Free notation program -Tuxguitar

[HddnKat]

If this is old news, then pardon the re-post, but...

A guitar-playing friend of mine put me onto a FREE notation program called (TuxGuitar) that not only will do guitar tab, but mandolin as well. Better yet, it can import TEF and MIDI files, and then you can edit them in the program, slow them down, transpose to other keys, split out the various tracks, and so forth. Then you can go to a site like Fretted Instruments NYC and save the MIDI and open them in TuxGuitar, and have the tab. You do have to change the tuning from banjo to mandolin, tho.

[Coffeecup]

Thanks for the link. My needs are covered by a payware program but I've forwarded this to a friend who may find it useful.

[MandoNicity]

Awsome! It's free and it's Linux, what more could one want?

JR

[Chip Booth]

Are there any advantages over TablEdit other than other importing formats? I don't see anything obvious and I own TE already, though it is nice to have a free option. I'll give it a try.

[HddnKat]

The advantage to me is that I don't own the full version of TabEdit, and this is free and will import and edit tef and midi files.

[peterleyenaar]

Very nice program, how do you set the program for mandolin ?

Thanks

Peter

[Spherical Abberation]

under the track menu you select "properties." This lets you change the number of strings and what note they're tuned to when open. With a bit of fiddling you can get four strings with GDAE tuning.

Great software, hddncat, thanks for sharing! If you like free music notation software, have you seen musescore? It's more standard notation based, and more versatile, but doesn't specifically cater to fretted instruments, and I'm not sure if it's as good at importing midi:
http://musescore.org/

[DSDarr]

This does look like a nice program. My question is how do I get the standard notation in the right octave? I have a tune (imported from a mandolin tef file) and the tab is correct; however the standard notation comes out an octave too high.

thanks, David

[Spherical Abberation]

Just a guess, but if you go to "properties" under the track menu and set all the strings to be an octave lower, that should do the same to the notation, without affecting the tab numbers. For example, if the top string is on g7, set it to g6.

The computer may play an octave too low, but that won't matter for your playing purposes.

[DSDarr]

Just a guess, but if you go to "properties" under the track menu and set all the strings to be an octave lower, that should do the same to the notation, without affecting the tab numbers. For example, if the top string is on g7, set it to g6.

The computer may play an octave too low, but that won't matter for your playing purposes.

Thanks for the tip but unfortunately that didn't seem to work, in fact the behavior was a bit bizarre. It gives me a place to start however.

David

[HddnKat]

I have the tuning set for E5, A4, D4, and G3 - looks correct on the staff to me.

[DSDarr]

I have the tuning set for E5, A4, D4, and G3 - looks correct on the staff to me.

Okay thanks. When I changed it, the behavior was quite odd. Moved the tab up an octave (but same string!) and left the standard notation alone. Presumably I did something wrong.

David

p.s. Got it now. I needed to pay attention to the other options there (such as transpose, use same string, etc.). And I can get it to play in the correct octave by using an offset of +12.

[HddnKat]

I wonder, if it's because you are importing a TEF file - maybe there is something funky about that particular TEF file?

[DSDarr]

I wonder, if it's because you are importing a TEF file - maybe there is something funky about that particular TEF file?

I think the issue is that Tuxguitar thinks in guitar terms with respect to how it notates standard notation -- i.e. notated an octave higher than played for convenience, keeping it in the treble clef. Thus, it notates a TEF file an octave higher. Every TEF file I tried wound up being this way, no big deal once I know how to do, though it would be nice to have one setting to adjust to change it.

[HddnKat]

Could always try suggesting that option to the program designers - since it's a freeware program, they are open to suggestion. - then they could call it TuxMando

[Coffeecup]

Not having tried TuxGuitar I don't know if it has this included, but I've been caught out a couple of times by this octave shift. It may be that the treble clef symbol has a tiny "8" above or below, which indicates the shift. If it has this I think there should be an editing option to remove it.

[DSDarr]

Not having tried TuxGuitar I don't know if it has this included, but I've been caught out a couple of times by this octave shift. It may be that the treble clef symbol has a tiny "8" above or below, which indicates the shift. If it has this I think there should be an editing option to remove it.

Ah.. interesting suggestion. I'll look for this. Thanks!

[Loretta Callahan]

Very, very cool ... thank you. I love that I can edit the score. Plus, the software works on my beater Windoze laptop and also on my new Mac Mini with Snow Leopard!

Just a guess, but if you go to "properties" under the track menu and set all the strings to be an octave lower, that should do the same to the notation, without affecting the tab numbers. For example, if the top string is on g7, set it to g6.

The computer may play an octave too low, but that won't matter for your playing purposes.