Add Shamisen into Musescore Tab font

• Mar 6, 2018 - 13:26

Hi;
I'm interested to have shamisen notation into Musescore (last topic: https://musescore.org/en/node/26636 )
My topic was 3 years ago but since, I saw how it could be done (image 1)
I think it's add shamisen font to Musescore Tab Sans (value notation) and Musescore Tab Modern (rhythmic notation)

Basically, for the numbers:
Actual -> 譜尺
0 -> 0
1 -> 1
2 -> 2
3 -> 3
4 -> 3#
5 -> 4
6 -> 5
7 -> 6
8 -> 7
9 -> 8
10 -> 9
11 -> 10b
12 -> 10
13 -> 11
14 -> 12
15 -> 13
16 -> 13#
17 -> 14
18 -> 15
19 -> 16
20 -> 17
21 -> 18
(After 10, the 1 is crossed: see the 2nd image)
For the rhythmic notation, I include a summary (3rd image)
The actual appearance is image 4

Thanks for your work :)

Attachment Size
1.png 41.5 KB
2.png 483.38 KB
3.jpg 33.09 KB
4.png 6.96 KB

Comments

• Mar 15, 2018 - 22:21

I modified mscore_tab and modified the xml to add the correct fonts:
Problem is I can't compile on my PC, I haven't succeed install it

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• Mar 17, 2018 - 20:16

After 4-5 hours to try understand how compile Musescore, on 3 computers, I drop that.
Its too complicated just to change some files
If someone know how to compile, please send me the output file for these modified files:

Attachment Size
Shamisen font.zip 130.75 KB

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• Mar 18, 2018 - 20:02

so far, here is what I saw:

• MuseScore Tab Shamisen
→ "Letters" option is useless: remove it from the code (?) or add japanese numbers in the font
→ For value=24; letter=0: there is no glyph so there is the unicode caracter appearing → remove the line "value =24........." ?

• MuseScore Tab Shamisen Rhythm
It works only for: 8th, 16th, 32th, 64th note
Not for other notes
→ notes longer than 8th note: no note in the sfd so the unicode is appearing → delete the lines or assign a glyph?
→ dot notes: the dots arent at the right of the glyph

• Other remarks:
- modify the glyphs for the 8th→64th note (more interline space)
- for later: add a shamisen template score (similar to Tab. Balalaika)
- Katakanas (like ス and others) can be added with text, no need to modify anything

• Problems:
- a half note and a eighth note have the same notation, but: for eighth note, the line is UNDER the number, for half note, the line is at the right of the number
- for silences, I used a "trick", add the big dot glyph after "18" and after edit it "deactivate playback"
- for the "figures de rythme", the 1st voice can't be selected, a solution is: melody in the 1st voice and the rhythm as 2nd voice (the rhythm figures are movable under the numbers then)

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• Mar 19, 2018 - 10:20

As a general note: nothing should be removed either from the font or from the code; everything is there for a reason.

"→ "Letters" option is useless: remove it from the code (?) or add japanese numbers in the font"

Letters are not useless at all! They are used in historic tablatures.

"→ For value=24; letter=0: there is no glyph so there is the unicode caracter appearing → remove the line "value =24........." ?"

???
To which font definition do you refer? <fret> tag content are strings and the string "24" should display as it is.

"• MuseScore Tab Shamisen Rhythm
It works only for: 8th, 16th, 32th, 64th note
Not for other notes
→ notes longer than 8th note: no note in the sfd so the unicode is appearing → delete the lines or assign a glyph?
→ dot notes: the dots arent at the right of the glyph"

???
If you refer to the "stems+beams" and dots which appear within or (usually) below the stave, they are constructed by the programme exactly as they are in standard notation (only the placement is different and the management of stems for minimæ).

If you refer to rhythm symbol appearing above the stave, they surely work.

"• Other remarks:
- modify the glyphs for the 8th→64th note (more interline space)"

Which 8th - 64th glyphs? See above.

"• Problems:
- a half note and a eighth note have the same notation, but: for eighth note, the line is UNDER the number, for half note, the line is at the right of the number
- for silences, I used a "trick", add the big dot glyph after "18" and after edit it "deactivate playback""

For things like these (and possibly other of the above as well), a special "shamisen" stave type has to be added, managing the special details of this notation.

"- for the "figures de rythme", the 1st voice can't be selected, a solution is: melody in the 1st voice and the rhythm as 2nd voice (the rhythm figures are movable under the numbers then)"

What you mean by "the first voice cannot be selected"? The first music voice can be selected. The rhythm symbols themselves cannot be selected by design, as they are generated on the fly by the programme.

I suggest a more structured analysis of the goal and of the means to achieve it.

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• Mar 19, 2018 - 11:14

OK. Huge misunderstanding here. This thread is about a work in progress, about analyzing what is needed indeed. Arcandius even mentioned that his comments is mainly for his own research. I helped him a bit by creating a PR in order to have a binary to test.

"→ "Letters" option is useless: remove it from the code (?) or add japanese numbers in the font"
Letters are not useless at all! They are used in historic tablatures.

Yes, so they are useless for shamisen tablature. You both agree. Nobody is talking about removing this option as a whole...

"→ For value=24; letter=0: there is no glyph so there is the unicode caracter appearing → remove the line "value =24........." ?"
???
To which font definition do you refer? tag content are strings and the string "24" should display as it is.

Again the shamisen one...

If you refer to rhythm symbol appearing above the stave, they surely work.
Again for Arcandius purpose, for shamisen. They do not work as he expects.

I suggest a more structured analysis of the goal and of the means to achieve it.
That's exactly what is going on here.

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• Mar 19, 2018 - 12:18

Huge misunderstanding(s?) indeed.

1) A more apt way to deal with work in progress is to make a branch and work on it to own's content. The code base is quite large and complex to accept more meandering and loose ends.

2) The OP comments prompted some clarification about the current tablature implementation. My comments above were surely very dry; unfortunately, I didn't find an obvious single point in the code where a detailed documentation of the tablature implementation would make sense and currently documentation is scattered across several source files. If more explanations are required / useful, please post (possibly specific) questions, and I'll try to answer the best I can.

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• Mar 19, 2018 - 14:20

Unfortunately Arcandius is not up to speed with git, building MuseScore etc... it does seem to have a good understanding of Shamisen that I don't have. That's why I made a branch and PR with his modifications to the fonts so we can see how far we are from supporting shamisen tablature.

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• Apr 2, 2018 - 14:48

I think I'm really near the goal since I succeed to compile and test my additions;
The only major problem for me is:

I need (only for my font) to change the position of the note symbols (see image 1)
Actually, the options allow to modify the y-offset of all note symbols;
for my font, I need the glyphs to be under the lowest number (on the strings)
On the image, the 1st measure is correct
For the 2nd measure, the other glyphs aren't well placed
Is there a way to modify the y-offset in function of the lowest active string? (for my font only of course)

Other problem but not major:
Apparently, for option fret = value / letter = 1, above 16 it don't works (display a "?")
There is a limit?
(Its to add as option the ancient notation (Nagauta (長唄)) which require a lot of glyphs, but I already make them with Illustrator and there are already in my fontforge file)

Thanks

Attachment Size
1.png 18.56 KB

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• Mar 30, 2018 - 00:06

I recompile and here is the result (just for test/personal) : 2.jpg
The only problem is the position of the glyphs and it's non selection-able
(in 2.1 if I remember, 2nd voice had glyphs too and selection-able, not in 3.0)
(for the half note and eighth note, the glyph is the same but for the half note, the glyph is at the right of the number, and for eighth (as for the 16th/32th/....) the glyph is under the number;
Also the dot is not at a good position) : 1.jpg
Maybe I can try add an option (?)

(NB: this notation is known as 文化譜 (bunka-fu), there is other notations (vertical and Nagauta 小三郎譜);
bunka-fu is the modern notation and is close enough to Musescore, so I thought it could be implemented, after I know it will concern very few users....
I also linked as 3rd image an example of 小三郎譜 (Nagauta notation)
I saw that there was option letter=0 letter=1
For this new font, letter=0 can be bunka-fu and letter=1 may be nagauta notation: 3.jpg
(Bunka-fu is: 0 1 2 3 # 4 5 6 7 8 9 b 10 → ......; Nagauta is: .7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1.. → .....)

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2.jpg 67.12 KB
1.jpg 15.01 KB
336d023324198b53f723faa17ec1da37.gif 46.63 KB
3.jpg 44.54 KB

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• Apr 16, 2018 - 10:59

The font is nearly finished
In fact it can even "work" like this
(See image)

The only problems now are (exhaustive list):
• For the half note, modify the x-pos to make the glyph appear between the note start and the next note start (or measure end)

• The "rest" silences should be modified; here it's only another fretsymbol which was "mute"
The thing is, I don't know how to add symbols to the master palette (i don't even know if I can), if I could, there will be some other symbols I'll add (maybe I'll contact the SMUFL group to ask them if they're interested to add shamisen symbols)
Also, this modification should be tested in a 2.3 debug version because the 3.0 don't display the rests on tablatures, even if the option in enabled

• The dot position should be modified but it's not necessary and some scores in japan are displayed like this

• Onomatopoeia system: on all shamisen books, each chord is assign to an onomatopoeia (it's not required to play), maybe I already can try to, depends of the chord, add automatically the onomatopoeia
(Note: Shamisen have some articulations (Sukui ス / Hajiki ハ : displayed under the fret number), those articulations modify the onomatopoeia (ex: Chi → Ri: see image 2)

Attachment Size
test.jpg 94.68 KB
test2.png 22.91 KB

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• May 9, 2018 - 03:22

THANK GOD SOMEONE ACTUALLY HAS THE SKILLS TO AT LEAST MAKE A TEST VERSION OF THIS! I AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE TRYING THIS BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE THE SKILLS TO DO IT! THANK YOU!

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• May 10, 2018 - 13:20

To create a new score you can modify the stafftype in the instrument panel to select Tab. shamisen,
There is actually a bug which add the stems for new scores, just right click on the staff → staff properties → advanced style properties (apply/ok even if nothing change and return to the score, stem disappears)

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