Re: Tab ?

[Silvan]

On Wednesday 17 September 2003 12:31 pm, Han-Wen Nienhuys wrote:

> A question for the string players out there: would it make sense to
> make separate Tab contexts for different instruments, i.e.
>
>   \context GuitarTab

AFAIK they all read the same way.  Normally the bottom line is the low note, 
and the top line is the high note.  However, anything is possible, and there 
might be some instruments for which the opposite is the norm.

The spectrum of stringed, fretted instruments is extremely complex.  I think 
that while it would make more work for users setting things up initially and 
getting the hang of how to get the results they want, the easiest thing for 
you to implement, and the most flexible system overall would be a simple 
facility for specifying the number of strings and the pitches to which they 
should be tuned.

That way you can cover all the bases.  There are many, many bases.  I could 
easily waste half the evening writing about all the oddball things I've seen 
or heard about, for which someone might want to write tab.  Odd string 
configurations, odd tunings, odd numbers of frets, extra necks.  The only 
assumption you can make for any of these instruments that's safe 100% of the 
time is that it has strings.

Also, I'm not sure what you're planning, but if you intend to be able to 
translate notes into tab directly, instead of requiring users to specify the 
fret numbers manually, then you've opened yet another can of worms.  Not only 
issues with choosing which string to use for the note, but also taking into 
account variations in the numbers of frets available.  As one particularly 
ugly example, most mountain dulcimers are fretted to be diatonic instruments, 
but for a few extra bills you can buy one that's chromatic.

-- 
Michael McIntyre  ----   Silvan <address@hidden>
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