Rotating Fretboard Chord Diagrams

• Nov 7, 2018 - 18:20

It would be nice to have an option to rotate fretboard diagrams through 90° anti-clockwise for tablature scores so that the strings are shown horizontally rather than vertically. This would make them appear with the strings matching the tablature layout, which would be more consistent and easier to read, (to me at least, although this is clearly subjective).

I realise that score publishers show them vertically and I have always found this a bit odd, so I have an Excel program to make pages of horizontal chord charts for my own use, (example snippet as attached). I can use screenshots of these charts and crop individual chord diagrams for use in MuseScore but this is quite long-winded so a built in option would be appreciated.

Attachment Size
Chordz.png 44.4 KB

Comments

Does Guitar Pro offers this possibility? As far I know right now, I don't see it.

"I realise that score publishers show them vertically"
Indeed, it's became the standard. Of course, not everyone has to be agree with that, but that's the way right now. The horizontal position is rather requested for scales diagrams (animation below)
Nevertheless, you can do that (horizontal fret diagrams) with MuseScore, and the same Image capture tool. Another workaround I agree.
See the idea:
https://musescore.org/en/node/277454#comment-858174

EDIT: Of course, you are allowed to fill a formal request. But, for the moment, IMHO, there are really other regularly recurring requests in waiting since a while: the possibility of creating custom barrés, for example, or that, precisely, of being able to add various dots to the same string (for the scales diagrams)

In reply to by cadiz1

Guitar Pro 6 does not offer this but I don't know about v7. It's just a wish list item right now, and it makes sense to prioritise those requests which will benefit most people.

Thanks for the workaround ideas but I'll stick with my Excel one for now as the chords are automatically horizontal and can accommodate scale diagram dots as well.

You wrote:
I realise that score publishers show them vertically and I have always found this a bit odd...

Vertical display is useful for left handed players playing a normally strung guitar:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cotten
as they hold the guitar such that a horizontal diagram would need to show the guitar's nut at the opposite end from your fretboard.
Chord_diagrams.png
So, the vertical standard is published as generally applicable to both instances.

Regards.

In reply to by mike320

That would certainly be aiming high. GP looks like it must have quite a big team working on it and their main focus is obviously guitar. I like the fine control that MuseScore gives, (positioning, colours, visibility etc), and I'd say the biggest improvement that could be made to its TAB would be to allow bold font for fret numbers. (This has already been raised as a request by another MuseScore user). Chord rotation would be "icing on the cake".

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.