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Figure
1 - Open the program
Double-click
on the TablEdit shortcut to open the tablature editor
(Figure 1).
Figure
2 - Select the tab display size
You
can change the size of the tablature to suit your preference.
I like it larger than the default setting. Try this.
Select “Display” from the menu. Then, select
“Scale to 1/32 notes” (Figure 2).
Figure
3 - Animated fingerboard
I
prefer the fingerboard (fretboard) at the bottom of
the screen.
You can change positions by selecting “Display”
from the menu at the top. Then click-on “Fingerboard”
(Figure 3). Click “Fingerboard” three times
to see the three options. First it appears on the left,
then bottom, and last it disappears. Click on it again
to start the cycle over.
Figure
4 - Open a file
Go
to the top menu and select “File.” Then, select
“Open” (Figure 4) from the pull-down menu.
Open the file Licks Demonstration.tef.
Figure
5 - Play the tab
Hit
the space bar or select the blue icon from the main
menu (Figure 5). All five licks will play.
Figure
6 -
While
the tab is playing the red and blue transport buttons
will appear (Figure 6). You can stop playback, rewind,
go to the beginning or the end by using these buttons.
Playback
volume depends on your Windows soundcard and speakers.
TablEdit uses the midi features of your computer’s
soundcard to reproduce guitar sounds. Chances are, TablEdit
sounds more like an organ than a guitar. That doesn’t
really matter. You don’t need a great sounding
reproduction of guitar. What you need is something to
play along with while you learn to play songs and licks.
TablEdit is perfect for that, as you’ll soon see.
If
you're not getting any sound, TablEdit hasn't identified
your soundcard. Send us an e-mail message explaining
the problem and we'll get you up and running.
Figure
7 - Play lick 3
Scroll
to Lick 3. Left-click the mouse button in the middle
of the first measure of this lick (Figure 7). Press
the space bar or select the blue play icon to begin
playback from the beginning of this measure. Unless
you specify otherwise in the “Play” menu at
the top of the screen, TablEdit always starts playback
at the beginning of the selected measure.
Figure
8 - Metronome
Let’s
change the tempo to playback at a speed slow enough
to actually learn these licks. Select “Play”
from the main menu. The word “Play” not the
blue icon. Then select “Midi Options” from
the pull-down menu (Figure 8).
Figure
9 - Change the tempo
Enter
40 in the tempo window or use the slide control (Figure
9). Learn the licks at 40 beats per minute then gradually
increase speed until you’re shredding.
Figure
10 - Select the metronome sound
I
recommend practicing these with the TablEdit’s
metronome on. Select “Play” from the main
menu then, select “Metronome.” Choose a patch
from the pull-down menu for the metronome sound (Figure
10). If Side Stick is available give it a try. The default
setting for the volume is 0. Select a number from 1
to 14 depending on how loud you want the metronome to
sound during playback. To turn the metronome off turn
the volume back to 0.
Figure
11 - Select a range of notes to loop
I
find it convenient to set loop points to practice individual
licks. Choose a lick you would like to practice. Be
sure the metronome is on. Move the cursor to the top
left of the area you want to practice. Click and hold
the left mouse button and drag the cursor until all
of the notes you want to practice are selected then,
release the mouse button (Figure 11). It’s best
to start the selected area at least a couple of beats
before the lick actually starts so you’ll have
a count-in.
Figure
12 - Repeat
Select
“Play” from the main menu then, click on “Repeat”
(Figure 12). Select “Play” from the main menu
then “Play” from the pull-down menu.
Figure
13 -
You’ll
see another pull-down menu. Choose “Selection”
(Figure 13). You’ll notice you can also use the
Shift F10 key combination as a shortcut. It’s a
good one to memorize because you’ll be using it
often and it’s certainly easier than going through
the menu process.
Figure
14 - Some valuable features
I’ll
give you a brief tour of a couple of valuable features.
Select the “X” icon under the main menu (Figure
14). In the general tab select “Notation”
and standard notation will appear. Check out the various
tab buttons and read some of the settings that are available.
You can turn the notation off by just un-checking it
in the “General” tab. Close that window and
open the “Score” menu. Under “Instrument”
you can change string tuning or make this tab for a
seven-string guitar.
Let’s
start a new file. If you’ve made any changes here,
don’t try to save them. The demo version of TablEdit
has the save feature disabled. Select the “File”
menu then “New.”
Figure
15 - Selecting a default note value
Click-on
the third note on the top left of the “Notes”
palette (Figure 15). You have just set the cursor to
move in quarter notes. If you don’t understand
note values get ready for an interesting learning experience.
Figure
16 - Moving in quarter note increments
I’m
assuming you haven’t moved the cursor. Enter 1
from your keyboard. Notice that a quarter note has been
entered in the tab. Speaking of tab, hit the tab key.
Notice the cursor just moved a quarter note. Enter another
1. Do this two more times to fill the measure up with
quarter notes (Figure 16). Play the measure back.
Figure
17 - Duration Errors
The
next point I’m going to make is critical. These
four positions of each measure are the only correct
places to insert quarter notes. The program will allow
you to put a quarter note anywhere you want but it will
be flagged as a duration error if you have "Duration
Errors" selected in the Options (X) menu (Figure
17). Be sure "Duration Errors" are red so
they'll be obvious in your tab. Each note must be able
to sound for its entire duration before you place another
note on the same string or you'll receive a duration
error. Does that make sense to you? If you enter a quarter
note, for example, it must sound for a quarter of a
measure before you place another note next to it on
the same line of tab.
Select
all four notes that you’ve entered by drawing a
box around them - hold the left mouse-button down and
drag the cursor across all notes. Then select “Edit”
and “Cut.” Go to the beginning of the measure
by holding down the “Ctrl” key and pressing
the left arrow key. This is a shortcut to go to the
beginning of a measure. “Ctrl” plus the right
arrow key takes you to the end of the measure.
To
move the cursor in sixteenth notes, for example, select
a sixteenth note from the notes menu. It’s safest
to do this when no notes are selected in the tablature.
Just select a space between notes. If you change the
note value while a note is selected the note’s
duration will change. Now tab through the measure and
notice it takes sixteen tabs to get to the first beat
of the next measure. This will allow you to properly
position sixteenth notes. Try this with various combinations
of notes until you understand how it works. The up and
down keys will allow you to go to other strings or you
can move the cursor with the mouse. Until you get the
hang of positioning notes, it’s always best to
start at the beginning of the measure and tab to the
position that you need to enter a note. That way it
will always be correctly positioned.
Be
sure you understand duration errors before moving on.
It's the only thing about TablEdit that is somewhat
complicated. You can really get frustrated if you don't
understand what I've just explained.
Figure
18 - Special effects
Set
the note value to eighth notes. And tab across a blank
measure to create three eighth notes on the third string
(Figure 18). Click-on the first 5 then click-on the
hammer-on symbol in the “Special Effects”
palette. Click on the 7 and select the pull-off symbol.
To remove the effect, select the note then select the
big x in the effect palette. If you closed the “Effects”
palette just choose “Display” then “Palettes”
then “Special Effects.”
Many
guitarists prefer to enter tab without specifying the
timing or note duration (quarter note, eighth note,
etc.). Yes, that sure is easier. The problem is, you
can’t play it back as a midi file. And you’ve
probably noticed from playing along with our example
that this is absolutely the best way to practice. Music
is more than just about what note to play - it’s
also about when to play the note and how long to sustain
it.
Now
that you know how to determine note values. Create a
few of your own exercises using a combination of note
values. Try a few eighth note triplets mixed up with
sixteenth-notes for example. Also, just pay attention
to the timing of the licks that are included here. They’ll
give you an introduction to what you’ll be experiencing
with TablEdit. Soon you’ll be playing more than
just eighth and sixteenth-notes!
Figure
19 - Dynamics pallette
You
can change the volume of a note with the “Dynamics”
palette. Just select the note then select any volume
from ppp which is softest to fff which is loudest (Figure
19).
Figure
20 - Bends
TablEdit
is limited to whole-step or half-step bends. Remove
the hammer-on and pull-off symbols from the three notes
you were working on. Do this by selecting each note
then select the big “X” from the “Effects”
palette. Then select the first note and select the bend
symbol from the “Special Effect” palette.
The note that follows a bend determines the bend’s
interval.
To
learn about the rest of TablEdit's incredible features,
please select help then Tutorial. All features are explained
in depth here. This is a great program. Have fun!
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