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Topic: Automatic Transposing of Guitar Chords (Read 3526 times) previous topic - next topic

Automatic Transposing of Guitar Chords

Is there a tool available in NWC2 which allows for the automatic tranposing of Guitar Chords. I love being able to transpose in NWC, but it's a right royal pain having to manually transpose guitar chords.

In https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=4470.msg28433#msg28433, Andrew Purdam mentions when discussing user tools that he has written "one to transpose chords written as text (eg guitar chords, including bass notes eg Am7/C)". Is it possible for this (i.e. will this) particular user tool to be made available to other users who lack the programming skills required? It's a feature that would save me literally hours of very laborious work.

Re: Automatic Transposing of Guitar Chords

Reply #1 –
If you don't want to use the usertool, then you might consider using the copy and paste function to copy your parts into a word processor, then do a search/replace that will change the text-based chord names.

I put the chords in as lyrics instead, making input easy and facilitating the transposition the same way.  Simply use a new staff with invisible and muted notes wherever you want to display the chords, then layer it under your main staff.

However, always change G to something nonsensical like H, and work down the alphabet one letter at a time, finally changing H to A.  This will save a lot of messy rework.

Re: Automatic Transposing of Guitar Chords

Reply #2 –
Thanks David.

That sounds like a really good idea - I hadn't thought of using a silent staff combined with chords as lyrics. I'll certainly give it a go.

I would still be very interested in the User Tool though, if or when that ever becomes available, if only to see how it works. There are obviously some pretty smart people out there!

Re: Automatic Transposing of Guitar Chords

Reply #3 –
Hi Dave,
Andrew's text font transposer is available on the scriptorium at:
http://nwc-scriptorium.org/nwc2scripts.html
and follow the links _and_ the instructions.

You _do_ need to first install the NWC2 User Tool Starter Kit as specified.

Then you can install any of the php based tools that have been written to date.

All the available ones, including Andrews chord transposer are there.

A word of warning, the text chord transposer can't tell if the text in the selection is a chord or just ordinary text that you have entered.  E.G you may have entered a text item to mark the chorus.  If the text has any of the first 7 letters of the alphabet in it then those letters will be transposed...  so chorus won't quite be chorus anymore, it will be ?horus.

It works very well, I've used several times now.

Of course, you need to have NWC2 installed too :)

Lawrie