GuitarST Tutorial
Author: Johanna Bindgen
last update:19.10.2001
1. Installation:
Copy your Guitar ST files to any folder. This can be a disk or harddisk.
When starting, Guitar ST is looking for the file GUITAR.PAR to read the path names. As default all path names are directed to A:.
Click on PATHNAMES in the FILE menue.
Click to every line to define the path for songs, midi, library, fonts, printer. A file select box will open. Click to the folder you want. Quit with OKAY
Click OKAY in the path name window.
Click SAVE PATHNAMES in the FILE menue
When starting, Guitar ST is looking for the file AUTOLOAD.GIT . I have prepared a song with 180 dpi fonts and a printer adaptation for old Epson printers (but this is also printing on my Epson Stylus color 600). Rename this AUTOLOAD.GI in AUTOLOAD.GIT. When you start Guitar ST again, this song will be loaded. You may change this start song with your own parameter and save it.
If you are working with the Atari laser printer, copy the DIAB630.PRG in the AUTO folder and the font ATTR10.FNT in the root directory (A: or C:), where you boot from.
Memory:
Guitar ST runs on Atari with 1, 2 and 4 MB in high resolution. If you use the Atari-Laserprinter, you need 2 MB.
Changing values with mouse:
Right mouse click decreases the value.
Left mouse click increases the value.
You can in-/decrease faster by pressing the other mouse button simultaniously.
Some function are available by pressing both mouse buttons.
2. Chord-Window:
here you can edit the chords.
Click on Chord-Nr. to edit one of the 290 chords.
Click on Chord-name to enter a name for your chord.
Click with the left mouse button in the right chord-window on a string, to define the position of the fingers. If you want to disable a string, click left of the first bundle. There will appear an 'x'.
Or: Click in the little piano the notes G-H-D and GuitarST will find the best chord. Click to the numbers of the bundles. This will change the chord.
Or: Click MULTI. This shows you all the notes G-H-D on the strings and you can choose by clicking on the strings or to a bundle-number.
OPTIM. is looking in the library to optimize the chord.
Change the G-major to G-minor (or G7,Gm7, G7+....) by clicking in the middle window. Select at to top the degree C,C#,D,D#..... if you want.
This functions need always a chord-library (STANDARD.BIB or AUTOLOAD.BIB).
The Chord-Library:
Click to any Chord to transfer it to the chord-window.
How to create a new category:
1. Look for the next free category (here 10)
2. Click to the C-degree
3. Click on NAME: type '46'
4. Clear the Mini-Keyboard. Click on the keys C-F-A ( that's a C46 )
5. Click SAVE to store this chord on the first degree.
6. Click to the second degree (C#)
7. Click CREATE
8. There will appear a C#46. Click in the chord-window to get the best position for your fingers.
9. Click SAVE
10. Repeat this for every degree.
11. Don't forget to save the library to disk ( Menue: FILE->Save library)
The CHORDS-menue:
GET LIBRARY inserts all 288 chords of the library to your chord list.
COPY CHORD copies one chord.
DELETE CHORD deletes the chords.
DELETE ALL deletes all chords.
The INSTRUMENTS menue:
Define here your instrument (guitar, bass, violin, banjo ....). But it is NOT possible to tune the 2 instruments different. It would be nice in a later version!
3. The pattern window:
Here is the information about the right hand finger-picking:
You
You can edit the Events in different modes.
The TAB-MODE: (Press key "T")
You see the tabulature numbers of the chord, which belonges to this picking-pattern. If the string in the chord window is disabled, the event will appear in gray.
VELOCITY-MODE
Press key "V"
You can edit the velocity of every event:
PIMA-MODE: Press key "D"
Here you can edit, which finger of the right hand should play the event.
LINE/CHANNEL-MODE: press key "L"
Enter the name of this pattern by clicking on Pattern-name.
Choose a pattern by clicking on the Pattern-nr. field.
Define the length of the pattern (here 8/16) by clicking on length
Use the left mousebutton to insert TAB-events into the pattern. (In this example the events on string 4 and 6 are gray (muted), because these strings are disabled in the C-Chord.) Use also the left mouse button to move the events.
Move the events outside the window to delete them.
FORMAT (here 16): Insert length and position snap at the helplines (Switch on/off the position snap by pressing also the other mousebutton, when you insert or move an event.)
QUANT (here 16): This quantizes the whole song. Dequantize is possible.
Click on Event-Info in the SYS-Menue
So you can see all parameters of the events, when you click on an event:
To change the parameter of events, click with the right mouse on the event. Keep the mousebutton down and move the mouse:
Horizontal move: changes the length of the event:
Vertical move:
In VELOCITY-mode
Slide with the right mouse up and down to change the velocity of the event.
In TAB-Mode:
You can force every event to play another note, as it is fixed in the chord-window above.. Slide up and down to change the (auto-) bundle.
in pima-mode
Here is the information, which (right) finger should play this string. Slide up and down with right mouse, to change the default (auto) values.
This is not important for midi but possibly for printing this song:
Line/Channel-mode
This is the information about the line/voice of every event.
The default is: the 3 upper strings are soprano and the 3 lower string are bass. Slide up and down with the right mouse to change the (default-) values. This is important for midi and printing. So you can handle the events with different channels/program-changes and fix the voice, if you use the split-mode for printing:
The MODE-menue:
Events on lines: if not selected: Events between the lines.
Events with box: if not selected: There is only the TAB-number.
TAB-Octave-change: You can move events to other strings without changing the degree.
Remember velocity/length/bundle: If you insert many events, it is sometimes easier to use the last values.
The EVENTS-Menue:
Click here to decide, which event you want to insert.
Insert a rest:
This is not relevant for midi. But if you want to use FORCED LEGATO, the last event will stop at the rest.
Insert a TEMPO-event:
You can change this value by clicking with the right mouse on the event and moving up and down.
Insert STOP-play:
The sequenzer will stop at this event.
Insert PEDAL ON/OFF:
Insert VOLUME:
Change this value by clicking with right mouse and moving it up and down.
Insert PROGRAM-CHANGE:
Click on the event with right mouse and move up and down to change the program.
If you don't hit an event with the right mouse you can move the pattern by sliding the mouse.
The QUANTIZE-menue:
QUANTIZE ALL:
This quantizes the whole song (all pattern) and will use the value of QUANT
DE-QUANTIZE ALL:
This dequantizes the whole song.
FIX POSITION&LENGTH
This fixes the actual position and length of all events. You can't reverse this function!
LEGATO QUANTIZE:
GuitarST ask you:
if you type "yes", the result will be:
if you type "no", the result will be:
so you can handle soprano and bass separatly or as one voice.
QUANTIZE POSITION:
quantizes only the position, not the length.
DEQUANTIZE POSITION:
Undo the position quantize.
QUANTIZE LENGTH:
quantizes only the length of an the events.
DEQUANTIZE LENGTH:
Undo the length quantize.
SPLIT-POINT:
This is a mark between the quantize-positions. Left of this point the event will move left, right of this point then event will move right.
HELPLINE:
This is an additional helpline.
The ZOOM-menue:
I think there is nothing to say.
The TRANSPOSE-menue:
Transpose (here +3) is global. The values of upper/lower voice are additonal for sopran and bass.
The CHANNEL-menue:
values from 1-16: all events will be sent on this main channel.
in split mode every voice (sopran/bass) has its own channel.
MUTING STRINGS:
every string can be muted.
The PATTERN-menue:
COPY PATTERN copies a pattern to pattern x with n copies to the following patterns.
DELETE PATTERN deletes the events of pattern n1 to n2.
DELETE ALL deletes the events of all patterns.
NEW PATTERN LENGTH changes the length of the patterns n1 to n2.
graphic attributs:
Press ALT and click on an event (in the pattern window):
beam start:
This creates a beam start at the event:
bow:
this creates a bow to the last event on this string
4. The ARRANGE WINDOW:
click on ARRANGE
to see the 4 arrange lines in the pattern window:
Now we create a simple song with 3 different chords: C-F-G-C
1. Insert the events in the chord window. (1=C,2=F,3=G)
Don't forget to mute the bass strings in the chord window you don't want to play
2. create one! pattern (here nr.1) in the pattern window like you see above.
3. Click in the arrange window (at the bottom) at the
first line: C play with pattern 1 (loop=1)
second line: F play with pattern 1 (loop=1)
third line: G play with pattern 1 (loop=1) and
fourth line: C play again with pattern 1 (loop=1).
5. Klick on START (PLAY).
6. If you want to update the windows during playing, click on SHOW.
7. Try to change the loop value
click on ARRANGE FULL/SMALL
to have a full arrange window:
Here you can insert chords and patterns: click on a chord/pattern on the left side to change the actual arrange line.
Click on DELETE to delete the actual arrange line.
Click on INSERT to insert a new arrange line
Click on TOP to go to the first arrange line
Click on END to go to the last arrange line
Use the up/down keys to change the arrange line
Now we add a second guitar to play a simple melody. We copy pattern 1 to pattern 2,3,4, so we have 4 different patterns with the same content:
4 different patterns ar nessecary, because we want to create a melody, which is not the same in every pattern. Look also to the CREATE REAL SONG function later. This function will do the same.
Click on "X" above the pattern window to have a full pattern window, and to edit the strings of two guitars:
Add the events to the second guitar. (Use the left mouse button to insert the events. Use the right mouse button to change the tabulature value by sliding the mouse up and down.)
Click on START to play this.
The ARRANGE-menue:
Use the block functions to move, insert, copy and delete arrange lines in your song.
The INSERT ARRANGE function inserts arrange lines (here from chord nr. 1 to 16 and from pattern number 1 to 16). It does not change the chords/patterns.
The CREATE REAL SONG function:
If you have a song with several chords, but only one pattern, you can transform your arrange, so you have always different patterns with the same content. This allows to variate every pattern or to add/delete/change events, (without changing the other patterns).
DELETE ARRANGE
This resets your arrange list, but does not change the chords/patterns.
The CHORDS-menue:
GET LIBRARY inserts all 288 chords of the library to your chord list.
COPY CHORD copies one chord.
DELETE CHORD deletes the chords.
DELETE ALL deletes all chords.
5. Midi , Play and Record
The transport functions:
Define the tempo of your song.
Choose the actual arrange line.
Click DROP to add your record to the existing events. So you can redord a track without killing the ohter track.
Click RECORD/START so start the record.
Click LOOP to start and repeat the actual arrange line.
Click CONT to continue play at the actual arrange line.
Click CYCLE to repeat from pattern a to b
Click STOP to stop the sequenzer.
The MIDI menue:
Switch on/off midi through. Define the through output channel and define the off channel (incoming events with this channel will not be sent to midi out to avoid feedback between computer and synth).
Switch on/off clock out to synchronize for example a drum synth.
Switch on/off sustain pedal output.
Press HELP to send an ALL NOTES OFF event to the synth.
RECORD:
Before we record a song, there must be (different!) patterns in the arrange list.Use the INSERT ARRANGE function in ARRANGE menue.
Click on RECORD/START . The monitor will play the record click. Hear the precounter (n/n) and then start to play on your keybord.
The events will go first into a midibuffer. Then GuitarST translates the buffer events in tabulature events.
Use the CHANNEL TO STRINGS function, if you have a midi guitar sending every string on its own channel.
Use MELODY PRIORITY, if you play a melody. (automatic overlap correction)
Use CHORD PRORITY, if you are playing chords. This will consider, that 2 events cannot be on one string.
AUTO POSITION/LENGTH QUANT will quantize the events automatically after recording.
IF you want to translate your record with other parameters (melody/chord priority, quantize, tuning of guitar), you don't have to repeat the record, because the events are still in the buffer.
Delete all recorded patterns. Change the record parameter and click to MOVE BUFFER TO TRACK.
Events, which are lower than the lowest string of the guitar, will be shifted up in octave steps. So be carefull, if you want to translate a Brahms piano concert in a guitar tabulature system!
LOAD MIDI FILE
All these record functions are available with midi file import (menue FILE). First the midi file will go into the midi buffer and then GuitarST puts the events on the strings.
The MSF menue:
Guitar ST has a resolution of 48 ticks per quarter note. If the midi file you want to import has 768 ticks per quarter note use the timing of 1:16 (768/48=16).
6. System
The system menue:
Statistics
Hide screen working
Guitar ST hides the working screen while it is printing grafic elements. You can switch this on/off.
Event info
When you insert, move, delete, change events in the pattern window, Guitar ST gives event information in a little window above the pattern window.
mouse repeat
sorry, (my bad english) this seems not to be the right expression for this function. It should be better: wait for screen update
After changing values Guitar ST waits (here:) 0.5 second to update the windows.
7. Printer, Layout
We will use a simple song like this for printing
4 Chords C-F-G-C
1 Pattern (8/8=4/4)
4 arrange lines
Quantize 1/8
Click on Edit or use the key "E" to enter/leave the printer window.
Then you will see the printer page preview.
Click with left mouse on any bar and then press simultaneously the right mouse. The sequenzer will start a this bar (arrange line). Click with right mouse to stop the sequenzer.
Click with right mouse on the page, keep it down and move the paper by sliding the mouse. You can also use the slider to move the page on screen.
The black box:
Use the left mouse to draw the black box. Use the right mouse to deselect the black box.
The Layout menue:
bars per line: if you have draw a black box in a system, this will be a local value, without black box it is a global value for the whole song.
Time distance: 0%: horizontal distance between notes is always the same. 100%: horizontal distance between notes depends on the note length.
String distance: vertical distance of the strings.
Chord name height: vertical distance between strings and chord name
Chord symbol height: vertical distance between strings and chord symbol
beam height: sorry, must be steam
beam thickness: Assign of beams
line thickness: thickness of strings
bow distance: distance from note to bow
bow thickness
pima distance: distance from then pima letter to the note. If you use big fonts, this value must be higher.
left/right margin and paper format depends on your printer resolution. Look at the .PRT files in the printer folder.
The view menue (zoom):
Printer mode (100%): you see exactly the printer result
Screen mode (here 41%): you see a half page.
small mode (here 114%): you see the full page
Use the black box to select an area you want to zoom
The details menue:
Chord names: switch on/off
Chord symbols: switch on/off
Pattern names: switch on/off
pima: switch on/off
pima always: if selected, all notes have pima attributes.
If not selected, only the not default values are visible:
Helplines: showes right and left margin
Vocal mode: switch on/off
Double track: Switch on/off one or two guitars.
Split track 1/2: Splits a track in sopran and bass
Track exchange: Exchanges the view of track 1 and 2 in the printer window. It does not change any events.
The objects menue:
First the FONT-page:
Guitar ST does not use Signum-Fonts!!. All fonts you will find, are transformed from Signum format to Guitar ST format. You will find my creations in the Guitar ST font folder.
Slot 1-5 are reserved for atari system fonts.
Click with the left mouse to SLOT 5-16. A file select box will open. Choose a font from your GuitarST font folder. So you can decide, which font Guitar ST will use for string names, the TAB-sign, measure, chord names, the tabulature numbers....
Click with the right mouse to SLOT 5-16, to erase a font from a slot.
I have created a special font (SYSFONT.xxx), which Guitar ST needs for notation (rests, flags):
Use the SYSFONT.075 for the Screen-Zoom.
Use the SYSTFONT.180 for printer in 180 dpi-mode.
Use the SYSFONT.300 for printer in 300/360 dpi-mode (also Atari Laser)
Load for example SYSFONT.075 to Slot 15 and SYSFONT.180 to Slot 16.
In the right area of the font window you can define the TEXTSTYLES for the three zoom modes (small (full page screen), screen, printer).
There are free textstyles A-G. And there are fixed textstyles H-P for graphic elements.
Switch textstyle H (score) always to the slots, where you have load the SYSFONTS (here: slot 15 for screen, slot 16 for printer).
Use slot 0, if you don't want any graphic element in this zoom (it is faster). In SMALL-mode you don't want to look at numbers and other little graphic elements. This mode is better for looking at the page design ( Head space, system distance, track distance). So you can switch the fonts for this zoom to zero.
Insert text: Draw the black box to define, where the text should be placed and then click to insert text
the text window:
Enter the text and define the TEXTSTYLE, also the position you want: free, left, centered, right. If you want this text on all pages, click ALL.
In the middle window you see the text in the three zooms (printer, screen and small).
Delete this text by klicking on KILL or delete all letters with the DELETE-key
Choose any (special) letter (ascii 0 to 255) by clicking in the bottom window.
Insert Page number:
If you want to place the page number on every page, type "@". (This is ASCII= 64) You can use this sign with a text like "PAGE @". Hit "ALL" to generate the page number on every page.
Afterwards you can move the text on your page with the left mouse button.
To edit, change or kill a text, click with to right mouse button on the text.
repeat:
If you want to have a repeat sign at the start or end of a bar, first select this bar with the black box, then go to the Objects menue and choose your sign. Then click to bar repeat.
The bar menue:
Here you can change the signature. It is possible to change the whole song, or you can change only selected bars. Also you can change the length of first/last bar.
global signature:
Deselect the black box and then go to the bar menue. Change nominator and denominator. Then click to SET. Guitar ST will ask you:
Quit with YES.
Change signature of selected bars:
Select a bar with the black box. Then change in the bar menue nominator/denominator, then click SET. Guitar ST will ask you, whether you to change only the selected bar or all the following bars. Quit with a) or b).
Important: There is no relationship between pattern length and the signature in the printer/edit window. So you can for example print out several 2/4 patterns in 4/4 (or 6/8 patterns in 5/4 :-) , if you want!)
If you want to change the length of a bar without a signature sign, first select the bar with the black box, then click in bar menue to first/last bar, change nominator/denominator and finish with SET. So it is possible to insert a repeat sign in the middle of a bar. In the same way you can change the first/last bar of your song:
Bar format:
This is a page, where you can change the maximum length of rests, longer notes and beaming:
Changing the beam format from 1/4 to 4/4, this will give the following result:
Sorry: "Haltenoten"-format is german, it means the format of longer notes. These are notes with length >= 2/4 . It is not possible to write half notes or longer in tabulature systems without bows.
Click with right/left mouse to the signature column, to change the denomiator. So you can change the assign of 3/8 or 6/8 signature.
with the following result:
The Printer menue:
from page: first page
to page: last page
copies: number of copies of every page
start print: be sure that a printer is connected to then parralel port . If you are printing with Atari laser, be sure that it is switched on.
printer adaptation:
Here you can edit the escape sequenzes for your printer. Change the values with left and right mouse button.
Change the needle value : 24 or 8/9 or 1
Dots per Inch: This is a value, which will not be sent to the printer, but Guitar ST uses this value to transform all graphic length and distance parameter from one resolution to another (for example : 180 dpi to 300 dpi)
Look at your printer manual to get the escape sequenzes.
Or: Look at the printer adaptations of the notator. I'm sure you will find there in the printer folder your special adaptation.
Atari laser printer: Click on Laser SLM 804. Be sure, that the following files are in the right folder, before you switch on your computer:
Copy the DIAB630.PRG in the AUTO folder and the font ATTR10.FNT in the root directory (A: or C:), where you boot from.
Save/load printer:
Here you can save/load your printer adaptation.
Important: Guitar ST also saves the font table and all graphic length and distance parameter (Layout menue) to the printer adaptation. So, if you reload a printer adaptation, it is not nessecary to load a new group of fonts for a new resolution.
In this way it is possible to use this printer adaptation to store different font tables.
The Edit menue:
Page preview: Enter/exit the page preview window (or hit "E")
Space mode:
Click on space mode or hit the TAB-key. You see only the tabulature strings without any events.
Here you can change the following parameter:
Gobal header space: Click on the first system, press the left mouse and move the mouse up and down. You will see, how much systems are on the page.
This global header space is for all pages.
If you press simultaneously the right mouse it toggles to
Local header space:
This is only for the actual page. Sometimes it is better to have more space for headlines on the first page.
Track distance:
Click on any second track, keep the mouse button down and slide the mouse up and down. This will change the distance between tracks.
System distance:
Click on the second system, keep the mouse button down and slide the mouse up and down. This will change the distance between systems.
When you have done all, click again to space mode in the edit menue or use the TAB-key.
There is a second way to get in the space mode.
Click on the left margin of the paper (look at the black area in the following picture) to change the distances:
Print arrange from/to:
Here you can select the first and last arrange line, which will be printed.
Time factor:
Length and position of all events will be multiplicated with this factor.
So you can change:
to:
by changing the time factor from 1 to 2.
Send an e-mail for questions to jo-bi@t-online.de
Johanna Bindgen