Indicating Capo at 2nd Fret

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JohnJSherry
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Post by JohnJSherry » Tue Nov 03, 2020 10:11 pm

I've got the music in the score and want to convert it to the Tab score and indicate the fret numbers relative to the Capo. So for instance a note on the 4th fret would instead show to be on the 2nd fret.


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Peter Thomsen
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Finale Version: Finale v27.4
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Post by Peter Thomsen » Wed Nov 04, 2020 6:19 am

Having a Capo on the 2nd fret works as if the Fretboard Instrument were tuned 2 half-steps higher.

I would create a custom Fretboard Instrument, with the new tuning (= 2 half-steps higher on all strings), and use the Utility to change instrument to the new instrument.

I hope that this is clear?
If you need more specific instructions, let us know.
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

JohnJSherry
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Post by JohnJSherry » Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:27 pm

"I would create a custom Fretboard Instrument"

I went to Utilities to Change Instrument but there are only the default instruments available. I guess I don't know to create a custom Fretboard Instrument.

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Peter Thomsen
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Post by Peter Thomsen » Wed Nov 04, 2020 7:04 pm

JohnJSherry wrote:
Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:27 pm
"I would create a custom Fretboard Instrument"

I went to Utilities to Change Instrument but there are only the default instruments available. I guess I don't know to create a custom Fretboard Instrument.
1) This is a matter of understanding “Finale-speak”.

There is “Fretboard Instrument”, and there is “Instrument”.

While a Fretboard Instrument is a matter of layout - Tablature Staff and Fretboard Diagrams - an Instrument is a matter of playback sound.


2) To create a custom Fretboard Instrument, go to the dialog box Fretboard Instrument Definition where you can define the
- Number of Strings
- Number of Frets
- tuning (MIDI number) of each string

To increase a tuning by 2 half steps, increase the MIDI number by 2, e. g. from 55 (= ‘g’) to 57 (= ‘a’).

Give your custom Fretboard Instrument a good, descriptive name (so that you will later remember, what it is), and your new custom Fretboard Instrument will from now on appear in the document’s list of available Fretboard Instruments (this means that your custom Fretboard Instrument is document specific, not program specific).


3) Use the Utility to change the Instrument to any Instrument (= it does not matter what Instrument you change to), then manually change the Fretboard Instrument, to adjust the layout.

I am assuming that the {Capo 2} region is not all the measures of the entire document, but rather only a specific region, while the document’s remaining measures are in {Capo 0}.

Select the region for {Capo 2}, and then run the Utility, to change Instrument for the selected region only.


4) If - On The Other Hand - the {Capo 2} applies to all the measures of the entire document, then there is no need for running the Utility.
Just change the Fretboard Instrument.
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

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zuill
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Post by zuill » Thu Nov 05, 2020 5:05 am

If it's for the whole document, I think changing the Transposition in the Score Manager to -1 would have note show 2 when the note would normally be on 4.

Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

JohnJSherry
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Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 5:53 pm
Finale Version: 27.4.1.146
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Post by JohnJSherry » Fri Nov 06, 2020 12:37 am

Because this is for the whole document Zuill's solution is simplest and seems to work best. I have to say though, that I wasn't able to actually navigate to the Fretboard Instrument Definition dialog box. I looked it up in the manual and the instructions there didn't match up to what I saw in the program. I did try a work around though and added chord names relative to the capo.


Thanks to both of you!
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