348: Lute tablature - writing diapasons

In lute tablature, diapasons are written either above or below the staff, depending on the style of tablature being employed. Below you can download a font suitable for use in writing diapasons in lute tablature:

• For use in Italian tab, numbers are inserted between the staff and its rhythmic stems.
• For use in French tab, the row of letters on the keyboard "a s d f" represent the first four diapasons. Beyond the 4th diapason, numbers are traditionally used. The row of letters on the keyboard "(q) w e r" give the same characters without the letter 'a' below them. A few prefer using that method.

The above is a simplified account of the various practices. The exact details would be up to the user to convey but these font characters should cover the needs for diapasons in Italian, French, and Spanish (though actually diapasons weren't used in Spanish, they sometimes had a seventh course which the 'a' would accommodate in Sibelius).

Using Small text at about a 15pt size works well for the lute staffs.

Download the Diapason font (4K)

Diapason font contributed by Steve Horn, Empyrean Glyphics.