2010–2024
guitar - read guitar tablature
guitar [infile [outfile]]
Preprocess input for the program mel to allow for guitar tablatures. Filenames default to /dev/stdin or /dev/stdout. The dash (-) is a shorthand for the default value.
The syntax of infile is as described in mel(1), with the following exception: If a line contains at least two vertical bars (|), they act as separators between regions. If a region contains at least one hyphen-minus (-) or tilde (~), it represents one bar/measure. Here, the commands |, -, ~, S, Z, N, T, and X cannot be applied as usual and the U of Un can be omitted. The bar duration, defined beforehand via the |n command, is evenly distributed among the enclosed characters. The hyphen-minus (-) and X represent a string at rest (a pause); the tilde (~), S, Z, N, and T represent a vibrating string (sound is played), just like all other characters, beyond their usual meanings. Lines with tablature that are not separated by an empty line start at the same point in time. This is realized via the M0 mark, which shall thus not be used.