Fretboard charts - chords and scales.

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

Hi,

Visit http://www.guitar-resource.co.uk for on-line and PC software chord and scale generators. Mail charts to friends, save and print. Many instruments, tunings and chords.

Cheers,

Liam Redmond.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Very nice looking software, Liam. I assume that with the registered version you can create instruments. Does it support 8, 10 and 12 string instruments?

I think a user could make an instrument group called "10 string E9th", for example, and under it have all of the pedal combinations as different "instruments". Possible?

The graphics are beautiful!

------------------

Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session S-12 (E9), Williams DX-10 (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra 8 Laptop (D13), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, A6)

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

A nice option for steel guitars would be to have the notes on the frets instead of behind them. Also, the Emmons "atomic" fret markers and the Sho-Bud "playing cards" markers would be really cool!

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Thanx 4 the Link, Liam.
i just checked it out quickly.(i'll get back later)
seems handy indeed ...
Steel what ?

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

...here's a run-down owing to the interest.

PC Software:

The 'Virtual Fretboard' PC software is a chord and scale generator that produces fretboard images. New instruments can be added and new tunings can be added to the instruments in both the registered and unregistered version. Only the registered version allows these to be saved. In addition, new chords and scales can be added. Any new chord or scale is immediately available to all the defined instruments. The software can be downloaded from the website.

On the website:

Free chord and scale generator with predefined instruments, tunings, scales and chords (including steel guitar). All scales and chords can be viewed for all instrument tunings. Charts are delivered as images and computed on demand. Images can then be saved with your browser or mailed as an attached image using the 'mail' button (we do the mailing). Requests for additional instruments and tunings can be submitted and will be implemented based on popularity.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the interest.

Liam Redmond.

Guitar Resource UK http://www.guitar-resource.co.uk

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I can't add instruments in the unregistered version that I downloaded, Liam. Is that a bug? The dialog doesn't come up.

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

Hi,

Sorry to hear this. You are meant to be able to do this. I've checked and it does appear that the menu option 'Edit-Instruments' does not function as expected. Although the tool bar button does. I'll get onto this right away. In the meantime use the toolbar button.
It's the fifth one from the left.Thanks for letting me know.

Cheers,

Liam.

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

I've just fixed the menu option. No need to download it unless you prefer using the menu rather than the toolbar.

If the members of this board wish to submit some tunings for 8, 10 and 12 string guitars I will be glad to put together an instrument file so the software can be evaluated for your needs. It will mean replacing a file but I can put together some instructions. It's not difficult.

Any takers ?

Cheers,

Liam Redmond.

Ole Dantoft · From: Copenhagen, Denmark

[This message was edited by Ole Dantoft on 26 February 2004 at 10:58 AM.]

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

Hi,

To make a new instrument I need :-

Name, Number of Strings.

For each tuning for the instrument :-

The names of the open strings and (optionally) the MIDI note (0-127) for the lowest note.

I could trawl around and get loads of tunings I guess but I would really rather know what people actually use. Once I have a few I will post a URL where the instrument file can be downloaded and some instructions for appying it to the software.

Cheers,

Liam.

Ole Dantoft · From: Copenhagen, Denmark

[This message was edited by Ole Dantoft on 26 February 2004 at 10:58 AM.]

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

The software isn't designed to do pedals and knee levers. I was suggesting that we, as buyers of the software, could enter our copedents as separate instruments in an instrument group. That would make it a very nice note finder, as you could simply click various pedal combinations in the left pane to find the chord you want.

Liam, here are the basic tunings I'd recommend adding to the software:



    Lap   C13    E9    C6   U12


1    E     G     F#    D     F#


2    C     E     D#    E     D#


3    A     C     G#    C     G#


4    G     A     E     A     E


5    E     G     B     G     B


6    C     E     G#    E     G#


7          C     F#    C     F#


8          Bb    E     A     E


9                D     F     B


10               B     C     G#


11                           E


12                           B

The first one is C6th, the most common lap steel (non-pedal) tuning.

C13th is Junior Brown's tuning. It would be grouped with non-pedal tunings also.

E9th is the most popular pedal steel tuning. The 4th string E is the same as the highest string on standard guitar. The third string G# is the highest pitch.

C6th is the second standard pedal steel tuning. Some people use a high G instead of D for the first string.

U-12 is the Universal E9/B6th tuning. It's similar to the E9th, but has 12 strings and a lot more pedals.

I don't know the MIDI numbers. Tell me what the high E on a guitar is, and I can work it out from there.

------------------

Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session S-12 (E9), Williams DX-10 (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra 8 Laptop (D13), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, A6)

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

Great ! I'll have a go at entering these.

I'm afraid you'll have to take it easy on me as I'm not a steel guitar player so it might not come out right first time until I get my head around 'copedents' and stuff !

I'll post a URL for the instrument file when I've done.

Don't worry about the MIDI notes. If you can, for example, say something like 'two tones down' from standard guitar then I'll do the maths. It doesn't effect the operation of the program though.

Cheers,

Liam.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I've done a screen capture of the pedal steel idea. Click here. It's just 3 pedals and 1 knee lever, but it demonstrates the idea.

Also, I noticed that the MIDI sound feature assumes that each string will be pitched higher than the one before it. That's not true on the E9th. The first two strings are lower than the third.

The MIDI pitch of the low B string is 59, I think.

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

You beat me too it, and you certainly appear to have got the idea with software.

I was just about to say that the MIDI note thing will be a problem. I had two choices. 1) Make everybody enter the MIDI note for each string or 2) Enter one note and do the sums. Because the note names are simply entered as text their is no way to say which is higher so I made the assumption that the tone of one string is equal or higher than the last. Which obviously doesn't work for some of these tunings. However this only effects the MIDI section all the notes will still be in the correct positions. I have been working on solutions for this already.

I've just done the basic tunings that you listed here. A slight change of plan though, you will need to replace the executable rather than just the instrument file. This is because the 'unregistered' instrument file gets unpacked from the executable every time the program is run to stop people with registered versions giving config files to unregistered users. This is not the case for the registered version and I confirm that you can correctly swap the instruments file when the software is registered.

I have made a new executable with the steel tunings built in as the unregistered set of instruments.

You can get it from :-
http://www.guitar-resource.co.uk/downloads/SteelGuitar.zip

The file is about 280kb and simply contains the executable. I suggest you make a copy of the old executable and then replace it with the new one from the zip file.

The executable is by default installed at :-

C:\Program Files\Guitar Resource UK\Virtual Fretboard\Programs

Cheers,

Liam.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I can't get that version to work right, Liam. Clicking on a tuning doesn't refresh the main window. The menu is left-handed.

Also, the steel tunings are upside down.

Oops - I just realized that I'm running Windows 2000 here. That might be the problem.

[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 20 February 2001 at 11:24 AM.]

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

Sorry about the strings the wrong way round I took a guess at which way, I'll reverse and re-upload. I don't have access to a Windows2000 system so I can't comment on the problem the software is designed to run on Win'98. Is it only the special version that is mulfunctioning ?

Cheers,

Liam.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

In my table above, string #1 is the highest string.

Both versions malfunction in Windows 2000.

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

I've uploaded the correct string configuration to the URL given above.

Can you run it on '98 ?

I currently don't have the resources Sad

to produce for all operating systems so I have to limit it to popular trend. It would be nice if all windows were made equal from the development point of view.

Cheers.

memphislim · From: Austin, Texas

Liam the software looks great and I dig the steel guitar tunings you added. For those tunings can you put the notes on top of the frets? Us steelers will find it much more helpful that way.

Also, what scales are availiable with the regeisterd version?

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

I'll look into moving the notes, I don't anticipate any problem with this and I could probably include it with the next minor release which should be some time in Q2/2001.

The smart answer to your other question is every scale based on the western music scheme because you can enter your own in seconds.

When the software is registered it unpacks a file containing the following :-

Major, Minor, Pentatonic Major, Pentatonic Minor, Harmonic Minor, Marmonic Major, Melodic Minor, Spanish, Whole Tone, Augmented, Diminished, Blues Major, Blues Minor, Blues Alternate.

Also these mode :-

Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolin, Locrian.

Also :-

14 Popular chord types.

I choose not to add every chord and scale to encourage people to add the ones they want.
A lot of programs exists for generating chords and scales but non I have found give this level of customisation.

If anyone has any detailed questions about the software let me know at :-

info@guitars.worldonline.co.uk

Thanks.

[This message was edited by Liam Redmond on 21 February 2001 at 10:29 AM.]

memphislim · From: Austin, Texas

Thanks for the quick info. Give us a heads up when you move those notes would you? I'll register and upgrade when you do.

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

Cheers. I like a good incentive.

Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

When I try to access this site, I get an error msg that says "script contains error,do you want to continue?" and "object does not support this page" heeeellp,,,

Liam Redmond · From: Wales, UK.

A few thing to check.

What version browser are you using ?

Do you have JavaScript enabled ?

You must have a JavaScript enabled browser to access the site.

It is Known to work with IE5.5, IE5.0, IE5.01, IE4, Navigator4(Barely!), Netscape6(Suprisingly well).

Also, sometimes this happens due to the linked Javascript not being supplied correctly by the server, a simple refresh usually sorts this.

Try this direct URL :-
http://www.guitar-resource.co.uk/pages/main.html

Please mail me if you need more detailed assistance.

Liam.

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