On Fri, Oct 22, 2010 at 1:08 AM, Mark Clark
<address@hidden> wrote:
Hi, All. My name is Mark Clark. I'm a musician and retired developer who has lightly used LilyPond for many years. I follow this list but rarely rarely (if ever) post to it. But, as a guitar player, I use TuxGuitar quite a bit. I use it mostly because of it's LilyPond export capability. TuxGuitar has a nice user interface and a great deal of functionality but it's native printed output leaves a great deal to be desired. The developers realized that if they exported LilyPond code users could have great looking output and they could concentrate on those aspects of TuxGuitar that are most useful to guitarists. I've been generally very happy with their choices. Any improvements or additions I need in the printed score can be easily added to the LilyPond code but the main block of code is done for me. It seems like a win-win to me.
My interest, like yours, is in the guitar-centric tasks that tuxguitar can produce, and I am willing to do a little tweaking to get it to look the way I want it. I am a 60 something student, I need the notes on the sheet, and I am learning chord names, so I need the fretboard chord diagrams. I found it easier to sit down and type them into TuxGuitar, and the ability to have the NAMES of the chords is also helpful. I can scarcely read TuxGuitar native pdf output.
I am also interested in the learning experience about music in general, so LilyPond is phenomenal.
I wouldn't use TuxGuitar for LilyPond input unless I wanted guitar tablature. I have my own template files for lead sheets and SATB vocal music for church but the TuxGuitar route is really handy for tabs.
For now, Tablature is essential.
What questions do folks have about the LilyPond code that TuxGuitar exports? I realize the exported code isn't what we would compose directly but it does save a lot of time. The TuxGuitar developers don't pretend to be LilyPond experts. They just try to get workable code generated. I've found that they are responsive to suggestions about LilyPond code and are happy to include any changes that don't force them to rewrite their own code.
Thank you for this information. It's helpful. I tried looking both at LilyPond and TuxGuitar documentation and info resources, and it is helpful to know this.
My frustration, for the most part, has been the lack of chord names. If I had time (I am a full time science teacher as well), I would perhaps try to read the code for LilyPond export in TuxGuitar, and I might do that anyway. Some other finery would be nice. In the conversion that Patrick suggested, I noted that the chords are spaced further apart. Crowding of the chord diagrams is something I noticed. I want to start working on fingering charts too.
I am hardly the one to make suggestions. I need to thank everyone, on the LilyPond and TuxGuitar ends for this amazing software. I am a novice, with a bit of practical instrumental experience from days of my youth, not a professional musician. My instructor is anxious for more information about the software I am using to make these practice sheets.