Guitar Tablature- fifth position

• Sep 21, 2015 - 04:04

I like to play my guitar in the fifth position, but the tablature that is generated automatically puts me into open position. Is there a way to have my tablature appear in fifth position? Thanks.

Comments

• Sep 21, 2015 - 04:35

Thanks, but that's not what I wanted.

MuseScore generates guitar TABs automatically. (I am talking about tablature, not fret diagrams.) But it generates them assuming I play in open position. But like many blues players I prefer to play higher up the neck, like 5th position. So, for example, when I play a middle C, I play the eighth fret on the low E string. But the TABs that MuseScore generates automatically tell me to play the third fret on the A string. They are the same note, but I like the C on the E string better than the one on the A string.

I would like to change this. I would like to adjust the settings so the TABs that are generated are for the fifth position.

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• Sep 23, 2015 - 02:02

Try this:

1. Input your notes

2. Select everything in the tab staff (Right click, Select>All Similar Elements in Same Staff)

Tab in 5th pos 1.png

3. Hit Ctrl+Down.

Everything should go down a string, which usually puts it in 5th position.

I guess MuseScore automatically puts notes in as low on the neck as possible arbitrarily. Being able to dictate which fret is allowed as the lowest would be useful.

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• Sep 23, 2015 - 09:49

"Select everything in the tab staff (Right click, Select>All Similar Elements in Same Staff)"

Why this way of doing? It's a waste of time: you must navigate in the submenus to do three or four operations: click / select / all similar elements in same staff, to finally do Ctrl / Down.

(except of course if you want change the fret place of the whole Tab staff, but is that often the case? If yes, it's a good way. Another, more fast: select the first measure of the Tab staff: Press Shift and Ctlr, then End key: all Tab staff is selected)

And so, in many cases, it is not accurate because it selects more than just the range of notes you want.

So the most effective and fast is:
Click on the starting note/then Shift + click on the finish note: that's all, the selection of notes ( the one you really want to get) is made.
sélection.jpg
"I guess MuseScore automatically puts notes in as low on the neck as possible arbitrarily."

I do not think arbitrarily is the right word. Rather just the most common. That is my experience since two years on MuseScore with use tabs.

- As said also, you may enter the notes directly via the Tab staff.

Finally, I invite you to watch this thread: https://musescore.org/en/node/71121, in particular the final comment (with screen shots)

EDIT : If you prefer, there is also another way to select the desired notes: the "lasso" method!
So: Shift -> click just above the Tab, and extend the selection as desired.

lasso.jpg

Result after Ctrl/Down.
And the all without any dialog box! :)
Wonderful, right?!
result.jpg

- Others manners to select a range of notes: Shift + Ctrl + right arrow (measure to measure), and Shift + right arrow (note to note)
And of course, we may combine these different ways depending the context and the use.

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• Sep 23, 2015 - 14:27

Yes, one of those methods should do just fine...:P

I wasn't really using "arbitrary" negatively. But I think there should be an "Lowest Fret" box in the Staff Properties for a tab staff; changing the number to "5" would make any notes on the regular staff automatically go into 5th position on the tab staff. This wouldn't be edit-free, usually, due to stretches to the 4th fret and open As.

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• Sep 29, 2015 - 13:06

Lilypond knows the minimumFret modifier to achieve TAB notation with the left hand fingering starting on the given fret like this:

\set TabStaff.minimumFret = #5

... for the 5th fret. Maybe sth. like this could be implemented in MuseScore ...

Regards,
EsDur

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