Guitar Pro 5 Tutorial
- Guitar Pro 5 is a tool for writing and storing instrument scores, but is not intended to replace knowing the process of actually writing the score. If you cannot write out guitar tab or standard notation by hand, using Guitar Pro will be a very slow and awkward process. There is an interface to select notes by clicking on a piano keyboard or guitar fretboard, and the program will select the proper note, but both of these are very slow in comparison to direct entry.
- There are two main methods of adding notes to the instrument bar. The first is to enter the number of the fret on the appropriate string of the tab on the program. The second method is to use the up and down keys to move the cursor to the appropriate line on the standard notation. When in the proper place, simply push "Enter" to place the note on the notation. Sharps and flats are added by pressing the "Sharp" or "Flat" buttons on the interface. The rhythm for the note can be selected by choosing the interval from the note toolbar on the top left. Modifiers like dots or triplets can be chosen from the bar beside it to modify the standard notes. The program automatically keeps track of whether the bar is full, or has too few or too many beats.
- Instruments are added from the Track menu by selecting "Add..." There are two types of instruments, instruments and percussion. Percussion uses drum tablature. Instruments can use standard notation, tablature, or, by default, both. Different tunings and numbers of strings can be selected depending on the instrument. The tuning determines if the standard notation is treble or bass clef. The instrument toolbar at the bottom allows the user to select the displayed track and alter the mixing options for the track. The track can be muted by selecting the "M" check box or played by itself by playing the "S" check box. All tracks with "S" checked play at the same time. This only matters when the preview version is being played, which can be done by selecting the "Play" toolbar button or pressing the "Space Bar" on the keyboard.