Simple Note Charts for Bass
I am trying to find software that would help me in making quick note charts for bass.
I currently use Libre Office and attached is a sample chart I make and this works fine for me except when I have to use a small b as a passing note,, If that happens to a flat b then I end up with bb instead of Bb,, I use capitals to denote strong notes and lower case for passing notes.
I started looking for just some fonts I can use to denote the flat symbol but have not been able to find anything that works correctly as an add on font just for the symbol and using a complete font set doesn't work either. (i.e. - Times + Musical Roman) THis font is perfect but it doesnt do BOLD which I use to denote the main downbeat notes.
I am wondering if anyone knows if MuseScore can do what I am looking to do.. It would be great to find software that would allow me to write charts like I am doing but also use standard notation repeats instead of the (i.e. - (4x) ) am using...
Any thoughts?
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Example1.pdf | 21.2 KB |
Comments
Is that PDF supposed to be a stand-in representing the sheet music you actually want to create? MuseScore is a scorewriter, not a word processor.
You might want to re-think what you are trying to do and why.
Such charts are usually banged out in Courier or another mono spaced font such as Monaco or Andale and have been since the typewriter was invented. This way, the spacing is always consistent and does not change if the document or font size does. Doing that, use Bb, F# etc. and, if you want to embolden a letter, it's easy.
If you are on Windows, Courier New is an anaemic font. This is a link to an article on where to find better Courier fonts, some of which support Bold.
http://www.rolandstroud.com/downloads/
Courier 10 Pitch BT is my favorite. You can find it and hundreds (thousands?) more here.
http://ufonts.com/search/courier
If you are on a Mac, you can use a music font if you really feel the need. It's easy even if time consuming. Have the Keyboard Viewer in your toolbar.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/11/mac-101-using-the-keyboard-viewer-in…
Now, when you want to use a music font, change the font in your document, Show the Keyboard Viewer, find your flat symbol, type it in and it will appear. After a few times, you'll know what to type and you can go back and change the character into the desired font one at a time.
Depending on your word processor, you may be able to type in the symbols you like to use in a separate document, then copy and paste into yours. Word sometimes turns it back to the font you are using.
Gigging musicians know what Bb in Courier means.
I create charts similar to this sometimes, albeit with a lot BIGGER symbols (to be seen in poor lighting), usually just quick & dirty charts for a night, or to bring an idea in.
I just create a blank staff with a conventional music font that most players are familiar with (MuseJazz is a fave of mine for this). I enter chord symbols, use the staff to hold measure and duration, annotations to do the rest.
The result is somewhat similar to the first example here: //musescore.org/en/handbook/chord-symbols
I saved a blank as a User template, and with a little keyboard shortcut familiarity I can produce new charts very quickly. Most of the ppl I work with use tablets, so printing to PDF or OneNote is very helpful.
HTH!
In reply to I create charts similar to by littlepaully
It's funny, my band merged with another 12 years ago and those players were using 'Courier charts' for lack of a better term (we had never used charts in performance but all my guys read music). Anyway, they wanted me to knock out something similar.
So... I knocked out about 30 charts in Encore just like your example. Seemed perfect to me, right? (Encore uses Option-Space to let you enter lyrics where there are no notes).
To a man, they howled and could not read what I had done. The first gig didn't go well at all. Before the next night, I redid all 30 in Word using Courier and everybody was happy. Lesson learned.
Nowadays, when hiring side players, I ask what charts they like to see and email them three different examples including a lead sheet with notes. You'd be surprised how many want them in Courier—Lord knows, I am.
In reply to It's funny, my band merged by MikeHalloran
Ok so the font Courier has a flat symbol in it?
In reply to Ok so the font Courier has a by mauricerojas
No -- look at my example. You use the small b. It's what musicians who like these charts are used to seeing.
Are you on a Mac or PC?
In reply to No -- look at my example. You by MikeHalloran
Am on a Mac,,, It's not for other musicians it's for me.. I play in about 5 bands and I literally have to pick from about 500 songs. One band may play a gig and do 40 songs one night then the next night it's another completely different 40 songs and the third night I play with another band and that is another 40 different songs and then there are requests and then next week the whole thing changes so in about the course of a month I go through roughly 480 songs,,,
I have to have some charts,,, I cant remember them all,,, I use what I showed as an example and it works great except when I need to us a small b as a note to show it's a leading tone. I do all leading tones and scale movements in small case so I know that the upper case note is what I have to land on for the next measure.. Just a quick visual...
But I cant us a bb because it looks like a double b note instead of a "b"b,,, So I use Bb instead and then sometimes I end up accentuating that note or trying to land it on the first beat etc...
Hope that makes sense...
Thanks much