Guitar TAB stems and noteheads

[keithbraithwaite]

Hello
Is there any way to have the noteheads shown on the stems in guitar TABS ? The problem only arises really with half and whole notes which have the same stem as the quarter notes...
There may be some technical reason for this difference? Acoustic guitars don't play long notes? I use TABS for my pupils on electric and electro acoustic insturments...
Maybe there's a plugin somewhere?
Any help gratefully accepted
Kezith

Finale 14 Windows 10

[Peter Thomsen]

Add the notehead as an articulation.
If you use an articulation metatool, it can be done quite quickly.
Just hold down the metatool trigger key on the computer keyboard, and drag diagonally across the TAB staff.
NB:
You must be in the right layer.

See the attached example where the metatool trigger is the letter O key.

[keithbraithwaite]

Thanks !
Just using the circle in the articulations I was able to add that easily. What are these circles with lines in them - some vertical some horizontal ? There were circles with vertical lines in your file... Is that something special to tabulations?
Obviously I'd rather use real notehead shapes rather than circles so I'll try editing them.
At least, with your advice I've been able to put a sort of half note in here and there...
Thanks again
Keith

[Peter Thomsen]

… Just using the circle in the articulations I was able to add that easily. What are these circles with lines in them - some vertical some horizontal ? There were circles with vertical lines in your file... Is that something special to tabulations? …

If I understand you correctly, you have - in the file I attached - found some special circles with vertical and horizontal lines in them, right?

I am sorry, but I can not find those “circles with lines in them” which you mention.
* Where in my file did you find them?
In the Articulation Selection I can only see 1 (one) articulation, and it is a plain circle, with no lines in it, neither vertical nor horizontal lines.

The attached PDF file shows what I see:

GranVals2014.pdf.zip

(57.41 KiB) Downloaded 166 times

… Obviously I'd rather use real notehead shapes rather than circles so I'll try editing them …

I am not sure I understand, why you say “obviously”.
It is not obvious to me why you would use real notehead shapes in TAB notation.
* Please explain.

* Have you ever seen real notehead shapes in TAB notation?

The problem is that the TAB number (fret number) inside the notehead must be readable.
Hence a real notehead shape (around the number) must be rather big - and such big notehead shapes cause collision problems in the layout.

[keithbraithwaite]

Well it does seem obvious to me that normal 8th and quarter note stems and all the others should have normal noteheads...

If it doesn't seem obvious to you I'm certainly not going to quarrel with anyone over that one. Everyone has the right to his or her own opinion.

No I have never seen noteheads on TAB stems - I raise this point simply because I'm trying to make it easier for my pupils who also learn to read "ordinary" musical notation. I just want them to be able to be sure that it is a quarter note and not a half note or viceversa.

My tab stems are all above the stave so there is no conflict between the fret numbers on the "string" lines and notehads above the stave. These numbers are certainly not going to be inside the notehead.

Sorry if I've unintentionally offended against standard guitar practice...

[Peter Thomsen]

… My tab stems are all above the stave so there is no conflict between the fret numbers on the "string" lines and notehads above the stave. These numbers are certainly not going to be inside the notehead …

That layout is not quite standard practice for TAB notation, but do not worry!

In that case I would consider using two staves:

1) A top staff (in standard notation) that only displays the rhythm (= no staff-lines, clefs, key signatures, time signatures &c.
To get rid of all the barlines, move the top staff’s barlines vertically down into the TAB staff below.

2) A bottom staff that displays the TAB notation without any stems.

… Sorry if I've unintentionally offended against standard guitar practice …

No offence taken.

I (wrongfully) assumed that you were referring to some special sort of standard guitar practice that I did not know.