Setting up a tablature for ukuleles/banjos/other instruments

Tablatures enables you to edit scores for different kind of stringed instruments.

By default, new documents are set up for guitar and bass, since it’s the most commonly used configuration, but in a few click you can customize the score to satisfy your needs.

First, you can change the number of tablature lines to match the number of strings of your instrument. To do it, click on the vertical TAB text at the beginning of the system:

Changing the tablature type

A sheet that will let you choose the number of strings will appear:

Selecting the number of strings

This settings will be remembered when you add a new section.

Next, let’s define the properties of the instrument to be used for MIDI playback. Use the Score -> Edit Guitars menu:

Configuring a Banjo
Click to enlarge

There you can choose the MIDI instrument, define the tuning of its strings, apply some effects and so on.

That’s it, now you’re ready to compose your song.

How do I enter two notes with different duration, starting at the same time?

Quoting an user:

“I cannot seem to figure out how to, for example, put down a whole note on one string of a quarter note on another *that start at the same time*. This makes it impossible to create a base line for a piece of music that isn’t played exactly on beat with the treble part of the music.”

Tablatures allows you to write your high and low melodies independently, thus you can achieve what you need in the following way.

Let’s start by adding a note to the high melody:

Then, in the Notes Panel, we switch to Low melody, change the duration and enter the second note:

That’s it. 🙂