I tried the demo version of Dorico a few years ago, and am literally waiting for one feature. Do we have a projection for when historical instrument tablature is going to be added? Specifically I need French tab, but obviously it’d be important for Italian and German tab to be included as well.
At the moment, I’m using Musescore and waiting patiently, but that’s starting to wear thin, and I’m considering other software. Anyone know what the plan is?
No. It does modern tab. I need the ability to create French tab (letters instead of numbers), with annotations underneath the staff for extended bass ranges, without having to resort to hacks and workarounds to achieve it. I love the Dorico interface and have been waiting for Dorico to implement this feature (which every other editor including Musescore has) for quite ahwile now. Last I heard it was on the planned features list; otherwise I would not have waited… but that was 2021. Does anyone know where we’re at on this? It’s make or break for me; I have to have it.
The team don’t usually make announcements of what will be in future releases (with a few small exceptions for imminent releases).
You can be sure that it’s “on the list” – but that list includes lots of things that people are waiting for: audio tracks and looping; cutaway scores and aleatoric lines; etc, etc, etc.
I know that’s cold comfort: but you can be sure that when it is implemented, it’ll be awesome.
Yes, indeed, we do plan to add support for lute tablature, but I’m afraid it’s not something we are currently working on.
One more vote for lute support here. I’d like to use French (letters with high sounding string on top), Italian (numbers with high sounding string on bottom) linked to a grand staff (the way most lute music is transcribed).
I would also very much like get tablature fully implemented - specifically for lyra viol (basically French/English tab).
I have not yet looked into it yet, but I wonder if there is at least a workaround for Italian tab if you define the instrument tuning the opposite of what is normal (sixth string=high, first string=low). After all, Italian tab is just modern guitar tab upside- down!
Just a friendly bump for this thread. This is my #1 wish list for Dorico at the moment, but we do understand that such esoteric functionality is low on the priority list compared to servicing the needs of typical modern musicians who represent a larger portion of current and future revenue for the software. That said, I know of at least one professional credentialed lutenist who wants this implemented so badly they would be happy to donate consulting services and/or development efforts to help offset the budgetary impact that the immediate implementation of this functionality would have on the Dorico team. 
No need to bump, they know we are waiting patiently for lute support (which has probably been on their list from the start.) Bumping does nothing (because they cannot simply abandon what the (small) team are working on now to suddenly start work on something else to accommodate any bump. Nothing would get completed) … and Daniel has already replied here.
sshhhh … perhaps they are waiting for all lutes to all die off so there is no need … (joke)
Perhaps your lutenist might like to contact the team personally (for when the time comes)?
None of the music notation apps have sufficient lute tablature programs and are all quite cumbersome requiring multiple work arounds. And, the dedicated tablature programs don’t work on Macs, which is ironic since many of us in the early music world are Mac types.
The imminent publication of Tablature 1300–1750, an encyclopedia of 435 examples of 40+ types of tablature with full-color facsimiles, transcriptions, and essays by 30+ authorities on tablature will certainly make this notation more accessible and generate interest in the availability of the functionality those on this thread are requesting.
While the other welcome improvements Dorico is working on are beneficial for those of us who already use Dorico, I imagine they might not attract new customers whereas a cross-platform music software app of the quality of Dorico that includes an easy-to-use tablature functionality for letter (French), number (Italian/Neapolitan/Spanish), and even German tablature (keyboard and lute) would certainly attract new users.
Perhaps this situation (three different implementations) is one reason why lute tablature is taking longer than one would like.
Hello David, Welcome, nice to have you here!
When is Tablature 1300–1750 due to be published? Is there an approximate $ / € yet?
Let us know when it is released 
Hopefully the Dorico team will purchase for their reference!
Or interested authors who want support for the notation in their favorite app might send along a copy to the developers gratis 
.
Hi Arco,
Good to hear from you. It’ll be out before the end of the year. The other books of that length in that series are around €150. Given your nom de plume, I thought you’d be interested to know that we have 40+ essays on gamba and lyra viol, and others on lirone, violin, lira da braccio as well.
David
Hi David, which now makes me think if I can “arco” somehow on my lute!
Hmm nice to hear about the 40+ essays on those others! Thank you for this information!
I would definitely support lute tablature at least and perhaps theorbo as well. Modern composers for the lute family are sadly in short supply. I was talking with someone who is a lutenist/theorbist and was saying how they need new music influx to keep going with an instrument that, believe it or not, has a pretty healthy amount of folks playing it and wanting to teach/encourage it.
I know Daniel mentioned it was in the works and hopefully someday soon we’ll have it, as many lutenists I have heard from/read say that they are accustomed to getting music in tablature and not notation. For now, I continue to drop the notes of a theorbo suite on a stave. I sent one off to a teacher/educator to evaluate it.
I hope this becomes a reality for when my lute comes in it will be vastly easier to play it from tablature than notes (at least until I get enough practice/knowledge in).
If any team can do, Team Dorico can!
Sounds like a great publication - the Tablature one. I’m no lutenist but interested anyway. Who is the publisher of this series of books so I can keep a watch on when the tablature one comes out. Many thanks.
Not speaking from a position of knowledge or personal experience, is TablEdit Tablature Editor an option worth considering (whilst patient for the Dorico team to build in more/better support natively).? Win, Mac, iOS and Android platforms covered.
It appears to have strong ‘customisation’ abilities, to handle lute and other instruments particular needs… TablEdit Manual - Special Instruments (scroll down the page for lute).
As one of the few specialists who publishes modern editions of music for the viola da gamba set in French baroque lute tablature (lyra viol), contact me. I will freely offer suggestions. I have been using Finale since 1985 to publish over 20 volumes of lyra viol music. I am not a computer programer. I am a trained musician, and music historian.
