Custom tablatures

LilyPond tablature automatically calculates the fret for a note based on the string to which the note is assigned. In order to do this, the tuning of the strings must be specified. The tuning of the strings is given in the stringTunings property.

LilyPond comes with predefined string tunings for banjo, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. LilyPond automatically sets the correct transposition for predefined tunings. The following example is for bass guitar, which sounds an octave lower than written.

<<
  \new Voice \with {
    \omit StringNumber
  } {
    \clef "bass_8"
    \relative {
      c,4 d e f
    }
  }
  \new TabStaff \with {
    stringTunings = #bass-tuning
  } {
    \relative {
      c,4 d e f
    }
  }
>>

The default string tuning is guitar-tuning, which is the standard EADGBE tuning. Some other predefined tunings are guitar-open-g-tuning, mandolin-tuning and banjo-open-g-tuning. The predefined string tunings are found in ly/string-tunings-init.ly.

Any desired string tuning can be created. The \stringTuning function can be used to define a string tuning which can be used to set stringTunings for the current context.

Its argument is a chord construct defining the pitches of each string in the tuning. The chord construct must be in absolute octave mode, see Absolute octave entry. The string with the highest number (generally the lowest string) must come first in the chord. For example, we can define a string tuning for a four-string instrument with pitches of a'', d'', g', and c':

mynotes = {
  c'4 e' g' c'' |
  e''4 g'' b'' c'''
}

<<
  \new Staff {
    \clef treble
    \mynotes
  }
  \new TabStaff {
    \set Staff.stringTunings = \stringTuning <c' g' d'' a''>
    \mynotes
  }
>>

The stringTunings property is also used by FretBoards to calculate automatic fret diagrams.

String tunings are used as part of the hash key for predefined fret diagrams (see Predefined fret diagrams).

The previous example could also be written as follows:

custom-tuning = \stringTuning <c' g' d'' a''>

mynotes = {
  c'4 e' g' c'' |
  e''4 g'' b'' c'''
}

<<
  \new Staff {
    \clef treble
    \mynotes
  }
  \new TabStaff {
    \set TabStaff.stringTunings = #custom-tuning
    \mynotes
  }
>>

Internally, a string tuning is a Scheme list of string pitches, one for each string, ordered by string number from 1 to N, where string 1 is at the top of the tablature staff and string N is at the bottom. This ordinarily results in ordering from highest pitch to lowest pitch, but some instruments (e.g., ukulele) do not have strings ordered by pitch.

A string pitch in a string tuning list is a LilyPond pitch object. Pitch objects are created with the Scheme function ly:make-pitch (see Scheme functions).

\stringTuning creates such an object from chord input.

LilyPond automatically calculates the number of lines in the TabStaff and the number of strings in an automatically calculated FretBoard as the number of elements in stringTunings.

To let all TabStaff contexts use the same custom tuning by default, you can use

\layout {
  \context {
    \TabStaff
    stringTunings = \stringTuning <c' g' d'' a''>
  }
}

A modern tab clef can also be used.

\new TabStaff {
  \clef moderntab
  <a, e a>1
  \break
  \clef tab
  <a, e a>1
}

The modern tab clef supports tablatures from 4 to 7 strings.

TabStaff may support microtones like quarter tones, which can be played using bendings. supportNonIntegerFret = ##t needs to be set in Score context. However, microtones are not supported in FretBoards.

\layout {
  \context {
    \Score
    supportNonIntegerFret = ##t
  }
}

custom-tuning = \stringTuning <e, a, d ges beh eeh'>

mus = \relative {
  eeses'4
  eeseh
  ees
  eeh
  e
  eih
  eis
  eisih
  eisis
}

<<
  \new Staff << \clef "G_8" \mus >>
  \new TabStaff \with { stringTunings = \custom-tuning } \mus
>>

See also

Notation Reference: Absolute octave entry, Predefined fret diagrams.

Installed Files: ly/string-tunings-init.ly, scm/tablature.scm.

Snippets: Fretted strings.

Internals Reference: Tab_note_heads_engraver, Scheme functions.

Known issues and warnings

Automatic tablature calculations do not work properly in most cases for instruments where string pitches do not vary monotonically with string number, such as ukuleles.