Fretboard (or Chord) diagrams usually appear above the staff on lead sheets and piano scores:

They are commonly used for guitar chords, but MuseScore allows you to create diagrams for any stringed instrument.

A library of common guitar chord diagrams (major, minor and 7th) is provided in the Fretboard Diagrams palette.

To reveal the chord name of any diagram in the palette, hover the cursor over it.

Adding a fretboard diagram to your score

Use one of the following methods:

• Select one or more notes, then click a fretboard diagram in the palette.
• Drag and drop a fretboard diagram from a palette on to a note.

Chord symbols linked to fretboard diagrams

When any of the preset diagrams is applied to the score, a chord symbol is automatically placed above it. This linked chord symbol has the same properties as a stand-alone chord symbol and can be edited and moved as such.

The default placement of a chord symbol in relation to its parent diagram is controlled by the “Distance to Fretboard Diagram” property (set in Format→Style…→Chord Symbols→Positioning). This value interacts with the chord symbol Minimum distance (to view, press Appearance in the Properties panel). Adjust the diagram’s position manually if you need to override this.

A linked chord symbol can be deleted independently of its parent diagram. You can also add a new linked chord symbol to a fretboard diagram: see Entering a chord symbol.

Note: Neither fretboard diagrams nor their linked chord symbols are affected by transposition commands.

Creating a custom fretboard diagram

1. Select an existing fretboard diagram in the score; or add one from the Fretboard diagrams palette.
2. Ensure that the Properties panel is open (toggle F8).
3. Press Clear to remove existing marks (optional).
4. Edit the properties in the Settings tab as required.
5. In the General tab, apply the following instructions to the fretboard image, as required:
   • Remove all dots: Click the Clear button above the diagram.
   • Add a finger dot: Click on a fret. The shape of the dot is determined by the Marker type setting. If Multiple dots is checked you can add more than one dot per string.
   • Delete dot: Click on an existing dot.
   • Add barre / partial barre: If "Barre" is unchecked, press Shift and click on the string fret where you want the barre to begin. If Barre is checked simply click on the fret. e.g.
     
   • Add partial barre ending before first string: Create a standard barre first (see previous instruction). Then shorten it by Shift clicking (if Barre is disabled); or clicking (if Barre is enabled) the fret where you want the barre to end. e.g.
     
   • Delete a barre: With Barre disabled, Shift click on the "top" of the barre. With Barre enabled, just click on the "top".
   • Create multiple barres: Repeat the above steps at different fret positions.
   • Open / Mute strings: Click just above the diagram to toggle a string between:
     • No symbol
     • Open (o)
     • Mute/Unplayed (X)

Note: See also Fretboard diagram properties (below).

Finger markers

The default finger marker is a round black dot, which suffices for standard chord (and scale) diagrams. However a number of other shapes are provided—cross, square and triangle—to enable other notation styles.

Alternative notation styles

Some arrangers and educators have extended the basic form of the fretboard diagram, incorporating finger dots of various shapes, and allowing multiple dots per string. Jazz guitarist Ted Greene and his successors are notable examples.

Multi-dot notation style. With this approach, the chord signified by round dots on the fretboard diagram is played first (see image below). Then, on successive beats marked by chord symbols, the chord fingering is modified to incorporate other shapes on the same diagram; the usual playing order is: dot → X → square → delta, but this can vary.

Optional-note notation style. Another use of multiple dots per string allows other symbols to show optional notes, rather than delayed notes:

Fretboard diagram appearance

• Select a chord diagram and click on Appearance in the Properties sidebar.

Edit the following properties as desired:

• Leading: The leading space.
• Measure width:
• Min distance: Minimum distance from the staff.
• Offset: Move the diagram horizontally or vertically.
• Snap to grid:
• Arrange: Backward or forward.
• Color: Click on this button to change the color of a selected chord diagram.

Fretboard diagram properties

When a fretboard diagram is selected, its properties are viewable in the Properties tab of the sidebar as follows:

General (tab)

• Barre: Check if you want to add or delete finger barres with one click on the fretboard image below. If unchecked, barres are added by Shift clicking instead.
• Multiple dots: If unchecked you can only add one finger dot per string. If checked you can add multiple dots per string.
• Marker type: When you click on the fretboard image the shape of the dot added is determined by this property. This allows you to add a variety of shapes if desired.
• Clear: Clears everything leaving an empty fretboard.

Settings (tab)

• Scale: Allows you to make the fingerboard larger or smaller.
• Strings: The number of strings to be displayed.
• Visible frets: Specifies the number of displayed frets: these are added, or removed, from the bottom of the diagram.
• Fret number: Specifies the fret number to be displayed at the top left/right of the diagram.
• Placement on staff: Positions the diagram above or below the staff.
• Show nut: Check the box to embolden the nut. Applies to first position diagrams only.

At the bottom of the Fretboard diagram section of the sidebar is an image of the selected fretboard diagram. Any changes made to this image are automatically applied to the fretboard diagram in the score as well.

Fretboard diagram style

Global fretboard diagram properties can be set in Format→Style…→Fretboard Diagrams:

See also

• Customizing palette contents

Adding a bend symbol to your score

Bends are created with the Bend Tool located in the Guitar palette.

Apply a bend

To apply one or more bends to the score, use one of the following options:

• Select one or more notes and click the bend symbol in the palette.
• Drag the bend symbol from the palette on to a note.

A default bend is created in the score. You can modify this bend or choose from a range of alternatives using “Bend type” in the Bends section of the Properties panel.

Edit a bend

Bend shape and length can be edited in the graphical display in the Bends section of the Properties panel:

Each red line segment between blue nodes represents one step in the bend, and each step extends horizontally for 1 sp. in the score. The slope of any line shows whether it is an up-bend, a down-bend or a hold. So the above graph describes an up bend, then a hold—total length 2sp.

The vertical axis of the graph represents the amount by which the pitch is bent up or down: one unit (the side of a small square) equals a quarter-tone, 2 units a semitone, 4 units a whole-tone, and so on.

To add another step to a bend

• add another node by clicking on the appropriate line intersection.

To delete a bend step

• click on the relevant node to remove it.

Adjust bend height

The height of the bend is automatically adjusted so that any text appears just above the staff. This height can be adjusted, if necessary, with a workaround:

1. Create another note vertically above the note (shortening the height) or below the note (extending the height) at which you want the bend to start.
2. Apply the bend to the new note.
3. To adjust the height of the bend move this created note vertically so that the bend symbol gets the desired height.
4. Drag the bend symbol to the correct position (to the original note).
5. Mark the created note invisible and silent (using the Properties panel).

Reposition bend

Bends can be freely repositioned using the methods shown in Changing position of elements.

Adding a tremolo bar symbol to your score

Tremolo bar symbols are available from the Guitar palette (look for the oversized "V") and are applied and adjusted in a similar way to bend symbols (above)—with a similar graphical interface in the "Tremolo" bar section of Properties.

You can choose from a range of presets in "Tremolo bar type", or create your own custom one.

Adding a slide to your score

Slides can be found in the Arpeggios and glissandi palette. They are of two types:

• Glissando-type slides: these run from one note or chord to the next.
  
• In / Out slides: played before or after a note; these can be slide-up or slide down.
  

By default, slides have a playback effect on the score. You can turn this off by unchecking "Play" in the General section of the Properties panel.

Add a slide

Use one of the following methods:

• Select one or more notes as start points, then click the desired slide icon in the palette.
• Drag the desired slide from the palette onto a note.

In the case of in-between slides going from one chord to the next, the program will attempt to link the correct notes where possible. If further adjustment is required, see below.

Edit properties

For in-between slides, the following properties can be adjusted in the Glissando section of the Properties panel.

• Type: Choose between Straight or Wavy.
• Show text: Tick this box to display text. Note: If there isn't enough room between notes, the text is not displayed.
• Text: The wording displayed above the slide (if any).

Adjust start and end points of a slide

In-between slides:

To move an end handle vertically or horizontally, from one note to the next:

1. Select the slide.
2. Click on the start or end handle:
   • Use Shift+↑↓ to move the handle up or down, from note to note.
   • Use Shift+←→ moves the handle horizontally, from note to note.

Slides in/out:

To adjust the position of the end handle:

1. Select the slide.
2. Click on the adjustment handle.
3. Drag the handle, or use the keyboard arrows.

Adding a barre line to your score

A Barre lines is a text-line drawn above a guitar staff to indicate that the passage requires a full or half barre. Symbols such as the following are commonly found in guitar music:

Full bar (2nd fret):

Half barre (2nd fret):

The C before the roman numerals can be omitted and other variations in line style and text are possible—according to the publisher.

To apply a barre:

1. Click on the start note for the barre, then shift click on the end note to establish the range.
2. Click on the "Capo Line" symbol in the Guitar palette.
3. Customize the line and text as required.

To adjust the length of a line, see Changing range of a line.

Adding hammer-on and pull-off symbols to your score

Hammer-ons and pull-offs are notated by slurs. If you need text annotations as well, create them using staff text; they can be saved to a palette for future use (see Adding elements from your score).

Notating harmonics

Standard staff

A natural harmonic can be notated in one of three ways:

• At the pitch of the open string on which it is produced. For example, harmonics on the third string appear as:
  
• At the pitch of the string fret at which it is produced. The same harmonics now appear as:
  
• At concert pitch. The same harmonics now appear as:
  

An annotation, such as "Nat. Har.", "N.H.", "Har.", is usually attached, as well as string and fret numbers; the notehead may be standard or diamond-shaped, and rendered clear rather than black; fret numbers may be Arabic or Roman, and so on.

Fixing Playback: If harmonics do not play back at the correct pitch, mute them and create a hidden voice containing the harmonics at concert pitch.

See also, How to Read Harmonic Notation on the Classical Guitar (douglasniedt.com).

Tablature

A natural harmonic in tablature may be rendered simply as a fretmark, or may be followed by a dot, or enclosed in a diamond, or a pair of angled brackets. e.g.

To create a pair of angled brackets:

1. Select a harmonic and add staff text.
2. Enter a "single left-pointing angle quotation mark" (U2039), then a space, then a "single right-pointing angle quotation mark" (U203A).
3. Move the text so it sits over the fretmark;
4. Adjust the font size of the staff text and the space inside it to just enclose the harmonic.
5. Save it to a palette for future use.

Staff/Tablature pairs

You should ensure that the staff/tab pairs are not linked, since you need to be able to edit each staff independently of the other.

Notating guitar fingering

The types of guitar fingering and how to apply them are explained in Fingering.

Overview

Music for fretted, stringed instruments is commonly notated using tablature (often abbreviated as tab); this gives a visual representation of the strings and fret numbers. Tablature is frequently found in combination with traditional staff notation.

Types of tablature staves

A variety of tablature templates for common instruments are supplied. If this isn't quite what you're looking for, you can easily change the template (see Changing tablature staff type), and/or customize the staff (see Tablature: customization).

Adding a tablature staff to your score

There are three possibilities:

• Create tablature as part of a new score.
• Add tablature to an existing score.
• Change an existing staff from standard to tablature.

Add tablature using the New Score dialog

To create tablature as part of a new score:

1. Open the New Score dialog.
2. Select the required tablature from either the Choose Instruments or Create from template tabs.
3. Complete the rest of the New Score dialog.

Add tablature using the "Add or remove Instruments" dialog

To create a tablature staff in an existing score:

1. In the Instruments panel, click on the Add button; or press the shortcut key, I. This brings up the Add or remove instruments dialog.
2. Click on the Strings – Plucked family and choose the desired tablature from the Instruments column.
3. Press OK.

Change an existing staff from standard to tablature

1. Make sure that the standard staff contains a plucked string instrument;
2. Use one of the methods described under Changing tablature staff type.

Creating paired standard and tablature staves

Music for the guitar (and other plucked-string instruments) is often notated using paired standard and tablature staves. In MuseScore, the staves can be either linked or unlinked.

• Linked: Any change you make to the notation in one staff automatically updates the other.

• Unlinked: Each staff is edited independently. To update the other staff, copy and paste the relevant music notation.

Note : In both cases, the staff/tablature pair shares the same instrument.

Create paired standard/tab staves using the New Score Wizard

There are two ways to do this when creating a new score (A or B):

A. For linked staves only:

1. Open the New Score Wizard.
2. In the "Create from template" tab, click on the "Solo" category and choose the "Guitar + Tablature" .
3. Complete the rest of the New Score wizard.
4. Change the instrument type, if required, in Staff / Part properties.
5. Change the tablature type, if required (see Changing tablature staff type).

B. For linked or unlinked staves:

1. Open the New Score Wizard.
2. In the "Choose instruments" tab, click on the "Strings – Plucked" family, and select a staff option from the "Instruments" column.
3. Complete the rest of the wizard.
4. Add the desired staff using the Instruments panel.

Create paired standard/tab staves using the Instruments dialog

Use this method when you want to add to an existing score:

1. Open the Add or remove instruments dialog: press I; or, alternatively, the Add button in the Instruments sidebar
2. Click on the Strings – Plucked family and choose the desired staff from the Instruments column.
3. Press OK.
4. Add the desired tablature from the Instruments panel.

Note: If you already have one staff of a standard/tab pair in your score, you can simply add the missing staff from the Instruments panel. See Adding and configuring staves.

Computer keyboard entry

1. In normal mode, select a measure, or note/rest.
2. Switch to note input mode: the cursor appears as a small “blue rectangle” on the currently "active" string.
3. Select the duration (see below) of the note or rest to be entered.
4. Press the up/down arrow keys to move the cursor between strings. Use the left/right arrow keys to navigate through the score.
5. Press a number from 0 to 9 to enter a fret mark from 0 to 9. To enter double digit numbers press each digit in sequence (Note: You cannot enter a number higher than the “Number of frets” value set in the Edit String Data dialog).
6. Press ; (semicolon) to enter a rest of the selected duration.
7. To enter grace notes, see Grace notes.
8. You can enter notes in different voices if required—just as you would in a standard staff.

Note for period instrument tablature: A to K (skipping I) can also be used to enter numbers 0 to 9. In French tablature the corresponding letters appear instead; for L, M, N, you need to type respectively 10, 11, 12.

See also, Editing notes and rests" (below).

Mouse entry

1. Enter note input mode and select the note or rest duration (see below).
2. Click on a string and MuseScore will enter a 0 which means "open string." (For French tablatures MuseScore enters an a. )
   You can immediately type a single or double digit number to replace the 0. (Note: You cannot enter a number higher than the “Number of frets” value set in the Edit String Data dialog).
3. You can also increase/decrease the fret mark using Alt+Shift+↑; or, Alt+Shift+↓.
4. You can enter notes in different voices if required—just as you would in a standard staff.

See also, Editing notes and rests" (below).

Selecting note duration

Whether you are using a keyboard or mouse, you can set note duration using one of the following:

• Press Shift+1 up to Shift+9: to set duration from a 128th note to a longa (availability of these shortcuts may depend on the platform and/or keyboard layout);
• Press NumPad 1 to 9: to set duration from a 128th note to a longa (if a numeric keypad exists and NumLock is on);
• Click on the desired note duration icon in the Note Input toolbar above the document window;
• Press Q to decrease the selected duration and W to increase it.

Note: This applies to note input mode only. If you want to change the duration of a selected note in normal mode see Changing duration in normal mode.

Period tablature notation

MuseScore also supports tablature notation for period instruments such as the renaissance and baroque lutes, Theorbo etc. There are a number of notation systems in use (French, Italian, German, Spanish), but the most common is French.

French tablature features 6 lines representing the top 6 courses. Instead of numbers, fretmarks are indicated by letters—as explained above. Any notes on bass courses below the 6th string (fretted or unfretted) are represented by symbols in the space underneath the 6th line of tablature.

To enter symbols below the 6th line:

1. In note input mode, move the cursor until it is in the space below the 6th line. Press ↓ to move the cursor to the next lowest course and so on. As you do so a "cue mark" appears at the left side of the cursor to show you which course is active:
   • no cue = 7th course,
   • / = 8th course,
   • // = 9th course,
   • /// = 10th course,
   • 4 = 11th course
   • 5 = 12th course
   • 6 = 13th course
   • 7 = 14th course
   • 8 = 15th course
     Conversely, pressing ↑ moves the cursor back to the next highest course.
2. If the course is fretted, enter the desired fretmark. If the course is unfretted/open, press "a" (or, in fact, any fretmark key) and the correct fretmark will be added automatically.

Editing tablature notation

Changing the pitch

In note input mode:

1. Position the cursor over the fret mark and type the desired number.
2. Increment or decrement the fret mark using Alt+Shift+↑; or, Alt+Shift+↓ (The fret mark automatically changes strings, if necessary, to achieve the lowest possible fret position).

In normal mode:

1. Select one or more fret marks.
2. Use any of the following commands:
   • To increment or decrement, without changing the string: Press ↑/↓.
   • To increment or decrement, changing strings, when possible, to minimize the fret number: Press Alt+Shift+↑/↓.

Note: The fret mark cannot be higher than the “Number of frets” value set in the Edit String Data dialog.

Moving the fretmark to a different string

To move the fret mark to an adjacent string without changing the pitch:

In note input mode:

• Position the cursor over a fret mark, and press Ctrl+↑/↓ (Mac: Cmd+↑/↓).

In normal mode:

Use one of the following methods:

• Select one or more fret marks, and press Ctrl+↑/↓ (Mac: Cmd+↑/↓).
• Drag a fret mark up or down to an adjacent string.

Note: This operation can only proceed if the relevant string is free and can produce that note.

Changing the duration

See Changing duration in normal mode.

Crosshead/Ghost notes

To change a fret mark to a crosshead/ghost note:

1. Select one or more fret marks (in normal mode).
2. Press Shift+X to toggles ghost noteheads on/off.

Changing tuning

1. Right-click on the staff and select Staff/Part Properties…
2. Press the Edit String Data… button at the bottom of the dialog box. This opens the String Data dialog:
   
3. Under Strings tuning, click on a string pitch and select Edit String…; Alternatively, just double-click the string pitch.
4. Select a new pitch in the Note Selection box and click OK. Alternatively, just double-click the new pitch.
5. Click OK to close the “String Data” dialog box.
6. Click OK to close the Staff/Part Properties dialog.

Notes: (1) If the tuning is changed on a tab staff that already contains some notes, fret marks will be adjusted automatically (if possible); (2) Any change of tuning to a particular instrument applies only to the score at hand, and does not change any program default settings.

Adding or removing strings

Add a string

1. Right-click on the staff and select Staff/Part Properties…
2. Click on Edit String Data…
3. Click on a string pitch and select New String…
4. Select the new pitch and press OK; alternatively, just double-click the new pitch.

The new string is inserted below the selected string. You will also need to adjust the number of lines in Staff/Part properties→Advanced style properties.

Delete a string

1. Right-click on the staff, select Staff/Part Properties…
2. Click on Edit String Data…
3. Click on a string pitch and press Delete String.

Note: After deleting a tablature string you will also need to adjust the number of lines in Staff/Part properties→Advanced style properties.

Mark unfretted string “open”

This feature is used to mark a (bass) course as unstopped (i.e. like a harp string, always played open). This means that only “0” (zero) or “a” is accepted as a fret mark: any other fret mark will be converted to 0/a.

1. Right-click on the staff, and select Staff/Part Properties...
2. Click on Edit String Data…
3. Check the required boxes in the Open column.

Change number of instrument frets

This property defines the maximum fret number which can be entered on a tablature staff.

1. Right-click on the staff, and select Staff/Part Properties…
2. Click on Edit String Data…
3. Select or enter a new number using the “Number of frets” spinner.

Changing tablature staff type

MuseScore provides a range of common tablature types. If you want to change the tablature type, choose one of two options:

Change staff type from Instruments panel

1. Ensure that the Instruments panel is visible (toggle F7).
   
2. Click on the arrow next to the instrument name to reveal the staves.
3. Click on the edit cog next to the desired staff and choose an option from the "Staff type" dropdown.
4. To close, press Esc, or click outside the dialog.

Change staff type from Staff/Part properties

1. Right-click onto an empty area of the staff and select Staff/Part Properties….
2. Click on Advanced Style properties, select the desired option from "Template", then press < Reset to Template. You can fine tune the display if necessary using the "Fret Marks" and "Note Values" tabs.
3. Click OK twice to exit.

Note: For customization options in detail, see Customizing appearance of tablature (below).

You will find the terms "simple", "common" and "full" in the tablature type names:

• Simple: Displays just fretmarks.
• Common: Displays fretmarks, rests, stems and beams.
• Full: Displays fretmarks; rests, stems and beams, half-note stems.

Customizing appearance of tablature

1. Right click on the staff and select Staff/Part Properties…
2. Click on Advanced Style Properties….

This gives you access to a full range of tablature customization options. See Staff properties: Tablature options.