Q: about 'barre' in guitar 5-stave & TAB notation

• Oct 22, 2022 - 13:07

I'm researching how to write for guitar, in MuseScore - and want to include a 5-line stave and TAB. I'm an electric bassist, so guitar is pretty foreign. Attached is a snipped from a file (from somebody else) downloaded from MS scores.

I recognize F & F# are an "E-form chord", but essentially barred at the 1st or 2nd fret. Likewise, the Bb & B are an "A-form chord" also barred at frets 1 or 2.

(I don't intend to include fret-board diagrams as seen here in anything I compose.)

From the guitarist's perspective, would it be more clear for chords which (optimally) use a barre, to have the barre explicitly added to what is seen here?

If yes to have a barre notation, I just don't understand any barre documentation on MuseScore references - how to add the barre to the notation. Suggestions? Thank you.

Attachment Size
guitar_tab_research.mscz 6.25 KB

Comments

From the guitarist's perspective, would it be more clear for chords which (optimally) use a barre, to have the barre explicitly added to what is seen here?

Regarding TAB, if the TAB staff shows a chord with the same fret number on multiple strings, then it's a good chance that a barre is involved. Nevertheless, the barre can be entered onto tablature as "C" with the fret number as Roman numeral.
Regarding standard notation (and TAB), see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barre_chord#Notation
for info. on notation of the barre technique with regards to customary editorial styles.

I recognize F & F# are an "E-form chord", but essentially barred at the 1st or 2nd fret. Likewise, the Bb & B are an "A-form chord" also barred at frets 1 or 2.

The following image shows that a barre can be placed on the fret-board diagrams (not that you intend to use).
barre.png
Also...
That image shows an important distinction how to "spell" chords in standard notation.
As you are aware, F & F# are an "E-form chord". The chord shape is the same - that barred F chord "slides" one fret higher, thereby sounding all chord tones sharp.
Okay, so here's what's important: There is no B♭ in an F♯ major chord. (The F major chord is based on an F-A-C triad. When F gets sharped, A gets sharped.)
Look at the image to see your notation on the first line compared to the second line. For example, look at the arrangement of the noteheads of the B♭ chord compared to the B chord. The arrangement (and note-spelling) consistency displayed on the second staff aids readability. The noteheads are nicely stacked.
Your G# chord almost reads like some kind of a C chord (ignoring the accidentals).

In reply to by Jm6stringer

'Jm6stringer'... Now, I get it. Your interest in the gwitar. :)

(The G# was not of keen interest, it came along with the other chords.) Huh, I should have thought to look on a site like Wikipedia. So, HOW do I use the "C" with fret # in MuseScore? The procedure totally escapes me. I'll go back to the documentation for now - but I've already gone there and it didn't help.

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