We have limited fretboard editing the Inspector's Fretboard Diagram area

• Oct 30, 2021 - 03:29

No matter how much I increase the height of the Inspector panel:

• with a fret diagram set to 9 frets
it's impossible to set the "open" or "unused" string marks (the indictions above the nut)

• with a fret diagram set to 15 frets I have the same problem,
plus I can only add fingering marks to fret 13

Is there a good trick to get around these limitations?

• Presently my workaround for the first case is to lower the Fret value, set the open string marks, and then set the Fret back to the desired amount. This works, but it's pretty inconvenient. Note that the Inspector area is tall enough, but when fret is set to a hight number the Fretboard object is too short and is clipped by its container.

• I don't have a workaround for the second situation.


Comments

In reply to by cadiz1

Hey guys,

Thanks for the Fret Number suggestion. I failed to mention that I was aware of that option.

a) I find that many students do better with a "full neck" graphical representation. When finger positioning travel well up the neck that type of linear presentation works better for them than tablature. Likewise they struggle with small diagrams accompanied by the "Fret Number" symbol, like the examples that Cadiz1 generously offered.

b) MuseScore allows the fret range needed for this score (Frets = 15) ... but the Fret Diagram editor simply doesn't support that, as described in the opening post.

c) I'd really hope we'd a fixed editor rather than limiting Frets <= 12, or some such restriction.

d) Turns out MuseScore currently allows a Frets value up to 99. And yes, that's a little excessive.

e) MuseScore should allow Frets 26 frets with a functional editor.

f) I found a workaround for setting the high finger indications. Just temporarily increase the Frets value. Given that we currently need to increase the Frets value as a workaround, the upper limit should not be reduced to less than 30, until the editor is fixed. They 26 would be ideal.

Here's the result after using my workarounds:

      6ths in Open G tuning.mscz

scorster

In reply to by scorster

" I find that many students do better with a "full neck" graphical representation. "

?? Really? Well, we don't have the same students! :)
For my part, I find this representation completely incomprehensible, and more of a guessing game and a source of errors, a minima. Incidentally, I don't think I've ever seen this kind of display in published scores. But if the workaround works for you and your students, well, what else can I say?

NB: By the way, I don't really understand what is the point of adding these fretboard diagrams since the tablature is perfectly explicit in this respect. That must be me :)
And everyone sees noon at his door :)

In reply to by cadiz1

Fretboard daigrams can be helpful even with TAB scores since tab is digital whilst the diagrams are analogue and can be a useful visual aid to the chord shape.

For me, 5 frets on a diagram is plenty. A full neck would certainly be a guessing game – unless some fretboard dots were included for reference but they might look like fretted strings.

In reply to by yonah_ag

Hi,
as a guitar teacher with 40 years experience let me tell you: it's very helpfull to have fretboard diagrams with up to 24 frets. If you want to show so called "Longform Arpeggios" starting fret2 with many position changing up to fret 15; Or if you want to show the "architecture" of the guitar for example a simple Bluesscale how many similarities are to be seen. etc.
And by the way: There are a lot of Guitar books with these extended Fretboard diagrams. Form me, as amusic teacher it's a pity that I can't use Musescore 4. Such a wonderful program but they have downgraded the fretboard diagram thing

Attachment Size
B Harmonic Minor Longform 1.mscz 11.02 KB

In reply to by Alhel

Hi Alhel,

Agreed. This is a serious MS4 regression. I have many scores with 12 to 16 fret diagrams.

The previous limit of 99 frets (per fretboard diagram) was indeed excessive and pointless, but I can't understand why MS4's new limit is 6. Especially now that we have a better Multiple Dots functionality.

Interesting that MS3 scores with Frets = 12 open in MS4 with Visible Frets = 12, but only the down arrow is enabled.

I hope this post does not prompt comments about tall fretboard diagrams being unnecessary. Already knowing the workarounds I can clearly state that tall fretboard diagrams are necessary in my work.

scorster

In reply to by Alhel

Alhel,

I'll note that MS4 pristinely opens my scores that contain tall fretboard diagrams ... EXCEPT that I can only decrement (and not increment) the number of frets per diagram.

Also noted, Alhel's B Harmonic Minor Longform 1.mscz score opens fine in MS4 and I can even add additional "multiple dots."

But as mentioned, only the Visible Frets down arrow is enabled. Interestingly decrementing the Visible Frets changes the visible frets BUT leaves your multi-dots hanging in space. Sadly we can't regain fret visibility by incrementing the value. And interestingly if I click the down arrow a few times, and then enter 19 in the Visible Frets field, MS4 enforces its limit of 6.

scorster

I find that many students do better with a "full neck" graphical representation. When finger positioning travel well up the neck that type of linear presentation works better for them than tablature.

Without using tablature:
Identify_which_fret.png

Rather than using "full neck" (to always show the nut?), I would use something like this:
6ths.png
One can notice the emergent pattern across those fretboard diagrams.

Mostly, though, 4 or 5 frets max on a diagram is usually enough, and easier to read without having to "count" frets.
I reserve full neck graphical representation for things like scale patterns, which use fingering dots all the way up the neck.

In reply to by wolfgan

...how to show this in tablature?

The fretboard diagram in this case is a representation of where all the scale degrees lie on the neck.
(For example, sometimes the dot for the tonic is marked differently to contrast with the others.)

Certainly those 25 finger dots you entered are not to be played as one "chord", but rather as a scale (series of notes one at a timer).
So, enter the series of notes into the TAB in the same order that you want them played.

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