Power Tab Editor
Encyclopedia
Power Tab Editor is a free tablature
authoring tool created by Brad Larsen for Windows. It is used to create guitar
, bass
and ukulele
tablature
score
s, among many others. The current version uses the *.ptb file format.
The Power Tab Editor is able to import MIDI tracks, and can export to ASCII
Text, HTML
, and MIDI formats. In addition, individual sections may be exported as bitmap files.
The program allows for tablature scores to be created alongside standard musical notation
. The software achieves this through the input of tablature.
Each Power Tab file contains two scores: guitar and bass. Only one score needs to be used for a Power Tab file. For proper playback, it is required that the time signature
s and tempo
markers be consistent between the two scores.
The latest version was released in 2000. In 2006, the author released an open-source wxWidgets
based program named the PT Parser. This code contains useful information for developers who want to write software that can convert, view, play, or edit Power Tab (.ptb) files. The PT Parser project is hosted at Google Code http://code.google.com/p/ptparser/.
, tempo
markers, etc.), there are many others that are directed more at the guitarist. These include:
These buttons can be used in either score and the guitar and bass scores are not restricted to the clef
, either. It is possible to switch between treble and bass clefs.
Power Tab also features several tools to enhance appearance, accuracy and playback for the transcribed
music;
Detailed bugs are listed in the Power Tab Knowledge Base.
has encouraged its members to seek legal action against those sites which distribute Power Tab files of commercial artists. The creator of the Power Tab Editor, Brad Larsen, has stated on his website that the program is not directly affiliated with these sites.
However, the MPA working with the founders of powertabs.net opened a legal powertabs site called Tab Library.
Tablature
Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....
authoring tool created by Brad Larsen for Windows. It is used to create guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
tablature
Tablature
Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....
score
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
s, among many others. The current version uses the *.ptb file format.
The Power Tab Editor is able to import MIDI tracks, and can export to ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
Text, HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
, and MIDI formats. In addition, individual sections may be exported as bitmap files.
The program allows for tablature scores to be created alongside standard musical notation
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
. The software achieves this through the input of tablature.
Each Power Tab file contains two scores: guitar and bass. Only one score needs to be used for a Power Tab file. For proper playback, it is required that the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s and tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
markers be consistent between the two scores.
The latest version was released in 2000. In 2006, the author released an open-source wxWidgets
WxWidgets
wxWidgets is a widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces for cross-platform applications. wxWidgets enables a program's GUI code to compile and run on several computer platforms with minimal or no code changes...
based program named the PT Parser. This code contains useful information for developers who want to write software that can convert, view, play, or edit Power Tab (.ptb) files. The PT Parser project is hosted at Google Code http://code.google.com/p/ptparser/.
Features
The software primarily uses tablature notation entry. This is very useful for guitarists who are not familiar with standard notation and for instructing proper positioning on the neck. Other than the expected buttons for normal notation (i.e. time signatureTime signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
, tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
markers, etc.), there are many others that are directed more at the guitarist. These include:
- SlurSlur (music)A slur is a symbol in Western musical notation indicating that the notes it embraces are to be played without separation. This implies legato articulation, and in music for bowed string instruments, it also indicates the notes should be played in one bow; and in music for wind instruments, that the...
s - in the form of slides or hammer-ons/pull-offs - VibratoVibratoVibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
s and bends - HarmonicHarmonicA harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency, i.e. if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, . . . etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic at the fundamental...
s - natural and artificial - MutesMute (music)A mute is a device fitted to a musical instrument to alter the sound produced: by affecting the timbre, reducing the volume, or most commonly both.- Musical directions for muting :...
and palm mutePalm muteThe palm mute is a playing technique for guitar and bass guitar executed by placing the side of the picking hand below the little finger across all of the strings very close to the bridge and then plucking the strings with the fingers while the damping is in effect. This produces a muted sound...
s - TremoloTremoloTremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
s and arpeggiated chordsArpeggioAn arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously... - Whammy barTremolo armA whammy bar, tremolo arm/bar, or vibrato arm/bar is a component of a guitar, used to add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the strings, typically at the bridge or tailpiece...
dips and dives
These buttons can be used in either score and the guitar and bass scores are not restricted to the clef
Clef
A clef is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff...
, either. It is possible to switch between treble and bass clefs.
Power Tab also features several tools to enhance appearance, accuracy and playback for the transcribed
Transcription (music)
In music, transcription can mean notating a piece or a sound which was previously unnotated, as, for example, an improvised jazz solo. Further examples include ethnomusicological notation of oral traditions of folk music, such as Béla Bartók's and Ralph Vaughan Williams' collections of the national...
music;
- Score checker - this checks that there are no notation errors in the score
- Score polisher - this aligns ('justifies') the written music so that it is evenly laid out with no gaps
- ChordChord (music)A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
Identification - this tells you the possible names for the chords entered into Power Tab - Shifter tool - this moves groups of noteNoteIn music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
s, whether chords or a melodyMelodyA melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, in pitchPitch (music)Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
or around the fingerboardFingerboardThe fingerboard is a part of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument and above which the strings run...
(maintaining pitch) - TonalityTonalityTonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
tools - gives the key signatures that fit best with the music entered - Chord/TuningMusical tuningIn music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.-Tuning practice:...
dictionary
Limitations
Some limitations of the software include:- Notes can only be inserted in tabulature; it is not possible to enter music in standard modern music notation.
- Power Tab Editor can only utilize up to a maximum of seven guitars across both scores (ie MIDI voices).
- Pick-up measures, for example, are counted as errors although they are commonly used in music.
- Swung/shuffle time with swung notes cannot be applied to start or stop part-way through a measure. Conversely, notes in 'even time' cannot be notated within a measure where swung time applies.
- When using high and low melodies, redundantRedundancy (information theory)Redundancy in information theory is the number of bits used to transmit a message minus the number of bits of actual information in the message. Informally, it is the amount of wasted "space" used to transmit certain data...
rests that are left out (as in regular notation) are counted as errors. - A Segno cannot be used for more than one D.S.Dal SegnoIn music notation, Dal segno is used as a navigation marker. From Italian for "from the sign," D.S. appears in sheet music and instructs a musician to repeat a passage starting from the sign shown at right, sometimes called the "segno" in English.Two common variants:*D.S...
. A Double Segno must be added in the same position. - The tremoloTremoloTremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
, reverb and chorus effectChorus effectIn music, a chorus effect occurs when individual sounds with roughly the same timbre and nearly the same pitch converge and are perceived as one...
s only work on computers where their MIDI driversDevice driverIn computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
and hardwareHardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
support it.
Detailed bugs are listed in the Power Tab Knowledge Base.
Legal action
Based on allegations of copyright violations , the Music Publishers' AssociationMusic Publishers' Association
The Music Publishers Association of the United States is a music publishing organization based in New York City. Founded in 1895, the MPA is the oldest music trade organization in the United States...
has encouraged its members to seek legal action against those sites which distribute Power Tab files of commercial artists. The creator of the Power Tab Editor, Brad Larsen, has stated on his website that the program is not directly affiliated with these sites.
However, the MPA working with the founders of powertabs.net opened a legal powertabs site called Tab Library.