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Topic: Text Chord Symbols (Read 3454 times) previous topic - next topic

Text Chord Symbols

Adding chord names above a staff using the text insert comand works fine for chords like C, G or F. The # sign is available for sharps, but how do you enter symbols for flats? Are extended characters (Alt + 0XXX) available for this text font? Why doesn't it display in character map? Any suggestions or work-arounds greatly appreciated.

Re: Text Chord Symbols

Reply #1 –
A flat is just a lower-case b, as in Bb7(-9). It works just dandy.

Re: Text Chord Symbols

Reply #2 –
It can be done, if you are desperate to make it look perfect. You use Page Setup, select the Fonts tab, double click on the "User 1" font, and select NWCV15. This is the font NWC uses to paint the screen. Select a 36 point size. Now, using Insert Text, select the User 1 font. Lower case "d" is the sharp symbol, and "f" is the flat symbol.

Unfortunately, there is a big problem. There is no single font with both letters and music symbols that I know of. Worse, you can’t pad the music font with spaces - there is no character that produces an empty space. So you have to insert the letters (eg. If you want Bb7, the B and the 7 with a space or two between them) above the previous note, with leading spaces so they are in the right place. Then on the next note use the User 1 font and insert an "f". Preserve width must be turned off. Then switch back and forth between Print Preview and the letter text until it is right. Don’t believe what you see on the screen. If you want chords above every note, this will be a real nightmare.

Using a "b" is a lot easier!

This would be trivial if someone could merge the Noteworthy font with a standard font. This is a wish of mine.

Re: Text Chord Symbols

Reply #4 –
Should have tried it first... but... You can add extended symbols (such as the music symbols in the Bach.ttf font) by cutting and pasting from a word processor (I use word for windows). Set up the alternate font as one of the user defined fonts in "Page Setup" and use that same font in your word processor. You can add the sharps and flats (and notes) using the insert symbol command in word. Cut/copy from word to the clipboard and use "ctrl-v" to insert into the text box you get when you use the NWC "insert text" command. Select the same user font you set up earlier and you will get all the text and symbols.

Re: Text Chord Symbols

Reply #5 –
One more thing... you can use the space character in that font also

Re: Text Chord Symbols

Reply #6 –
Always call black keys on the piano by sharp names...If you don't play piano, sharps and flats are always called by sharp names. So instead of
F Gm Am Bflat C Dm E° F
write
F Gm Am A# C Dm E° F
and half-diminished 7ths are written ½°7 or -7-5
the chords of Aflat major:
G#maj7 A#m7 Cm C#maj7 D#7 Fm7 G½°7 G#maj7
or
G#maj7 A#m7 Cm C#maj7 D#7 Fm7 G-7-5 G#maj7