, more excess symbols on the page to require students to follow the two-line combination. If, on the other hand, rhythm is added to the tab *and* fingerings etc. are in the notation, then it gives the student the ability to choose to look at only one line and still function. Either of those single-line options (even if they are presented together!) are MORE efficient, LESS cluttered than the dual system without those enhancements.

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• Mar 1, 2012 - 18:01

Thanks guys. It is good to know it is coming out. I have never used a tab writing program Ive only ever done it by hand so cause you guys say its good Im really excited.

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• Mar 2, 2012 - 05:54

Thanks for that link. I downloaded it and its great. The the only problem is I don't know how to change the fret number. If I new this it would be awesome. Do you know? I think it is going to be awesome when the stable version comes out as it is a bit unstable, not too unstable though.

Also I think they could add ukulele and bass TAB as it would be pretty much the same as guitar.

Thanks

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• Mar 2, 2012 - 08:46

You use up/down arrows ro change fret numbers.

CTRL+up/down shifts by string and gives you the right fret on the new string.

Regarding bass and ukulele - you can customise the TAB and edit string data.

There are Load and Save icons in the Tab customising dialogue which are greyed out, so obviously that will be coming eventually.

You can also copy and paste from standard notation and it will appear in TAB on the TAB staff, although some editing of fret numbers may be required.

HTH
Michael

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• Mar 2, 2012 - 09:50

Thank you so much. That is really helpful. It is even better than i thought.

Just a question; How do you find this all out. I am new to musescore and havent figured out many things yet.

Thanks

P.S. this is supposed to be a reply to the above but I accidently added a new post instead.

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• Mar 2, 2012 - 10:09

"How do you find this all out"
I usualy google "what i wich to do" + "musescore"
eg.: add fingering musescore
most of the time one gets pretty significant hits.
The manual is very nice too but so far I have not figured out how to search in it.
Hope it helps! cheers

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• Mar 2, 2012 - 11:34

Basically you press buttons and see what they do :)

And if you crash the program you restart and see if you can crash it again the same way :)

Having come to MuseScore from Finale I was already aware of what should be expected from the TAB view, so it was just a matter of finding out which keys fulfilled my expectations.

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• Mar 4, 2012 - 20:53

When the Tab option is available, is this something that will be sent in the newsletter? Or, do I need to keep checking in on a weekly basis?

Love the program and checked out the nightly download. I erased it after I checked it out and will wait until the stable version is released.

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• Mar 5, 2012 - 18:45

The Tabulature feature will be included in the 2.0 version, for which no release date has been set yet, but it is anyway several months away.

When it will be out, it will be difficult to miss, I think: this web site will advertise it in block letters and bright colours! However, you will have to wait quite a while...

Thanks,

M.

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