Re: Simple guitar tab questions

[Marc Hohl]

Am 26.06.2011 17:20, schrieb Stroller:
> Hi there,
>
> I'm new to making music and have no previous education in this matter. I 
> thought to use Lilypond to type up the handwritten tab that my guitar teacher 
> has given me.
>
> I have a couple of questions, and I hope you will forgive me if they're stupid 
> ones.
>
> Firstly, I think the following snippet prints fine. If not then it's my lack of 
> understanding musical notation that's failing, not Lilypond.
>
>    \version "2.14.1"
>    \new TabStaff {
>      \repeat percent 4 { a,\5 a,\5 c\5 d\5 }
>      \repeat percent 2 { d\4 d\4 f\4 g\4 }
>      \repeat percent 2 { a,\5 a,\5 c\5 d\5 }
>      \repeat percent 2 { e,\6 e,\6 g,\6 a,\6 }
>      \repeat percent 2 { a,\5 a,\5 c\5 d\5 }
>    }
>
> Could I have expressed this better any other way? Is this a good way to write 
> tab with Lilypond?
You can omit all the string indicators by using
\set defaultStrings like this:

\version "2.14.1"
  \new TabStaff {
    \repeat percent 4 {
       \set defaultStrings = #'(5)
       a, a, c d
     }
    % and so on ...
  }



> Secondly, how do I express sharp or flat notes in Lilypond, please?
>
>    \version "2.14.1"
>    \new TabStaff \relative c' {
>      e\1 f\1 g\1 a\1 b\1 c\1 d\1 e\1
>    }
>    \new TabStaff \relative c' {
>      b\2 c\2 d\2 e\2 f\2 g\2 a\2 b\2
>    }
>
> In this above snippet, I am unable to express holding the 1st string at the 
> 2nd, 4th, 6th, 9th or 11th frets, or holding the 2nd string at the 2nd, 4th, 
> 7th, 9th or 11th frets.
There are no sharps or flats in tablature music, but if you place your 
finger on the
second fret on the first string, you'll hear a fis or ges. Tell this to 
lilypond, and it does what you want.

e\1 fis\1 g\1 gis\1 aes\1
> I suspect the answer to this is related to my ignorance of music. Perhaps "that wouldn't be in 
> tune, n00b" or "those notes would be out of key".
>
> So more specifically, this does not show what I want:
>
>    \version "2.14.1"
>    \new TabStaff \relative c' {
>     <g\3 d\4>  <a\3 f\4>  <c\3 g\4>  <g\3 d\4>  |<a\3 f\4>  <d\3 a\4>  <c\3 g\4>
>    }
>
> How do I show that the second note should played with both fingers on the 3rd 
> fret, instead of (in the snipped above) one of them on the second? Third string 
> at third fret is marked as A♯B♭ on a fingerboard chart I have here.
Use your fingerboard chart to translate the tab positions into sounding 
pitch.
A# -> ais
> How do I show the second-to-last note played at the 6th fret, instead of at the 
> 7th, please?
>
> I'm kinda thinking that Lilypond is not really geared toward outputting this kind of 
> notation and that Lilypond is "overkill" for what I want to do. But I'm not 
> sure what else I would use. I don't want to use Tux Guitar because I use Mac OS X on the 
> desktop and because I like writing stuff in a text editor. I also want to add stuff that 
> can be achieved in Lilypond with `\markup { 26/07/2011 - practiced for one hour, not sure 
> which finger to use }`.
>
> Ideally, I'd like to be able to tell Lilypond something like s3f3 for string 3 at the 3rd 
> fret. I thought it might be possible to define LaTeX type macros for this, but searching 
> Google for "guitar tab site:lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/" I find 
> there was some discussion in early 2009 of guitar tab features, so I guess it's not as 
> easy as that. I assume that easy guitar tab development didn't go any further, since I 
> can't find reference to it in the manual?

No, there were some discussions about it, but it seems to be more 
complicated to implement.
I don't know whether lilypind is "overkill" for your needs, but if you 
decide to give it a try, there is a
tablature-specific list where you can find more help:

http://lists.lilynet.net/tablatures

HTH,

Marc