Tablature

Many of Finale’s capabilities are dedicated specifically to notation of fretted instruments. For example, a specialized tablature staff allows for easy tablature notation. Fret numbers can be added and edited with the Simple Entry Tool or Speedy Entry Tool, and a library of guitar markings are available, including tab slides and bends, with the Smart Shape Tool. You can now even enter music directly into a tablature staff with a MIDI guitar.

Tablature is a special kind of notation for plectrum instruments, that usually consists of two staves; the top staff displays the notes in standard notation, and the bottom staff has a staff line for each string of the instrument and displays small numbers instead of noteheads (to indicate fret numbers).

 

A tablature score usually appears as an upper, notation staff and a lower staff whose lines correspond to the strings of the plectrum instrument.

To create tablature notation

  1. Notate the instrument’s music on a standard notation staff (transposed for guitar) as you would normally. Use the Setup Wizard to create a properly transposed guitar staff (written an octave up). If a TAB staff already exists below the standard staff, skip ahead to step 6.
  2. Click the Staff Tool  image\Staff_Tool.gif and from the Staff Menu, choose New Staves (with Setup Wizard). For these steps, we’ll add a pre-defined TAB staff. To create a customized TAB staff, see To create a tablature staff from scratch.
  3.  In the left column, choose the Fretted Instruments category.
  4. In the middle column, double-click the desired TAB staff to add it to the right column. All TAB staves contain the text [TAB] following the instrument name.
  5. Click Finish. A TAB staff appears at the bottom of the score.
  6. Click the Selection Toolimage\Selection_Tool.gif and select all of the measures of the notation staff. See Selecting music for some region-selecting shortcuts.
  7.  Click and drag the highlighted region down to the tablature staff. You should see the Lowest Fret dialog box. For now, we’ll leave these settings alone.
  8. Click OK. The music will translate into corresponding fret numbers in the tablature staff. To copy a portion of your music into a tablature staff, simply highlight a smaller region of the standard staff before drag-copying it down. You can also use the Selection Tool to copy music from a tablature staff into a standard staff and Finale will translate the fret numbers into notes accordingly. See also To enter directly into a tablature staff.

To enter directly into a tablature staff (Simple Entry)

  1. Click the Simple Entry Tool  image\Simple_Entry_Tool.gif. The Simple Menu appears.
  2. From the Simple Menu, choose Simple Entry Options, and then check Select Tablature Notes on Entry (if it isn’t already checked).
  3. Click OK.  
  4. Choose a rhythmic value from the Simple Entry Palette.
  5. Click in the tablature staff. You will see a “0” on the line you clicked (or the number of the default lowest fret specified in the Tablature Staff Attributes). It should already be selected.
  6. Type the fret number on the numeric keypad. You can also hold down Option-Shift and type the number on your QWERTY keyboard. Note: The QWERTY keyboard is the letter keys and the numbers above them. The Numeric Keypad is the set of number keys on the right side of a standard desktop keyboard. In addition to entering tablature by clicking, you can also use the Simple Entry Caret.
  7.  From the Simple Menu, choose Simple Entry Options. Ensure Use Simple Entry Caret is selected and click OK. The Simple Entry Caret appears in the score. If not, press Return.
  8.  Move the caret to the tablature staff. Use the left and right arrow keys to move the caret horizontally. Hold down Command and press the up and down arrows to move the caret between staves. To activate the caret at a specific location, Option-click a fret number to select it and press Enter (or Option-click an empty measure). For detailed information on navigation using the Simple Entry Caret, see Simple Entry.
  9. Choose a rhythmic duration. Either click a duration icon in the Simple Entry Palette or hold down Command and Option and type the desired rhythmic duration number on the numeric keypad. Or, hold down Command-Option-Shift and type the duration on the QWERTY keyboard.
  10.  On the QWERTY keyboard, type the string number. For example, on a standard 6-string guitar tab staff, type 1 to move the caret to the top E string.
  11. Type the fret number on the numeric keypad. Hold down Command to add a fret number greater than 9 (for example, type Command-numpad 2 to add 12). The caret moves to the right in preparation for the next entry.
  12. To add a fret number with the caret, you can also press Enter to add a fret number (0) on the chosen string, and then hold down Option-Shift and type the number on your QWERTY keyboard. Do this if your computer keyboard does not have a numeric keypad.
  13. To change the number of the fret number you just entered, hold down Option and type the new number on the numeric keypad. Or, hold down Option-Shift and type the number on your QWERTY keyboard.
  14. To change the duration of the fret number you just entered hold down Command and Option and type the desired rhythmic duration in the QWERTY keyboard.   
  15. To change the string of the fret number you just entered, hold down Option and press the up and down arrows.  
  16. To add another fret number to the previous entry, hold down Option and type the string number in the QWERTY keyboard. Then, while holding down Option, type the fret number in the numeric keypad. (Or, hold down Option-Shift and type the number on your QWERTY keyboard.) For a list of Simple Entry Tablature commands and their associated keystrokes, from the Simple Menu, choose Tab Specific Commands.

To edit guitar tablature

  1. To move fret numbers to a different string, click the Simple Entry Tool  image\Simple_Entry_Tool.gif.
  2. Option-Click a fret number and drag to the appropriate string. You can also use the up and down arrows to move selected fret numbers between strings. If the fret number turns orange after selection is cleared, it is outside the range of the string. Either change the string, fret number, number of frets, or string tuning so that the fret number is in the range of the string. For information on customizing the string tuning, see the Fretboard Instrument Definition dialog box.
  3. To edit the fret, Option-Click a fret number to select it, and then in the numeric keypad, type the new number. You can also hold down Option-Shift and type the number on your QWERTY keyboard. Note: The QWERTY keyboard is the letter keys and the numbers above them. The Numeric Keypad is the set of number keys on the right side of a standard desktop keyboard.
  4. To add a fret number to the entry on the same beat, Option-Click a fret number to select it, hold down Option and then, in the QWERTY keyboard, type the new string number. Then, on the numeric keypad, type the fret number. You can also hold down Option-Shift and type the number on your QWERTY keyboard.

For a list of Simple Entry Tablature commands and their associated keystrokes, from the Simple Menu, choose Tab Specific Commands. Note: You can also enter and edit tablature with the Speedy Entry Tool. See Tablature with Speedy Entry.

To create a tablature staff manually

 

The following steps show you how to construct and use a tablature staff. Keep in mind, however, that you can easily begin a new TAB document by selecting a fretted instrument and corresponding TAB staff with the Document Setup Wizard. See To create tablature notation for details. For instructions on how to edit your guitar tablature, see To edit guitar tablature.  

  1. Click the Staff Tool  image\Staff_Tool.gif and from the Staff Menu, choose New Staves.
  2.  In the New Staves dialog box, leave Number of Staves at “1” and click OK. A standard notation staff should appear below the existing staff.
  3. Double click the staff you just created to open the Staff Attributes dialog box.
  4. Click the popup list next to Notation Style and choose Tablature.
  5. Click the Select button (to the right of Notation Style). You should now see the Tablature Staff Attributes dialog box. Here you can choose or define a fretted instrument, lowest fret, as well as other parameters specific to TAB staves. See Tablature Staff Attributes dialog box for details.
  6. Check On “OK”, Reset Staff Attributes To Tablature Defaults. This will tell Finale to configure the Staff Attributes for TAB staff settings.
  7. Click OK. Notice items such as rests and ties are deactivated in the Items to Display subsection as they are not needed in TAB notation.
  8. Click OK. You should now see the tablature staff appear in the score.

To add stems and beams to tablature

  1. Click the Staff Tool image\Staff_Tool.gif.
  2. Double click a tablature staff. The Staff Attributes dialog box opens.
  3. In the Items to Display section, check Stems.  
  4. Click OK. You return to the document with default beams and stems on the tablature staff. You can adjust the vertical or horizontal stem offsets or stem direction in the Staff Stem Settings dialog box. For more information on customizing stems, see the Staff Stem Settings dialog box.

To change the lowest fret of a region

  1.  Click the Selection Tool  image\Selection_Tool.gif and select a region of the tablature staff. See Selecting music for some region-selecting shortcuts.
  2.  From the Utilities Menu, Choose Change and then Lowest Fret. The Change Lowest Fret dialog box appears.
  3. For Specify Lowest Fret, enter a fret number. This will tell Finale to place all fret numbers on the fret specified or above.
  4. Click OK. Finale recalculates the fret numbers and places them on appropriate strings, all on the fifth fret or above. You can also specify the lowest fret while dragging music from a standard staff into a tablature staff.

Time signatures on tablature staves

Generally, a time signature is only used on a tablature staff if it is not accompanied by a notation staff. By default, Finale leaves time signatures off of tablature staves. If you are creating a document with a tablature staff only, you might want to add a time signature to the tab staff. Here’s how:

  1. Click the Staff Tool image\Staff_Tool.gif.
  2. Double click a tablature staff. The Staff Attributes dialog box opens.
  3. In the Items to Display section, check Time Signatures.
  4. Click OK. You return to the document. Notice the time signature is a bit small and not centered on the tab staff, so it will need to be adjusted.
  5. From the Document Menu, choose Document Options and select Time Signatures. The Time Signature options appear.
  6. After Units:, click the popup menu and choose EVPUs. We’ll use EVPUs as our measurement units.
  7. In the Vertical Adjustment section, for Abbreviated Symbol, enter “-20”, Top Symbol, “-16” and Bottom Symbol, “-20”.
  8. Click Apply.
  9. Click the Fonts category on the left side of the Document Options dialog box. The Fonts options appear.
  10. Click the popup menu for Notation and choose Time.
  11. Click the Set Font button for Notation. The Font dialog box appears.
  12. Set the Size to 36.
  13. Click OK to return to the Fonts options and OK. Your time signature is now enlarged and centered on the staff. Make further adjustments to the placement and size by entering your own values in the Time Signature and Font options as needed. For example, if you want to place the time signature between the second and fourth tab line, in the Time Signature options, for Top Symbol, use -28 and Bottom Symbol, -10. Then in the Fonts options, set the font for Time to 26.

See also:

Guitar notation

Guitar bends

 

 

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