Guitar Tablature GeneratorLiam Docherty

So what is Guitar Tablature?Guitar Tablature (TAB) is a very basic version of standard musical notation. The idea behind TAB is provide a simple and effective way for guitarists to learn musical pieces. Rather than being a strict definition of the musical piece, TAB acts as a visual aid to the guitarist. TAB is an attractive alternative to the standard notation, as it can easily be represented in a textual format. This allows composers to create and notate music by hand or, more commonly, in a simple text editor, such as notepad

TAB notation displays each string of the guitar, andthe numbers on the string represent the fret in which the guitarist should position their fingers. The notation can also include information of the characteristics of the note, to emphasise how the note should be played. While TAB is less strict on issues such as note length and the time signature of the composition, the simplified notation allows beginners to read the musical score with relative ease.

The Aims of the project:Using java, I plan to create and application to allow guitarists to create their own TAB music. The program will allow the users to input , edit and delete the TAB notes using a visual representation of a guitar fret board. The program will also include features to load and save TAB scores and to print the scores in a textual format

I plan to eliminate the most time-consuming problems that writing TAB by hand produces. Namely easy correction of mistakes, and easy copying of previous phrases.

The program will be extended to allow playback using the javax.midi classes. Investigation into the various methods available will be carried out, to provide effects which the guitarist may wish to include. I also aim to include a chord dictionary to allow for easy chord entry.

Typical TAB notation

Simple description of the application

The TAB score

The fret board

•The user clicks on a fret on the fret board

•The application detects the fret clicked and added it to the score

•The score is displayed in a JTable

Further features:•Special effects can be added to the notes e.g. pitch bend

•The TAB score can be played back through midi

•The user can print the TAB score out, or save it as a text file

•Non-TAB items can be added to improve readability such as bar lines.