Creating fretted instruments with alternative tunings

You can create variants of existing fretted instruments that have alternative tunings, such as dropped D or DADGAD. Instrument variants appear in the variants column in the instrument picker.

Procedure

  1. Choose Library > Instruments to open the Edit Instruments dialog.
  2. In the instruments list, select the fretted instrument for which you want to create an alternative tuning.
  3. In the action bar, click New Variant from Selection .
  4. In the Instrument section, click Edit Strings and Tuning to open the Edit Strings and Tuning dialog.
  5. Do one of the following:

    • Select the tuning that you want to use from the Compatible preset tunings menu.

    • Change the open pitches of strings individually.

  6. Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Strings and Tuning dialog.
    Tip

    The Variant name in the Instrument section automatically updates according to the tuning you set.

  7. In the Staff Labels section, click Edit Instrument Names to open the Edit Instrument Names dialog.
  8. Enter new names in any of the name fields.
  9. Choose one of the following options for Show transposition:

    • Always

    • Follow Layout Options

    • Never

  10. Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Instrument Names dialog.
  11. In the Range section, change the pitch ranges as required.
  12. Optional: To make the tuning variant available in all future projects, click Save as Default in the instruments list action bar.
  13. Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Instruments dialog.

Result

The new fretted instrument variant with the tuning and staff labels you set is created.

If you clicked Save as Default so that it appears as , the instrument variant is available in all future projects on your computer.