Importing Linked Staves from Guitar Pro
I am assessing if I can move my music from Guitar Pro to Musescore, as MS is a much better music engraving program to edit and create scores. When I save a GP file as MUSICXml, then open it in Musescore, it does a good job of accurately representing the music notation including voices and tab fingering. However, the standard notation and tablature staves open as "unlinked", so changes in one are not reflected on the other staff. Is there an easy way to link the two existing staves without some complicated or labor intensive actions to recreate this? This seems to be a big barrier to moving my Guitar Pro files over to Musecore.
Comments
"When I save a GP file as MUSICXml, then open it in Musescore"
And why do you export your GP files as MusicXML?
Save your files .gp (GP7) or .gpx formats (GP6), etc. and MuseScore will open these files directly.
See: https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/file-formats#guitar-pro
EDIT: and by opening the .gp file, you will get a standard staff as main score, and a standard staff linked to a TAB staff in the part. Then it's up to you to decide what you want to keep or change (keep/save only the part for example?)
In reply to "When I save a GP file as… by cadiz1
Okay, interesting. When I do this, I see the two staves in MS and they appear to be linked, so that is good although they do not appear in the instrument panel FWIW. However, this creates another new and messy issue when opening the GP file. The tablature fingering does not replicate from the original GP file on the correct strings throughout the score. While this could be fixed, it will take a serious amount of editing/fixing to correct the tab. Unfortunately, I only read tab and use standard notation for other score information.
In reply to Okay, interesting. When I… by johnlody@gmail.com
Forgetting about linked staves for a moment, is there a way you can get a TAB staff showing the correct fret/strings from GP into MuseScore?
You can start from this (single) correct TAB stave and then add a linked treble staff to it.
Starting from a treble staff and then adding a linked TAB staff always gives 'lowest fret' numbers for notes which often is not desirable. Starting from a "correct" TAB staff and then adding a linked standard staff won't affect the fret/string fingering data of the TAB.
See:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/tablature#staff-tab-existing-score
In reply to Forgetting about linked… by Jm6stringer
Yes, this is frustrating. I now see that the lowest fret number is displayed rather than the gp tablature fret/string number. Are you suggesting a solution in which you start with gp tab only, then open it in Musescore to preserve the fret/string values, then add a standard staff?
In reply to Yes, this is frustrating. I… by johnlody@gmail.com
Earlier you wrote:
When I save a GP file as MUSICXml, then open it in Musescore, it does a good job of accurately representing the music notation including voices and tab fingering.
If the MUSICXml, when opened in MuseScore, "accurately represents the tab fingering", use that. Then, open menu item: Edit -> Instruments... delete any "unlinked" notation staff (keeping the accurate TAB staff) then add a 'linked' notation staff.
In reply to Earlier you wrote: When I… by Jm6stringer
One last finding. In Guitar Pro, if I save the file as .gpx instead of .gp then open it in MuseScore, the file opens with linked staves and correct tab fret/string numbers. In conclusion, GPX files open accurately in MuseScore, and gp and MUSICXml files open but with varying degrees of issues, so pick your poison. Hopefully, gp files will open in the future without defaulting to the lowest fret number.
In reply to One last finding. In Guitar… by johnlody@gmail.com
Thanks for the additional info.
I don't have Guitar Pro, although I have on occasion imported GP files.
So, from what you are saying...
If I had a choice, my best bet is to go with a .gpx file to preserve accurate TAB string/fret data when opening in MuseScore.
Also see:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/file-formats#guitar-pro
I guess the concept of linked staves is unknown im MusicXML, @lvinken
Edit: it seems MusicXML does allow for linked staves, but I don't know whether MuseScore has that implemented
In reply to I guess the concept of… by Jojo-Schmitz
"The tablature fingering does not replicate from the original GP file on the correct strings throughout the score"
I haven't checked, but it's quite possible. Can you share a .gp file with this behaviour? I could test with GP7 (and MuseScore)
Be aware, however, that inevitably or very frequently in importing files, there is some editing to be done, whatever it may be.
In reply to I haven't checked, but it's… by cadiz1
Okay, I found a pretty elegant work around. Opening a GP file creates a mess of the tab fingering that involves too much editing. Alternatively, when you open a MUSICxml file, even though it results in unlinked standard and tab notation, I simply added another standard notation linked staff from the tablature staff then deleted the original standard notation staff. The two staves seem to stay linked, and notes and fingering are accurate. Sometimes just talking through an issue inspires a solution. Thank you!
In reply to Okay, I found a pretty… by johnlody@gmail.com
See #318917: [GuitarPro] .gp files: Custom fret positions are lost on import