🎸 fretboard.el

An Emacs package for visualizing notes, scales and chords on a guitar fretboard.

Features

• Display scales, chords and modes on a guitar fretboard.
• Cycle between chord tonalities.
• Toggle between the 7 diatonic modes.
• View the fretboard notes by either name or intervals.
• Support for multiple tunings
• Support for 4 and 6 string instruments.
• Interactive navigation mode.

Installation

Manual

1. Download or clone the fretboard.el repo onto your local machine.
2. Add the following to your Emacs configuration:

;; Add the directory containing fretboard.el to your load-path
(add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/directory/containing/fretboard.el")
(require 'fretboard)

Melpa

(use-package fretboard :ensure t)

Straight

(use-package fretboard
  :straight (:host github :repo "skyefreeman/fretboard.el")
  :defer t)

Elpaca

(use-package fretboard
  :ensure (:host github :repo "skyefreeman/fretboard.el")
  :defer t)

Doom

(package! fretboard
  :recipe (:type git :host github :repo "skyefreeman/fretboard.el" :branch "main" :files ("*.el"))
  :defer t)

package.el

(use-package fretboard
  :vc (:fetcher github :repo skyefreeman/fretboard.el)
  :defer t)

Usage

Basic Commands

• M-x fretboard - Display the A major scale on the fretboard (default)
• M-x fretboard-display-scale - Display a scale on the fretboard
• M-x fretboard-display-chord - Display a chord on the fretboard
• M-x fretboard-set-tuning - Change the guitar tuning

Customization

You can customize the appearance and behavior of fretboard.el using Emacs' customization interface or directly in your configuration:

;; Using M-x customize-group RET fretboard RET
;; OR directly in your init.el:

;; Change the number of frets displayed (default is 12)
(customize-set-variable 'fretboard-fret-count 24)

;; Customize the appearance
(customize-set-variable 'fretboard-base-face '((t :height 180)))  ;; Larger font size
(customize-set-variable 'fretboard-root-face '((t :inherit fretboard-base-face :foreground "orange"))) ;; Change root note color
(customize-set-variable 'fretboard-display-relative-face '((t :inherit fretboard-base-face :foreground "cyan"))) ;; Change interval note color

Available Customization Options

| Option | Description | Default | |--------|-------------|---------| | fretboard-fret-count | Number of frets to display | 12 |

Available Faces

| Face | Description | Default | |------|-------------|---------| | fretboard-base-face | Base face for all fretboard elements (controls font size) | :height 200 | | fretboard-root-face | Face for root notes | Red, bold | | fretboard-display-relative-face | Face for interval notes when in relative mode | Blue | | fretboard-unmarked-face | Face for unmarked positions | Inherits from base face |

Navigation

When viewing a fretboard display, you can use the following keys:

| Key | Function | |-----|----------| | n | Next note (same scale/chord type) | | p | Previous note (same scale/chord type) | | k | Next scale/chord type (same note) | | j | Previous scale/chord type (same note) | | , | Next mode (same scale, only for major scale) | | m | Previous mode (same scale, only for major scale) | | d | Toggle between scale and chord display | | t | Toggle between different tunings | | r | Toggle between note names and relative intervals | | s | Switch to scale display | | c | Switch to chord display | | q | Close all fretboard buffers |

Available Scales

• Major
• Minor
• Pentatonic Major
• Pentatonic Minor
• Blues
• Harmonic Minor
• Melodic Minor

Available Chords

• Major
• Minor
• 7th
• Major 7th
• Minor 7th
• Diminished
• Augmented
• Sus2
• Sus4
• Add9
• 6th
• Minor 6th
• 9th
• Minor 9th

Available Modes

When viewing the major scale you can toggle between the 7 diatonic modes.

• Ionian (Major)
• Dorian
• Phrygian
• Lydian
• Mixolydian
• Aeolian (Natural Minor)
• Locrian

Available Tunings

• Standard (E A D G B E)
• Drop D (D A D G B E)
• Open G (D G D G B D)
• DADGAD (D A D G A D)
• Half step down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb)
• Ukulele Standard (G C E A)
• Ukulele Baritone (D G B E)
• Bass Standard (E A D G)

License

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.