What is BeierTab?
BeierTab is a Windows application for editing and printing lute tablature.
It also converts tablature into staff notation using the MEI format,
compatible with notation programs such as Verovio, MuseScore, Finale and Sibelius.
Features
Tablature Styles
Fonts and layouts based on historical sources. Instantly switch between styles:
- French Tablature – Renaissance: Besard 1603, Dowland 1610
- French Tablature – Baroque: Gautier 1669, Breitkopf 1750
- Italian Tablature: Gardano 1550, Piccinini 1623
- Spanish Tablature: Luys Milan 1535
- German Tablature: Newsidler 1536
- German Tablature: Judenkünig 1523
- German Tablature: Gerle 1532
- German Tablature: Jobin 1572
- Baroque Guitar: Murcia
Tablature Signs
- Left‑hand ornament signs
- Upward/downward slurs, vertical and diagonal lines
- Right‑hand arpeggio squiggles and separée signs
- Right‑ and left‑hand fingering signs and numbers
- Rest signs, dynamics, fermatae, coda and repeat signs
- Add text with selectable font, size, and color
- End‑of‑piece arabesques
- Grace notes
Manipulation
- Transpose tablature up or down
- Convert tablature between instrument tunings
- Double or halve rhythm sign values
- Format rhythm signs at barlines or rhythmic intervals
- Add vertical lines connecting chords to diapasons
- Add right‑hand index fingering dots automatically
Multiple Staves
- Add, delete, and arrange multiple staves per system
- Merge staves or split tablature into separate voices
- Select bracket style: curved, square, or none
- Create parts with each staff saved as a separate file
Page Layout
- Portrait and landscape orientation
- Paper sizes: US Letter, Legal, A3, A4, A5, B4, B5, B6
- Control spacing, margins, and indents
- Adjust tablature size and page fit
- Caption and page‑numbering options
MIDI
- Assign independent voices for polyphonic playback
- Select, delete, or copy voices to new staves
- Listen to tablature with tempo and volume control
Import and Export
- Import Wayne Cripps “Tab” files
- Export tablature as graphics in multiple formats
- Export tablature and transcription to MEI format
- Print files
Note
If you need to convert old BeierTab files (pre‑2.19), save them first using version 2.19
before opening them in version 3.0.
Download version 2.19 here:
BeierTab 2.19 Setup