Key signature...

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This feature is relatively meaningless if you're entering or reading a tablature in "Tablature only" mode but becomes very useful if you're working with standard musical scores in keys other than C major or A minor (no sharps or flats). It allows TablEdit to determine whether a given note should be altered or not. Key accidentals are displayed beside the clef at the left of the screen. The accidentals displayed correspond to the key of the current measure (the measure containing the cursor). They can be modified by clicking on the clef. This opens the dialog illustrated below. Key changes in mid-score are printed in the conventional manner in the musical stave.

 

The "Key Signature" dialog allows easy input of the number of sharps of flats in the key by use of the up and down arrows to the right of the clef displayed in the upper, left-hand corner.

You have to specify how many bars the key signature lasts. The selected key will be applied to the measures indicated in the "From measure" and "To measure" fields.

[Apply] applies the changes made to the selected measures without leaving the dialog.

Leaving it by means of [Close] simply closes the dialog without applying the changes.

Key changes can be applied in mid-tablature by placing the cursor anywhere within the first measure of the change and entering the desired change in the dialog. The scope of the mid-tablature change can be limited by entering the number of the first and last measures you want affected in the "From measure:" and "To measure:" boxes. Any measures outside this scope will retain their originally assigned key signature.

Alterations (or accidentals)

If necessary, you can force the display of a specific alteration for any given note (i.e. display an A instead of a G) in the musical staff. Simply select the note to be affected and apply the desired alteration from the Notes palette or by using the keyboard shortcuts [Alt]+[D] (sharp) or [Alt]+[B] (flat). The note pitch of the primary note is automatically changed in the stave to reflect the alteration and the selected accidental is displayed. The note can be restored to it's original value by applying the [Alt]+[=] (natural) accidental.

It should be noted that applying a sharp accidental to a note which is naturally sharp in the assigned key signature (e.g. an F in the key of G, for instance) will produce a double sharped note. Inversely, applying a flat accidental to a note which is naturally flat in the assigned key signature (e.g. a B in the key of F) will result in a double flatted note.