Tablature Symbol

[idiotSavant]

Does anyone know what a finger mark with a circle around it means in Notion Tablature? I searched the manual to no avail.

[idiotSavant]

Does anyone know what a finger mark with a circle around it means in Notion Tablature? I searched the manual to no avail.

To be more precise, it's a fret number rather than a finger mark.

[Admin]

If you are referring to the number with the circle around it that shows up in the TAB itself, it is due to the duration of the note. That is, if a note is held for 4 beats, the finger numbers are circled.

If you are referring to the Circled Numbers that are in the palette, then these are string numbers. These numbers refer to telling the Notation reader that the notes that are written need to be played on a particular string. They are placed in Guitar Notation rather than TAB and are found more commonly in Classical Guitar music.

-Admin

[idiotSavant]

If you are referring to the number with the circle around it that shows up in the TAB itself, it is due to the duration of the note. That is, if a note is held for 4 beats, the finger numbers are circled.

If you are referring to the Circled Numbers that are in the palette, then these are string numbers. These numbers refer to telling the Notation reader that the notes that are written need to be played on a particular string. They are placed in Guitar Notation rather than TAB and are found more commonly in Classical Guitar music.

-Admin

Thanks but still confused. Here's a screen shot. The circled notes mean... what?

Screen Shot 2013-09-11 at 5.44.14 PM.png (143.43 KiB) Viewed 14604 times

[Admin]

As TAB is sort of vague at times in comparison to Notation, I can understand why you are having difficulty. Essentially, in the example which you have provided, you can see that there is a certain amount of time that passes for the TAB numbers that are held. This can be seen in two ways.

In your example, at rehearsal A in the S. Vla. Staff, the circled 5 is representing a hold. In notation, you can see exactly how long it is supposed to be held, but in the TAB you can only see that it is held until the blank space ends at the uncircled 5. If you combine looking at the notation and the TAB, you can see that it is held for 3 beats, due to the tie. The same thing is happening two bars later with the circled 0. It represents a hold. This is due to the vague nature of TAB alone. TAB is really just a reference for someone who is learning to play with a recording, or if used in conjunction with notation. It is not fully informative, but it is easy to learn to read.

I am very interested in this score that you have pictured. There are no frets on a violin or a viola. These are not fingerings, but rather fret numbers. In other words, these are half steps that are being represented, not fingerings. Also, Viola is normally written in the Tenor clef. Sometimes, the Viola can be sent to treble clef, but that is normally when the notes are higher in the staff and the treble clef reduces the number of ledger lines. I am interested, because I am wondering what it is that you are trying to accomplish here with the TAB.

-Admin

[thorrild]

@Admin: It is not uncommon for composers to specify a certain lower string in a higher position, in order to get the expressiveness and tension it produces, rather than always picking the "default" fingering. Here is an example from the opening of Part II from Niels Gade's "Elverskud" ("The Erl King's Daughter") [string section only shown here]:

s Daughter, part II.tiff (174.1 KiB) Viewed 14552 times

Best,
Thorrild

[idiotSavant]

@Admin: It is not uncommon for composers to specify a certain lower string in a higher position, in order to get the expressiveness and tension it produces, rather than always picking the "default" fingering.

Thorrild, in this case the treble clef on the viola is a simple expedient for me. I sometimes find it easier to relate notes on one staff to another when they're written on the same clef. I'll use this as a tool while I'm writing and then switch the clef back. Notion makes it very easy to insert and delete clef signs anywhere in a score. In this case I was adjusting the intervals between the viola and the violin, so for me it's easier when both parts are written on the same clef.

Regarding the frets, I realized that the numbers represented positions on the string neck, rather than fingers or frets, since there are no frets on the string instruments. I do find it very helpful to be able to specify which string a phrase is played on. It's also invaluable for creating realistic double stops. Notion will often play a double stop on the same string, so I need to go in and adjust the strings being used for the double stops. You see several double stops in the sample I loaded.

[Admin]

Thorrild:

I understand the concept of using the different fingerings on different strings for expression. I am a professional violinist. My question had nothing to do with fingerings or a matter of sul (X). My point is that TAB does not relate to fretless instruments. To read TAB as a fretless string player, you would have to count the half-steps of the TAB numbers in your head and then translate it to a fingering.

If idiotSavant is using the TAB with Notion sounds, there will be no effect to change the strings because there are not samples that relate to the string that the notes are being played on. So I am asking, what is the practical application of showing or editing TAB in a string quartet in a Notion score or otherwise?

I am truly interested because he may know something that I don't and I am always willing to learn.

-Admin

[thorrild]

Admin,

It was not my intention to insult your expertise. I apologize.

Also, I stand corrected: I didn't know that TAB couldn't be used to specify the string. I have now played around with it, and it seems (unless I am just not hearing it) that not even with the flagship Classical Guitar sample is this true, which is disappointing.

I guess this is a plug for actually being able to do this. It seems like a wonderful feature to add to the TAB staff. Or am I just dreaming the impossible dream?

Best wishes,
Thorrild

[wcreed51]

I've seen discussion elsewhere on this topic (but can't remember where). I'm not sure what notation app they were talking about, but the gist was that using TAB with Vn, Va, etc. could specify fingering and check for the playability of double stops