Re: guitar tab feature request

[Carl D. Sorensen]

On 3/21/09 1:48 PM, "Marc Hohl" <address@hidden> wrote:

> [Sorry, the attached eps was too big; I converted it to png]
> 
> I have a wishlist of features for the tablature and guitar _notation_
> feature request.
> I don't know how far the work on the features has gone, so I post to the
> list:
> 
> (1) writing muted notes (i.e. dead notes) is already possible, but
> rather complicated
> and - what's more important - different for notes and tablature.
> 
> I can define
> 
> #(define (x-tab-format str context event)
>      (make-whiteout-markup
>        (make-vcenter-markup
>          (markup #:musicglyph "noteheads.s2cross"))))
> 
> headXOn  = \override NoteHead #'style = #'cross
> headXOff = \override NoteHead #'style = #'default
> 
> tabXOn = \set tablatureFormat = #x-tab-format
> tabXOff = \unset tablatureFormat
> 
> and use it to switch between crossed note heads (or crosses for tab
> numbers respectively),
> but if I write some funky chord lines with lots of muted strings, the
> lilypond file gets
> complicated to read. I could use shorter commands, but that does not
> solve the problem.
> 
> Would it be too difficult to extend the parser, so that I could simply write
> 
> c8 xc8 c xc
> 
> to get my dead notes both in a normal Staff and a TabStaff?

How about

#(define (x-tab-format str context event)
    (make-whiteout-markup
     (make-vcenter-markup
      (markup #:musicglyph "noteheads.s2cross"))))

x = #(define-music-function (parser location note) (ly:music?)
#{
  \once \override NoteHead #'style = #'cross
  \set tablatureFormat = #x-tab-format
  $note
  \unset tablatureFormat
#})

music = {
  c8 \x c c \x c c4 c4
}   

<<
  \new Staff {
    \clef "treble_8"
    \music
  }   
  \new TabStaff {
    \music
  }   
>>

> 
> (2) When I write a score with notes and additional tablature, I don't
> need the stems and stuff,
> so it would be good to have a \tabNumbersOnly-Feature which
> automatically switches to the
> desired output. 

tabNumbersOnly = {
  \override TabVoice.Stem #'transparent = ##t
  \override TabVoice.Beam #'transparent = ##t
}

tabNumbersAndStems = {
  \revert TabVoice.Stem #'transparent
  \revert TabVoice.Beam #'transparent
} 

> But in cases where I have only tablature, there is a
> problem with durations >=2.

There's been some discussion about this.  Dana Emery has some
suggestions, and there are others who have other proposals.

HTH,

Carl