Editing Baroque lute tablature

This snippet shows how to create an 11-choir baroque lute tablature.

It can be adapted to any kind of lute or tunings and with any type of font (e.g. [http://www.smufl.org/fonts/ Bravura]) for an old looking output.

Midi output and worksheet for guitar transcriptions are also included.

<lilypond version="2.24.0" full>
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=920
%=> see also http://lilypond.1069038.n5.nabble.com/Ancient-tablature-repeat-barline-td159966.html#a159992
%=> see also http://lilypond.1069038.n5.nabble.com/Changing-Tuning-td163390.html#none

% by P.P.Schneider on June 2014.

%here starts the snippet:

\header { 
  tagline = #f
  composer = "Johann Michael Kühnel (ca.1665-after 1730)"
  % after the G minor Suite from Brno manuscripts, CZ-Bm Ms. sig. A.371, pages 95 to 98.
}

%%%%%%%%%%%%% cheat sheet : 11-choir baroque lute %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% High :
%  a 	b 	r 	d 	e 	f	 g	 h 	i	k
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%  f' 	fis'	g'	gis'	a'	ais'	b'	c''	cis''	d''
%  d'	dis'	e'	f'	fis'	g'	gis'	a'	ais'	b'
%  a	ais	b	c'	cis'	d'	dis'	e'	f'	fis'
%  f	fis	g	gis	a	ais	b	c'	cis'	d'
%  d	dis	e	f	fis	g	gis	a	ais	b
%  a, 	ais,	b,	c	cis	d	dis	e	f	fis
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%
% Low :
%  4	///a 	//a 	/a 	a 	
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%  c,	d,	e,	fis,	g,	
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\parallelMusic #'(rhythm high medium low) {
  \time 3/4
  \key g\major
  % mes.0
    \partial 4. g8 s4 		|
    \partial 4. d'8 e' fis'	|
    \partial 4. r4.		|
    \partial 4. r4.		|  
  % mes.1
    \set Timing.measureLength = #(ly:make-moment 3/4) g8 s s2		|
    \set Timing.measureLength = #(ly:make-moment 3/4) r8 g' d' g' c' g'	|
    \set Timing.measureLength = #(ly:make-moment 3/4) s2.		|
    \set Timing.measureLength = #(ly:make-moment 3/4) g,2.		|
  % mes.2
    g4 g8 s4.		|
    b4 g8 b4 b8		|
    R2.			|
    g,2 fis,4		|
  % mes.3
    g8 s s2		|
    r8 g c' d' c' b	|
    R2.			|
    e,2.		|
  % mes.4
    g8 s s2		|
    r8 a fis a4 a8	|
    R2.			|
    fis,2 e,4		|
  % mes.5
    g8 s s2 		|
    r8 fis b c' b a	|
    R2.			|
    d,2. 		|
  % mes.6
    g8 s s2		|
    r8 g e g4 g8	|
    R2.			|
    e,2 d,4 		|
  % mes.7
    g8 s s2		|
    r8 e a b a g	|
    R2.			|
    c,2. 		|
  % mes.8
    g8 s s2 		|
    r8 fis d4. g8	|
    r4. c8 b,4 		|
    d,4. s8 s4 		|
  % mes.9
    g8 s g4. g16 s	|
    r8 a a4. g16 a 	|
    c4 d2		|
    R2.			|
  % mes.10
    g8 s s2		|
    g4. r		|
    R2.			|
    s8 g, fis,2		|
}

\score {
  <<
    \new RhythmicStaff = "Rhythm" { \rhythm }
    \new TabStaff = "High"
    \with {
      instrumentName = \markup { \fontsize #18 c }
      stringTunings = \stringTuning <a, d f a d' f'>
      fretLabels = \markuplist { 
        \column {  \vspace #.15 "a" }
        "b"
        \column {  \vspace #.15 "r" }
        "d" % optional \rotate #90 "d" 
        \column {  \vspace #.15 "e" }
        "f" 
        "g" 
        "h" 
        "i"
        "k"
      }
      \override TabNoteHead.extra-offset = #'(0 . .15) 
      \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing = #'((padding . .5)) 
      \override TimeSignature.style = #'single-digit
      \override TimeSignature.X-offset = #-2
      \override TimeSignature.font-size = #3
      \revert TimeSignature.stencil
    }   
    << 
      \once\override Score.RehearsalMark.direction = #DOWN
      \once\override Score.RehearsalMark.self-alignment-X = #LEFT
      \once\override Score.RehearsalMark.break-align-symbols = #'(clef)
      \mark\markup "ouranta."
      \high \\ \medium 
    >>
    \new TabStaff = "Low"
    \with {
      \bar ""
      \remove "Staff_symbol_engraver"
      \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing = #'(
                            (basic-distance . 2)
                            (padding . 2)) 
      stringTunings = \stringTuning <c,>
      fretLabels = \markuplist { 
        "4" \null 
        "///a" \null 
        "//a" \null
        "/a" 
%% With newer verions (tested wth 2.19.35) simple "a" is sufficient:
         \column { \vspace #.15 "a" }
      }
    }
    \low
  >>
  \layout {
    indent = 15
    \context {
      \RhythmicStaff
      \remove "Staff_symbol_engraver"
      \omit Clef                   	   
      \omit TimeSignature            
      \omit NoteHead
      \override Stem.length = #6
      fontSize = #-1
      \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing =
        #'((basic-distance . 4)
           (minimum-distance . 3)
           (padding . 1))
      \stemUp 
      \autoBeamOff 
      \override Flag.stencil = #old-straight-flag
      \override Stem.thickness = #1.0
      \override Dots.extra-offset = #'(0.5 . 1)
      \override Stem.extra-offset = #'(0.5 . 0)
      \override Flag.extra-offset = #'(0.5 . 0)
    }
    \context {
      \TabStaff
      \omit Clef
      tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format
    }
  }
}

% midi file :
\score {
  << \high \\ \medium \\ \low >>
  \midi { 
    \context {
      \Score 
      midiInstrument = #"acoustic guitar (nylon)"
    }
  }
}

%{ 
% worksheet :
\score {
  \new StaffGroup <<
    \new RhythmicStaff = "Rhythm" { \rhythm }
    \new TabStaff = "High"
    \with {
      stringTunings = \stringTuning <a, d f a d' f'>
      fretLabels = \markuplist { 
        \column {  \vspace #.15 "a" }
        "b"
        \column {  \vspace #.15 "r" }
        "d" % optional \rotate #90 "d" 
        \column {  \vspace #.15 "e" }
        "f" 
        "g" 
        "h" 
        "i"
        "k"
      }
      \override TabNoteHead.extra-offset = #'(0 . .15) 
      \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing = #'((padding . .5)) 
      \override TimeSignature.style = #'single-digit
      \override TimeSignature.X-offset = #-2
      \override TimeSignature.font-size = #3
      \revert TimeSignature.stencil
    }
    << \high \\ \medium >>
    \new TabStaff = "Low"
    \with {
      \bar ""
      \remove "Staff_symbol_engraver"
      \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing = #'(
                            (basic-distance . 2)
                            (padding . 2)) 
      stringTunings = \stringTuning <c,>
      fretLabels = \markuplist { 
        "4" \null 
        "///a" \null 
        "//a" \null
        "/a" 
         \column { \vspace #.15 "a" }
      }
    }
    \low
    \new GrandStaff <<
      \new Staff { 
        \clef "G_8"
        <<
          \context Voice = "High" { \voiceOne << \high >> }
          \context Voice = "Medium" { \voiceTwo << \medium >> } 
        >>
      }
      \new Staff { 
        \clef F 
        \low
      }
    >>
  >>
  \layout {
    indent = 0
    \context {
      \RhythmicStaff
      \remove "Staff_symbol_engraver"
      \omit Clef                   	   
      \omit TimeSignature            
      \omit NoteHead
      \override Stem.length = #6
      fontSize = #-1
      \override VerticalAxisGroup.staff-staff-spacing =
        #'((basic-distance . 4)
           (minimum-distance . 3)
           (padding . 1))
      \stemUp 
      \autoBeamOff 
      \override Flag.stencil = #old-straight-flag
      \override Stem.thickness = #1.0
      \override Dots.extra-offset = #'(0.5 . 1)
      \override Stem.extra-offset = #'(0.5 . 0)
      \override Flag.extra-offset = #'(0.5 . 0)
    }
    \context {
      \TabStaff
      \omit Clef
      tablatureFormat = #fret-letter-tablature-format
    }
  }
}
%}
</lilypond>

[[Category:Ancient notation]]
[[Category:Fretted strings]]
[[Category:Template]]