Free software called TNT to generate sheetmusic and Ukulele tabs

HarpBender

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2017
Messages
9
Reaction score
2
Hi all,

I have been trying to play the Chromatic harmonica for some time and decided to write an application to create harmonica tabs and also show the sheet music to practice playing (single notes) and learn to read music.

I have now started to try the Ukulele. I signed up for lessons today because understanding where the notes are, is still something very different than being able to play the instrument :)

But I have updated my app TNT to version 3. The app can now generate Ukelele tabs as well in 2 different tunings: gCEA re-entrant (high G) and GCEA (low G) Lineair.

To create the tab, you enter the song/riff using normal note names such as C5, G#4 or Bb4. TNT will use that to create sheetmusic and underneath the staff it can show Harmonica and Ukulele tabs.

You can keep the input simple or you can add the duration of the notes as well 1=whole, 2=half, 4=quarter, 8=eight, 16=sixteenth. You can also add rests. Next you can adds slurs or ties. etc. But you don't have to, a simple list of notes will work just fine too.

If you download TNT v3.0.0 BETA 4 from www.harpbender.com, the app will come with several song tabs for you to try out.

To practice a song or riff you can have the app "play" it first for you. The app is not trying to make it sound like music but uses the exact frequencies of the note to learn to play by ear.

If you like to play the song higher or lower, the app will automatically transpose the tabs for you.

It has helped quite a few people practice Harmonica and I hope it will be as helpful for Ukulele players.

Installing the app is simple. Just copy it to a folder and start TNT.exe. It is a 100% free Windows program, no ads or anything, just free. Windows will ask you to confirm you want to run the app (I did not pay to become a certified developer as I don't make a lot of money "selling" free apps :)) Click "more info" and "run" to start the app. You only have to do this 1 time.

Keep an eye on www.harpbender.com as I will regularly post updates. There are a few more things I want to add before removing the BETA status. But the app already works fine. If you do find a bug, please let me know under oscar@harpbender.com

Thank you very much and I hope you try and like using TNT,
Oscar

TNT v3.jpg
 
Wow! Thanks for this I am looking forward to having a play with it and discovering how to input music. I am also a newbie to harmonica so this will be great for practice.

Thank you for all your work on this!

I installed it on Google drive so can access it wherever I am :)
 
Last edited:
Since it seems to have no external dependencies, I am excited to see if this will run in WINE on Linux and/or Mac.

Does it check for a specific 'minimum' version of Windows? Knowing this would help me to set the proper emulation.
 
Since it seems to have no external dependencies, I am excited to see if this will run in WINE on Linux and/or Mac.

Does it check for a specific 'minimum' version of Windows? Knowing this would help me to set the proper emulation.

Hi Booli,

The app does not check for any minimum specs or Windows version. The only limit I have is the screen size. The app is optimized for 1366 x 768 (which the far majority of entry level notebooks and monitors will have) . I have it running on a 1280 x 800 screen as well but then a piece on the right is cut off. The app still runs fine though.

Love to hear if it works. I have not tried that.
Thanks.
 
Hi Booli,

The app does not check for any minimum specs or Windows version. The only limit I have is the screen size. The app is optimized for 1366 x 768 (which the far majority of entry level notebooks and monitors will have) . I have it running on a 1280 x 800 screen as well but then a piece on the right is cut off. The app still runs fine though.

Love to hear if it works. I have not tried that.
Thanks.
Thanks for the confirmation.

Also, kudos for making the app self-contained without any dependencies on the MS VB, C# or .NET frameworks, as they are all cumbersome, and each PC will likely have unresolvable dependency issues via either these frameworks or settings in the Windows Registry or mismatched versions of DLL files...(used to be die-hard Windows IT guru, and then die-hard Mac pro, and now all Linux or FreeBSD)...

Screen size is not an issue for me since my monitor is an LG UltraWide with 2650x1080 resolution, and in WINE, I can run an app with native UX controls up to that full pixel count, or have the app run with a 'virtual desktop' (like the default Windows Desktop), at any pixel size/ratio.

Not all apps will run in WINE due to dependencies (as per above) and for that I will run Windows inside VirtualBox, but it's usually faster with WINE, and integrates better and behaves more like a native app on Linux or Mac with WINE.

I have not tested it yet, and likely wont have time until this coming weekend, but I will definitely report back the status, and the details either way.

Thanks for your time and effort for making and sharing this program as I am sure it will help many folks. :)
 
Last edited:
Wow! Thanks for this I am looking forward to having a play with it and discovering how to input music. I am also a newbie to harmonica so this will be great for practice.

Thank you for all your work on this!

I installed it on Google drive so can access it wherever I am :)

Glad you like it. I try to keep the input simple but flexible to create more complex scores.


The basic format of a tab is Song title, N , Song key, Time Signature, Beats Per Minute, Notes + Duration (optional), web URL

E.g.: Twinkle twinkle 2, N, C, 4/4, 60, C5 C5 G5 G5 A5 A5 G5, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgJyQACBMXk

Tab key: Instead of the N as in the line above, which stands for Notes, you can also list the key of a harmonica if you enter hole numbers rather that the note names. I explain more in the HELP of the app. There is a button in the app to open the help text.

Song Key: this changes the sheet music notation but not the notes. If you do not know the song key, just leave it blank or use the default C.

Time Signature: the default is 4/4 but you can change eg to 2/4, 3/4 or 6/8. The app will automatically insert measure lines and the time signature will change where those are placed.

BPM: the default is 60. It is used when you let the app "play" your score. You can change the BPM in the app.

Notes: this is the main part of the "tab". The Twinkle Twinkle example above is simple but you can also use sharps (#) or flats (b), eg Bb4 Db5 or F#4 A#5. IMPORTANT: do not mix using sharps and flats in one tab.

In the app there is a button to show you an image what the name is of each note as you see those on sheet music.

Behind the note name you can add the duration of the note. Eg C54 for a quarter note C5 or Bb42 for a half note Bb5. If you do not add a duration the app will use the default as set by the time signature eg 4/4 gives you default quarter notes.

You can also add slurs or ties eg a slur like this: (C5 B5) and a tie like this: [Db4 Db4 G5]

The web URL is optional. In the application the button marked WWW will be enabled only if a web address in included. I use this to easily open a YouTube video of the song.


I hope this helps. I included a file called tabs.txt with the app to show examples.
 
UPDATE: just posted TNT v3 BETA 5 to www.harpbender.com

This version now includes the Baritone tuning. That means you can generate the [single note] tabs for any song you enter in TNT for the 3 tunings below. And the app will transpose tabs up or down an octave or per individual interval. I include a bunch of song tabs with the app to try it out and be used as examples.

The available tunings:
- gCEA re-entrant
- GCEA lineair
- DGBE baritone

as well as gCEA Campanella (not fully optimized yet)

Enjoy,
Oscar

TNT will highlight a primary tab but also show alternatives if you want to play the note on a different string.
 
Top Bottom