ABC Fretboard Player Instructions
Overview
Load, type, or paste ABC tunes and play them with synchronized standard notation and optional tablature for the selected fretted instrument.
The fretboard pane shows the current tune title and, during playback, the selected instrument’s fingering, with the note name and optional staff notation to the right in Vertical orientation or below the fretboard in Horizontal orientation.
Use Instrument to select Mandolin, Tenor Banjo, Bouzouki (GDAE), Bouzouki (GDAD), Guitar (Standard), Guitar (DADGAD), Ukulele (Standard), or Ukulele (Baritone).
The instrument selection is saved and restored.
Ukulele (Standard) tablature is for GCEA-tuned instruments and treats the tuning as non-re-entrant. This provides a workable solution for playing traditional Irish tunes: notes below C are “folded” onto the G string, similar to how a whistle player may fold notes below D up an octave.
Ukulele (Baritone) uses DGBE tuning, the same pitches as the four highest strings of a standard guitar. This tuning is not re-entrant, so no note folding is required.
Use Capo to select a capo position from 0 through 12.
The capo is applied to generated tablature and the live fretboard display, is saved and restored, and is included in share links and transfers back to ABC Transcription Tools.
The string labels in both fretboard views show the strings' actual sounding pitch with the selected capo, using sharps or flats according to the tune's K: key and mode.
The notation tablature and both live fingering views show fret numbers relative to the capo, so the capo is treated as fret 0.
The string pitch labels still show the strings' actual sounding pitches at the selected capo position.
Use Notation display to choose Notation Only, Tablature Only, or Notation + Tab. Tablature Only shows the selected instrument’s tablature without the standard notation staff.
The default is Notation + Tab.
Showing All Tablature for a Tune
Click All Tablature in the Notation pane header to open a printable tablature-only sheet for the current tune in a new browser tab. This works regardless of the selected notation display mode.
The separate printable sheet now includes its own Export PDF button, with the same Letter/A4 paper and portrait/landscape preferences as the main notation exporter.
The sheet uses the selected instrument, tuning, and capo, with tablature-only rendering.
Use your browser’s Print command to print the sheet or save it as a PDF. Allow pop-ups for this site if the new tab does not open.
Opening and Selecting Tunes
Type or paste a single tune into the ABC editor, open an .abc or .txt file containing one or more tunes, or send tunes directly from ABC Transcription Tools.
For multi-tune files, use the Tune menu to select the tune to display and play.
Edits are retained when changing tunes.
The ABC editor intentionally accepts only one pasted tune at a time; multi-tune collections should be opened as a file or transferred from ABC Transcription Tools.
ABC Editing and Notation
The upper-left panel contains editable ABC.
The lower-left panel shows abcjs notation and playback controls.
The Notation display selector chooses whether tablature for the selected instrument is also shown.
Editing the ABC rebuilds the notation and audio.
When tablature is enabled it is rebuilt at the same time.
Click a rendered note to select its corresponding ABC text and show that note in the fingering display.
The Small / Medium / Large / Largest selector changes the ABC editor text size and remembers the choice in this browser.
Click on any note head in the notation and then use ← and → below the instrument display to step through the notes without playback.
Leave Use arrow keys? checked at the lower right of the instrument panel to navigate with the Left and Right Arrow keys, or jump to the first or last note with Home or End (including compatible Bluetooth keyboard foot pedals).
This option is on by default. Your choice is remembered in this browser.
When enabled, unmodified Left and Right Arrow keys step through notes, and Home and End jump to the first and last notes of the tune.
These keys navigate notes instead of moving the ABC editor cursor.
Keyboard shortcuts are temporarily disabled while dialogs or controls that use these keys are active. When this option is enabled, the shortcuts also work while the ABC editor has focus.
Uncheck the option to restore normal arrow-key behavior.
Playback Range
Select one or more notes in the ABC editor, or click a note in the rendered notation to select it.
The previous and next note buttons can also select notes without rebuilding the player until you click Set Playback Range.
The Set Playback Range button in the ABC editor header becomes available when your selection includes notes.
Restore becomes available whenever a playback range or Phrase Builder result is active.
Click Set Playback Range to temporarily replace the visible ABC, notation, and audio with the selected passage while retaining the tune's complete header and preceding comments, directives, and ABC fields.
Any part of the selection within the tune header is ignored.
Use the normal Play and Loop controls to practice just that passage.
To narrow the passage further, select notes within the currently displayed range and click Set Playback Range again.
You can repeat this process to create smaller nested playback ranges without changing the preserved original tune.
You can edit the temporary ABC while a range is active, and its notation and audio will update as you type.
Any changes you make to the ABC within a playback range are temporary and are not saved when the full tune is restored.
Click Restore to discard temporary Playback Range or Phrase Builder edits and restore the entire original tune, not just the previous range.
Saving ABC, creating share or lesson links, and opening tunes in ABC Transcription Tools always use the preserved full tune rather than the temporary range.
Clicking the main Export PDF button automatically discards any temporary Playback Range or Phrase Builder result and restores the full tune before preparing the PDF.
Changing tunes or loading another ABC file also discards any temporary Playback Range or Phrase Builder result and its edits.
Changing the selected instrument or capo clears the playback range and discards temporary edits.
Phrase Builder
Phrase Builder creates a temporary call-and-response practice version of the ABC currently shown.
Choose the phrase length, extra rest measures, and number of times to repeat each phrase.
Your Phrase Builder settings are saved in this browser and are not included in share or lesson links.
Chord symbols are removed from the result.
You can first use Set Playback Range to select part of a tune, then use Phrase Builder on that passage.
After building phrases, Phrase Builder is disabled until you click Restore.
You can still use Set Playback Range as many times as you like on the phrase-built ABC.
Restore discards all temporary changes and brings back the complete original tune.
Saving, sharing, creating lessons, and opening a tune in ABC Transcription Tools always use the original tune.
Changing tunes or using the main Export PDF also restores the original ABC.
Phrase Builder cannot process tunes with V: voices or unsupported body-level ABC fields other than K:.
Cancelling Phrase Builder or entering invalid settings leaves the ABC unchanged.
Fretboard Display
Use Orientation to select Vertical (strings running top to bottom) or Horizontal (default, strings running left to right), then use Show Fretboard to display the complete fretboard instead of the compact string-and-fret view.
Orientation is included in regular share links and lesson links. It can be changed while using either link, but changes made in lesson mode are not saved as browser preferences.
Green filled circles show fretted notes; a green outlined, hollow circle shows the effective open-string position at the nut or capo in either orientation.
The nut or capo is treated as fret 0, and all displayed fret numbers are relative to that position, matching the abcjs tablature.
Notes above the visible fretboard are also labeled with their capo-relative fret number.
The string labels (above the strings in Vertical orientation and to their left in Horizontal orientation) show the actual sounding pitches at the selected capo position.
Uncheck Show Fretboard to use the compact string-and-fret display; it uses the same capo-relative fret numbers and capo-adjusted sounding string pitches.
This setting is remembered in this browser during normal use and is not included in share links; changes made during a lesson are temporary.
Check Show note to also show the current pitch as a quarter note on a staff below the note name; in Horizontal orientation the note name and staff appear below the fretboard.
The Show note setting is remembered in this browser during normal use and is not included in share links; changes made during a lesson are temporary.
Note names use sharps or flats according to the tune's K: key and mode, with a fixed octave format: G3-B3 use a trailing comma, C4-B4 use capital letters, C5-B5 use a trailing apostrophe, and C6-B6 use two trailing apostrophes.
When Show note is enabled, the staff display uses the same sharp or flat naming.
Check Hide to clear the instrument display; it can be used if you want to practice a tune without seeing the instrument fingerings. Uncheck Hide to reveal the display again. This setting is remembered during normal use and can be changed without saving during a lesson.
The Notation display, Instrument, and Capo choices are remembered in this browser and are also included in generated share links.
Playback and Tempo
The playback Loop setting is remembered in this browser and restored when you reopen the player (off by default).
As each melody note plays, the notation cursor follows the tune and the fretboard pane updates to that note.
Playback uses the ABC Transcription Tools custom MIDI program 141 for Mandolin, MIDI program 105 for Tenor Banjo, the ABC Transcription Tools custom MIDI program 140 for either Bouzouki tuning, MIDI program 25 for either Guitar tuning, or MIDI program 25 for either Ukulele, with program 0 for bass and chords, overriding matching playback directives in the source ABC.
Check Metronome to add a meter-appropriate metronome click during playback.
Changing this setting stops and rewinds the current tune.
The metronome setting is remembered in this browser but is not included in share links.
Check Count in? to show a five-second countdown before playback starts when you click Play while playback is stopped.
The Count in setting is remembered in this browser.
Click Mute Melody in the Notation header to mute the melody.
This is available for every tune, including tunes without chord symbols, so you can practice with the metronome alone.
If the tune contains chord symbols, chord and bass accompaniment remain audible.
Toggling Mute Melody or Unmute Melody stops and rewinds the tune.
If it was playing, playback restarts from the beginning after the five-second count-in when Count in? is enabled, or immediately when Count in is disabled.
If the tune was stopped, it remains stopped.
The button changes to Unmute Melody; click it again to restore the melody.
The melody always starts unmuted when the tool is opened, and the mute setting resets to unmuted any time you change tunes or load a new tune collection.
Click Tempo in the Notation header to set playback tempo from 10% to 200% of the tune's original tempo. The value is remembered in this browser.
You can also click the tempo percentage box on the playback control bar:
Resizing and Full-Page View
On wide screens, drag the vertical divider to resize the left and fretboard panes, and drag the horizontal divider to resize the ABC and notation panes.
Double-click a divider to reset it.
Click Full-Page View on the ABC, Notation, or Fretboard pane to expand it to the full browser window.
Click Exit Full-Page to return to the normal pane view.
Click Save to save the complete currently loaded tune collection, including edits.
On mobile devices the saved file uses a .txt extension.
Share opens the Sharing Controls dialog. Choose Share Current Tune for the current tune or Share All Tunes for the complete loaded collection.
Shortcut: Option/Alt-click Share to open the current tune directly in ABC Transcription Tools in a new browser tab, without opening the sharing dialogs.
The Sharing Controls dialog closes and the selected link opens in a Share Link dialog where you can copy it, save it as a text file, test it in a new browser tab, or open the ABC in the ABC Transcription Tools. Click Close to close the Share Link dialog.
Open in ABCTT opens the selected ABC in the ABC Transcription Tools ABC Editor in a new browser tab, using the player's normal instrument-specific conversion settings. For a Lesson Share Link, lesson-only information is omitted and only the tune and applicable instrument settings are sent to ABC Transcription Tools.
Fretboard Player share links include the current Notation display, Instrument, and Capo settings so they are restored when the link is opened.
Settings received from a share link are used for that visit without changing your saved preferences. If you change any player setting, the current share-link settings become your saved preferences too. Opening a file with Browse loads its ABC only and does not change player settings.
When sharing a Baritone Ukulele tune back to ABC Transcription Tools, the player uses custom tablature settings for the instrument.
The current capo value is passed to ABC Transcription Tools.
When ABC arrives through a share link or direct transfer, click Click to Enable Playback if the browser requires a user gesture before audio can start.
Practice with the ABC Transcription Tools Tune Trainer
To practice the current tune in the ABC Transcription Tools, first click Share in this player, choose Share Current Tune, and then click Open in ABCTT in the Share Link dialog. The tune opens in the ABC Transcription Tools in a new browser tab. Alternatively, Option/Alt-click Share to open the current tune directly in ABC Transcription Tools, skipping the Share dialogs.
Once the tune is loaded, click Train above the ABC editor pane to start the Tune Trainer. To practice the tune phrase-by-phrase, click Phrase Builder in the Tune Trainer.
To export an MP3 audio file of the tune, click Play in the ABC Transcription Tools, then click the Export Audio, Image, or PDF button in its Player and select the MP3 audio export option.
Export PDF
Use Export PDF to save the current tune as a PDF containing the notation and any displayed tablature.
If a Playback Range or Phrase Builder result is active, clicking the main Export PDF button first discards the temporary ABC and restores the full tune before preparing the PDF.
In PDFs exported from this main Export PDF button, the tune title is a clickable link that opens the tune in the ABC Transcription Tools Player. The link uses the same tune transfer as Current Tune Share Link > Open in ABCTT, but opens the Player rather than the Editor.
Choose Letter or A4 paper and Portrait or Landscape orientation.
By default, the PDF includes a centered Click the title to play instruction in the top margin of its first page. Uncheck Add "Click the title to play" on the first page header to omit it; the tune title and music do not move.
Each complete staff/tablature system stays together, with systems that do not fit moving to the next page.
For multipage tunes, page numbers appear centered at the bottom of each page.
A status dialog shows progress while the PDF is generated.
On an iPhone or iPad, tap Save PDF when the file is ready to open the iOS share sheet.
Choose Save to Files or another destination from that sheet.
On other devices, the PDF downloads automatically.
PDF export settings are saved locally and are not included in share or lesson links.
Printing Limitations
While running this tool, you can use your browser's Print feature to print the music notation displayed in the notation pane.
Tunes that are longer than one page may be cut off or clipped in the printout.
The browser's print scaling controls will not affect the size of the printed notation.
Experimenting with other paper sizes, such as Tabloid instead of Letter, may allow a longer tune to fit on a single page.
Manually setting larger left and right margins in the browser's Print dialog can often allow more staves to fit on a single page or possibly help with cleaner pagination.
Lesson Information for Music Teachers
Share opens the Sharing Controls dialog. Choose Configure Lesson… to create, edit, save, load, or share a lesson for your students.
A lesson uses the current tune only.
Enter a lesson title and instructions in the Configure Lesson dialog.
The lesson title and instructions are remembered in this browser while you work and are restored the next time you open Configure Lesson.
Save Lesson Configuration saves a reusable text file containing the current tune, lesson title, instructions, and the same player settings carried by a normal Fretboard Player share link.
Load Lesson Configuration can open either a saved Lesson Configuration file or a Lesson Link saved as a text file.
Those saved player settings are Notation display, Instrument, and Capo.
You can also open a saved Lesson Configuration with the main ABC file Browse button. In this case, only the ABC tune is loaded; the lesson title, instructions, and saved player settings are not applied.
If one or more tunes are already loaded, the tool asks for confirmation before replacing them with the lesson tune.
Loading a lesson configuration restores its tune, lesson title, instructions, and saved player settings. The restored player settings also become your saved preferences for future use.
Create Lesson Link creates a share link for the current tune containing the lesson title and instructions plus the same Notation display, Instrument, and Capo settings carried by a normal share link.
Students can change Notation display while practicing a lesson without changing their saved browser preference. The lesson link still sets the initial notation view; Instrument and Capo remain locked.
The generated lesson link opens in the same Share Link dialog, stacked over the Configure Lesson dialog, where it can be copied to the clipboard, saved as a text file, tested in a new browser tab, or opened in the ABC Transcription Tools with lesson-only parameters removed. Click Back to close the Lesson Share Link dialog and return to Configure Lesson.
The Hide checkbox beside Show note lets you prepare a lesson with the instrument display initially hidden, so students can practice without seeing the instrument fingerings. Its checked or unchecked state is included in Lesson Links and saved Lesson Configurations. Students can change Hide during the lesson.
Lesson Information for Students
Your music teacher may provide you with a Fretboard Player lesson link.
Open the lesson link in your web browser to load the tune, lesson instructions, and the player settings chosen by your teacher.
Read the lesson information that appears, then click Start Lesson when you are ready to begin.
After clicking Start Lesson, click Click to Enable Playback to enable the audio playback controls.
The lesson starts with your teacher's Notation display setting, but you can change it to Notation Only, Tablature Only, or Notation + Tab while practicing. Changes made during a lesson are temporary and do not change your saved browser preference.
The Instrument and Capo settings remain locked. The lesson tune selector is initially locked to the assigned tune.
The Browse and Save controls remain available while you are using a lesson, but the Share control is hidden so you cannot create share links or lessons.
You can use the normal notation, fretboard, playback, tempo, metronome, count-in, display, and pane controls that remain available while practicing the lesson.
You can edit the ABC text during the lesson if needed.
Click Save to save your edited ABC.
You can use Browse to load a saved ABC file back into the player or open another ABC file. The lesson's Instrument and Capo settings remain locked, while Notation display remains adjustable. After you load an ABC file, the tune selector is unlocked so you can select any tune in that file.
To return to normal Fretboard Player operation, open the player normally rather than through the lesson link.
The Hide checkbox beside Show note may be initially checked by your teacher to let you practice without seeing the instrument fingerings. Uncheck Hide whenever you want to reveal the instrument display, or check it again to practice without it. Changing Hide during a lesson does not change your saved preference for normal player use.
About
This tool was created by Michael Eskin.
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