Custom guitar tuning issue.
I'm attempting to create an 8 string tuning, the name of which is 'E13'. It is spelled low to high E, G#, D, F#, G#, B, C#, E. However, when I attempt to edit string data, G# doesn't appear to be listed on the 'Note Selection' page. Ab appears to be the only choice. The black key between G and A on a midi keyboard as I understand it can be designated as G# or Ab. Is this not correct?
Comments
It shouldn't matter - just pick Ab and all should be well.
In reply to It shouldn't matter - just by Marc Sabatella
With all due respect; your reply leads me to believe that re: custom guitar tunings, I'm unable to use enharmonic equivalents in the 'Edit string data table'. Is there another way to achieve this in Musescore?
In reply to With all due respect; your by Morganfield
I don't understand the problem. How is not completely sufficient to just use Ab instead of G#? Is there something I am missing? Something that causes your score to come out incorrectly if you sopecify the tuning asd Ab instead of G#? If so, could you please psot the score you are having problmes with and give step by step instructions on how to rerpdocue the problem - a problem actually visible in the score, as opposed to a dialog simply not being worded the way you might prefer?
In reply to I don't understand the by Marc Sabatella
Marc, thanks very much for taking time to answer my inquiry. Re: my tuning E13 contains an E major triad, which is spelled E, G#, B. One would never encounter an E major triad spelled E, Ab, B. In fact, regarding music notation in the key of E, one would never see an Ab unless it followed an A natural as a descending chromatic piece of phrase. It's not about my preference at all. As a composer you should know that any experienced guitarist or pianist or even accordion player etc could play the misspelled score with which you presented them with ease, but you in turn would be presented with at the very least, a bemused look! Music theory 101. Think I'll move on.
In reply to Marc, thanks very much for by Morganfield
I think you are misunderstanding me. I totally get that an E chord is spelled with G# not with Ab - I actually *teach* college music theory :-). What I am saying is, how the note is spelled in that dialog in no way whatsoever affects how it is spelled in your actual score. That is, regardless of whether the dialog box labels the string G# or Ab, you can have the note spelled G# in your score. The spelling of the note in the dialog simply ha no bearing at all on the actual notation. The only thing it does is tell MuseScore the pitch of the string to use in tablature.
So again, it's just something you see in the dialog, but whether the dialog calls it G# or Ab should have no effect whatsoever on your score. You can still spell the note however you like in the actual music.
I don't know how to make this more clear...
In reply to I think you are by Marc Sabatella
Drummer here. Not a music teacher, nor a composer and I understand rhythm only, so bare with me :)
Maybe one would expect that if a string is tuned G# then entering a 0 fret mark on a linked tablature staff would enter a G# in a standard staff and not a Ab (and vice versa)? Is that what you are talking about @Morganfield ?
In reply to Drummer here. Not a music by [DELETED] 5
Currently, the spelling of the note on the standard staff will be based on the key signature. If the piece if in a key that favors G#, then it will be spelled G#. If the piece is in a key that favors Ab, then it will be spelled Ab. Either way, if you prefer the other spelling, just press the "J" key to respell it. Or simply enter the desired note onto the standard staff rather than entering it as tablature and asking MuseScore to spell it for you.
Here is an example. I took a regular 6-string guitar and changed the tuning of the G string to be G#. yes, the dialog calls it Ab, but that makes no difference. As you can see, when I actually enter the music, it is spelled G# where approrpriate (the first measure where the key favors sharp spellings) and Ab where appropriate (the second measure where the key favors flat spellings).
And again, if I encounter a place where I want the opposite spelling - Ab can happen in the key of G if we are employing, for example. a Neapolitan sixth chord, or a tritone substitution, or indeed, a descending passing tone - then I can easily change it.
FWIW, listing it as Ab/G# might indeed help avoid confusion over this in the future. Might make the dialog pretty cluttered, though.
In reply to Currently, the spelling of by Marc Sabatella
I could have a look into that change, after next week's vacation...
Perhaps an option could be added so the user can specify whether s/he wants to see sharps or flats in the "Edit String" window? Or maybe the display could change to match the key of the parent staff?
In reply to Perhaps an option could be by geetar
If it's just a question of "see", we can make it Gb/A#. I'm trying to understand if it something more.
Regarding the parent staff, what are you refering too? Also the key signature of a staff can change on the time axis...
In reply to If it's just a question of by [DELETED] 5
As Marc S. has pointed out, it's just a visual issue.
In reply to Perhaps an option could be by geetar
As the one guilty of creating that dlg box, I can confirm that those labels are only there to let the tab staff to know to which MIDI pitch the open string correspond (and from there built the correspondence fret/pitch for all the frets). And both G# and Ab correspond to the same MIDI pitch.
If changing the label into "G#/Ab" solves the issue, ok, fine! But generalizing this approach might become quite cumbersome:
B#/C/Dbb
B##C#/Db
C##/D/Ebb
D#/Eb/Fbb
and so on...
(Incidentally, the dlg box has been used for years now by quite a lot of users, some of them well known to the community as expert guitar or lute players; this is the first time this issue is raised. Of course, there can always be a first time, but I suspect we are making a lot of fuss out of very little...)
In reply to As the one guilty of creating by Miwarre
"If changing the label into "G#/Ab" solves the issue, ok, fine! But generalizing this approach might become quite cumbersome"
Totally agree!
"(Incidentally, the dlg box has been used for years now by quite a lot of users, some of them well known to the community as expert guitar or lute players; this is the first time this issue is raised. Of course, there can always be a first time, but I suspect we are making a lot of fuss out of very little...)"
Agree once again. I was going to write ...
All is said, I add nothing.