Various quality of life features for combined staff/tablature compositions
When writing for guitar, it can be nice to have both the standard staff and tab to get a more complete picture. However, working with it has revealed to me some areas that definitely could be improved. Now I might have missed other people asking for this, but I tried my best to google around and didn't find any definitive answers.
-
In the standard staff, you can assign a string number mark (it looks like a number in a circle under "fingering" for those unfamiliar). However, they aren't automatically respected - ie. you can put that note on a different string in the tab than was indicated by the string number mark on the staff.
I believe there should be one of two solutions implemented here:a) When a string number mark is applied to the staff, the tab should automatically move the note to that string. This works best if you work primarily from the staff and not the tab
b) Remove all the different string number marks and only give the option to show the string number or not - the actual number will be inferred from the position in the tab. This would be better for those working primarily from the tab, however I guess it would cause a problem for those who wish to work only from staff.
-
Improved support for harmonics. Music on guitar often include different types of harmonics beyond natural harmonics. Harmonics are also not played correctly in the playback. A solution would be to allow a dialogue box or similar where you could choose what note is fretted and what note the harmonic is on.
An example would be an artificial harmonic on the 3th string, 2nd fret, harmonic on 14th fret. Something like this is very non-trivial to write in MuseScore currently, but easily done in Guitar Pro (which, granted is guitar oriented).
I'm not sure there is a standard way to notate that in staff, but I've mostly seen diamond note heads (which is already doable) with the harmonic fret number above (which can be done with text, but again isn't respected by playback of course). On the tab you would probably notate it as 2<14> where the <14> should be in a smaller font, like in the example above.
Comments
It can be nice indeed to have both Standard and TAB staves. But I disagree, or rather I really have a big doubt about the usefulness, in this case, of adding string numbers in the Standard staff, since the information (string and position) is displayed, by definition, in the TAB staff. This is a duplication which clutters the score unnecessarily.
So, either (in my opinion still), we use only the standard staff, and add additional information (like string number) when necessary. Either we display two staves, standard and TAB, and the TAB staff is sufficient to indicate this kind of information.
Moreover, I doubt (but I'm not a programmer!) that adding a simple string number in the standard staff, for example, can be reflected in real time in the TAB staff. And again, anyway, this would be redundant.
For point 2, however, I agree with you. Harmonic notation (and listening to it) is one of the weak points of the program at the moment. There are currently a few feature requests like: #81366: Add harmonic symbol for tablature: and harmonic notehead for staves
Maybe one day :)
In reply to It can be nice indeed to… by cadiz1
Imagine a situation where you write out a piece in standard staff only, and you insert all the required fingering marks. Then someone asks if you can give them the piece as a tablature. Logic would dictate that the program respects the fingering marks and generates a tab accordingly - however as it stands, the generated tab will just pick the lowest possible fretting position for every given note. Now I happen to be a programmer by profession, and while I have no knowledge of MuseScore's inner workings, what I'm requesting is easily possible as a general concept. Not to mention other software (again, Guitar Pro) has this feature and automatically updates the tab to reflect the staff when string number marks are added.
The reason I noticed this in Guitar Pro in the first place was that I exported my music as mxml and imported it into Guitar Pro - then realized that the tab had changed because I had used the wrong string number mark in the original tab; MuseScore had let me do that, essentially creating a staff and tab that conflict with one another.
In my opinion, redundancy should not be a reason to not give people the option of working in different ways - the only reason I see to not have this feature is if it creates difficult conflicts (eg. what would happen if you have "locked in" a string number in the staff and try to change it in the tab? Should the string number mark be automatically deleted? Is that easy to implement or not? Only someone with intimate knowledge of the code would be able to answer that.)
In reply to Imagine a situation where… by oivinx
"Not to mention other software (again, Guitar Pro) has this feature and automatically updates the tab to reflect the staff when string number marks are added."
Sorry to be a simple user (a little bit aware though!) and not to have the privilege and the chance to be a coder/programmer :)
Nevertheless, could you attach a short sample (or a GIF) made with Guitar Pro of some notes demonstrating this.
I use (just barely) Guitar Pro, and I don't understand how to edit say a string number 3 (for an A second fret) to get alternatively, by changing the string number 3 for the string number 4, the same A on the fourth string 7th fret. And which would then, from what I understand from your words, automatically switch to the correct fret in the TAB.
Maybe an option has escaped to me, I would happy to hear about it.
In reply to "Not to mention other… by cadiz1
I thought that was what happened when I imported a mxml file to GP, but I tested it and that's actually not how it worked - sorry about that. It is still 100% possible to do, of course, with the caveat I mentioned at the end of my last post. I'm not familiar with GP myself, I just used it as an intermediary to share my song as a tab.
Instead, Guitar Pro will infer the string mark on the staff from the tab. This was the other one of my two proposed solutions. I would be perfectly happy with this too.
My problem (and why I think this almost qualifies as a bug) is that the staff and tab in MuseScore are supposedly "linked". The program even calls them "linked". Yet you can create such a blatant conflict between the two.
When it comes to the "privilege" of being a programmer, I should add that I am self-taught, and like playing an instrument or writing music it is something anyone can get into at any stage in life :)
In reply to That was a bit poorly… by oivinx
"My problem (and why I think this almost qualifies as a bug) is that the staff and tab in MuseScore are supposedly "linked". The program even calls them "linked". Yet you can create such a blatant conflict between the two."
I will answer (and you will be answered) that this cannot be qualified as a bug since, as far as I remember, this was never foreseen at the time of coding the tablature (and to avoid the "conflict", it's trivial to edit string number or fret position in TAB)
I would even say that I don't recall that such a request was made. Which doesn't devalue yours of course. It can be officially submitted if you wish.
But knowing that there is no more MuseScore developer (since 5 years, believe it or not!) dedicated and knowledgeable enough of this part of the code (and who practices this kind of instruments, it would be even better!) If you have some free time, don't hesitate to help, it's almost a cry for help! :)
But, IMHO, there are other priorities for improvement before the one you propose.