Re: Lute tablature

[Rune Zedeler]

Laura Conrad wrote:

>         One major difference between Dowland's tablature and the
>         guitar tab that lilypond defaults to is that the fret
>         indications are letters and not numbers.  Has anyone created a
>         tablature-format function that would do this?

#(define (fret-letter-tablature-format string tuning pitch)
  (make-string 1 (integer->char
   (+ (char->integer #\a)
   (- (ly:pitch-semitones pitch)
      (list-ref tuning (- string 1)))))))

\score {
    <
        \property Score.tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format
...




>         Another problem is that not all lutes have the same number of
>         strings (or more precisely, courses), and Dowland dealt with
>         this by generally using 6 string tablature, but occasionally
>         using a ledger line if he was specifying a fret on the seventh
>         (or even lower) course.  Would lily allow this?

It is easy to typeset numbers outsides the staff - just specify a string 
number to great/small to fit into the tab. Getting ledger lines is more 
tricky because ledger lines are currently created by the note-heads 
engraver which is not used in the tabstaff. I would not know how to put 
ledgers into tabs.

>         Another problem is that I wasn't planning on figuring out
>         the pitch Dowland was specifying in order to enter the tab.
>         Why shouldn't I just be able to enter the tab (and the tuning
>         table for the strings), and have the computer figure out the
>         pitch?

Hmmm... This is impossible. How would you distiguish cis from des?

>         I also don't see any examples of tab with the note values
>         indicated by stems above the staff the way the Dowland tab has
>         it.

No comments on this one right now, sorry. IIRC a function was once added 
to draw stems outsides the staff - but I cannot just find it...

-Rune