Tablatures basic - GNU LilyPond
Description: GNU LilyPond

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#### 7.5.2 Tablatures basic

Tablature notation is used for notating music for plucked string instruments. Pitches are not denoted with note heads, but by numbers indicating on which string and fret a note must be played. LilyPond offers limited support for tablature.

The string number associated to a note is given as a backslash followed by a number, e.g., `c4\3` for a C quarter on the third string. By default, string 1 is the highest one, and the tuning defaults to the standard guitar tuning (with 6 strings). The notes are printed as tablature, by using TabStaff and TabVoice contexts

>          \new TabStaff {
>            a,4\5 c'\2 a\3 e'\1
>            e\4 c'\2 a\3 e'\1
>          }

When no string is specified, the first string that does not give a fret number less than `minimumFret` is selected. The default value for `minimumFret` is 0

    e16 fis gis a b4
    \set TabStaff.minimumFret = #8
    e16 fis gis a b4

##### Commonly tweaked properties

To print tablatures with stems down and horizontal beams, initialize the `TabStaff` with this code:

    \stemDown
    \override Beam #'damping = #100000

##### See also

Program reference: TabStaff, TabVoice.

##### Bugs

Chords are not handled in a special way, and hence the automatic string selector may easily select the same string to two notes in a chord.

This page is for LilyPond-2.8.8 (stable-branch).

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