Free tablature software for linux

Tablature is a set of tools that allows easy edition, publication and playback of Bass and Guitar Tablatures. Entirely written in Java.
It will work on next operating systems:
MacOS8 :
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.1
Linux :
with JDK1.1.7 from Sun
Solaris :
with JDK1.1.7 from Sun
Other Unix(s) :
follow JDK ports link at http://java.sun.com/products/jdk
Enhancements:
- several bug fixing
- started the addition of the text-tab converter (not finished)
- documentation, packaging

Tab is a typesetter for lute tablature, for renaissance and baroque lutes and theorboes, in French and Italian notation. It runs on many computers but is developed on the linux operating system. Tab is a command line or "dos" program and you cant use the mouse.

You use tab in conjunction with a word processor or editor program and a PostScript display/printing program (like Ghostview). You edit a plain text file with special commands to enter the lute tablature, then you run tab to convert that input into PostScript output that you can print or display with the right program. Because I, as a programmer, have not spent my time on a fancy user interface, I have been able to exend the formatting capabilities of my program. There are other tablature programs that you can use to enter music and save in tab format to take advantage of tabs high quality fonts and proportional spacing.

eTktab is an ASCII tablature editor for 4/5/6 stringed instruments. he code is based on TkTab by Giovanni Chierico. Many of the ideas for the user interface came from tablature mode written for the Unix editor emacs. Mac and Windows binaries were created with freely available tk library.
The program makes 30 fretboard positions available for one-keypress entry (5 on each string.) The following is an example keyboard layout for United States keyboard (first row is numbers, second row QWERTY, etc.) "Base" refers to the movable position of the players hand.
Enhancements:
- Lyrics/tab mode now switches automatically, in response to mouse clicks in tab scores or textboxes
- Can now click on end of textbox symbol to go into that textbox
- In lyrics mode, "current position" color now only added to the textbox that contains the cursor
- Focus now follows cursor for left/right cursor key
- Menubuttons now keep consistent size, where possible
- Fixed bug in internationalization code, regarding Save in File menu
- Return key uses new feature, listed below to insert whitespace, rather than blank tab positions to end of line
- Macintosh Classic and OS X now have File, Edit, and Help menus exclusively in the Mac Menubar (rather than the window statusbar)
- Many OS X bugfixes, due to upstream cleanup in tcl/tk 8.4.5
- Blank spaces may now be added to tablature (using whitespace in tab makes files unreadable by versions older than 3.2)

TuxGuitar is a multitrack guitar tablature editor and player. TuxGuitar project can open GP3 and GP4 files.
Main features:
- Fixed a bug in tTablature editor
- Multitrack display
- Autoscroll while playing
- Note duration management
- Various effects (bend, slide, vibrato, hammer-on/pull-off)
- Support for triplets (5,6,7,9,10,11,12)
- Repeat open and close
- Time signature management
- Tempo management
- Imports and exports gp3 and gp4 files
If you make use of TuxGuitar, youll find it to be a complete program for editing, listening, learning or even writing a complete song... youll be able to realize your dream of playing with style and accuracy all the stuff that you ever wanted to.unning when you select a percusion track
Enhancements:
- Piano editor
- Lyric editor
- Music Scales
- Simple Score edition
- Custom Chords
- Customize ToolBars
- Metronome
- Memory Optimization when song is playing
- Print layout changes: Tablature and Score enabled/disabled options, Measure range.
- Dynamics
- Increment-Decrement Semitones.
- Shift Up/Down
- New Effects: Tremolo Bar, Harmonics, Grace note, Trill, Tremolo Picking, Ghost note, Accentuated, Heavy Accentuated, Palm mute, Staccato, Tapping, Slapping, Popping, Fade In.

Songwrite is a tablature editor that uses Timidity for playing MIDI and Lilypond for printing. Songwrite is coded in Python and uses Tk (Tkinter); it relies on Timidity to play midi and on GNU Lilypond for printing.

Songwrite was previously known as GTablature. Due to many incompatibilities between Gnome 1 and Gnome 2, it is no longer a part of Gnome, and has been renamed Songwrite. There is a file compatibility is preserved between GTablature and Songwrite.

Untar the tarball.
Then you can immediately check Songwrite by running the ./songwrite script.

Songwrite now uses Pythons DistUtils for installation. To install Songwrite, type (as root):

cd Songwrite-XXX
python ./setup.py install

NB: Youll get a warning at the end ("warning: install: modules installed to /usr/share/..."); you can safely ignore this warning.

You can now run Songwrite by typing songwrite in a console.

By default, Songwrite is installed in /usr, you can modify the setup.cfg file if you prefer another location.

LilyPond is an automated engraving system. LilyPond formats music beautifully and automatically and has a friendly syntax for its input files. It is Free Software (?open source?).
Main features:
Music language input.
- The input is done in the form of a textual music language.
- Entry may be done with the text editor of your choice, and using the national language of your choice.
- The ASCII input language can integrate with TeX, HTML and Texinfo, thus allowing musicological treatises to be written from a single source.
- The music and its layout are strictly separated, so score and parts (possibly in different styles and keys) and scores can be generated from the same source, and changes always take effect in both places.
- The output can be improved by upgrading the program.
- Pieces can be printed in different (typographical) house styles, or according to different notational conventions.
Automated high-quality formatting.
- Automatic spacing, line breaking and page breaking.
- Handling of polyphonic collisions for notes, dots, and rests.
- Automatic placement of accidentals, beams, slurs.
- Users dont need typographical expertise to produce good notation.
- No user interaction necessary during running, Running the program can be automated, which is convenient for mass converting databases of digitized music, and printing algorithmic compositions.
- The Feta font has been tailored especially for LilyPond, and was designed carefully mimicking the finest hand-engraved scores. It is available as a scalable font, but also as a Metafont.
- Support for many notation constructs.
Special notation
- Chord names.
- Drum notation.
- Figured bass.
- Grace notes.
- Fret diagrams.
- Basic tablature notation.
- Cluster notation and rhythmic grouping signs.
- Tremolos, both for single notes and chords.
- Tuplets in arbitrary ratios.
- Polymetric notation.
- Mensural notation.
- Automatic cue-notes,.
- Automatic part combining for orchestral scores.
- Quarter tone accidentals.
- Ambituses.
- Metronome markings.
- Harmonics.
- Measure repeats (?Percent style?).
- EasyNotation note heads.
- Blanking arbitrary notation elements.
- Arpeggio signs.
- Ottava brackets.
- Nested analysis brackets.
- Piano pedals.
- Starting and stopping staves anywhere
- System separators
Robust design
- Lyrics in any language.
- Output in PostScript, PDF, PNG, MIDI, SVG.
- No limits on the number of staves, voices, measures, lengths of texts, etc.
- Extensible with built-in LISP interpreter.
Excellent support
- Runs on Unix, including MacOS X and Linux, and Windows.
- Active user community.
- Extensive documentation.
- Supported by many other programs,
- RoseGarden NoteEdit and PowerTab and Denemo. Imports ABC, ETF and MIDI.