I struggled for years with various drawing programs, trying to find a quick way to write on the fly those diagrams.
I had no luck until I saw recently a website selling "guitar fretboard fonts", that illuminated the way!
Building a custom font file could allow me to write my documents AND write diagrams without leaving the editing program, simple, elegant.
So I started googling for "fonts", "editors", "open source", and came up with some freely available programs, plus some online resource, that allowed me to quickly build the first prototype of my "guitar font".
I was always interested in Ted Greene (www.tedgreene.com) diagrams to visualize note shapes and voice movement, with his well known (at least between us followers) combination of symbols displaced on paper. An intelligent way to render the dynamic nature of an arrangement, using the "visual" side of the instrument.
So why not start with that?
That's how the Ted-Chemist font idea was born
In this page you'll find a link to a downloadable zip file containing the font file to install (it's not complicated, you can easily find how by searching online), and a quick guide on how to use it. With time I'll write some more complete documentation.
I'm currently working on a refined version of the file and other variants for the symbols, so stay tuned for updates!
It's not the simplest thing, you have to follow a small learning curve, but after that editing the diagrams is a piece of cake... and any feedback (in particular about the keyboard layout) is appreciated. I developed on an italian keyboard, trying to maintain compatibility with the international US keyboard, but didn't test in deep.You can contact me for support, suggestions, whatever, at my "My Guitar Fonts" Facebook Page
UPDATE 20/6/2023
I transfred the files also on my github accound, hoping it will be easier to download the files.Have a look at MyGuitarFont on GitHub
UPDATE 8/6/2018
The ZIP files now contain both the *.otf and *ttf filesLibreOffice versions newer than 5.3 don't recognize the "old" *.otf files, and don't display the font in the list.
Install and use the *.ttf files instead. They work correctly (at least until now, version 6.0.4.2)
| *NEW* Download the HORIZONTAL font file here (vers. 1.1 2-Apr-2016) | zip file with font+brief PDF guide |
Download the "vertical" font file here (vers. 1.3 - 14-Jan-2016) |
zip file with font+brief PDF guide |
Download 7x6 grid blank document (*.odt) |
Gtr-diagram-7x6.odt - Blank document, ready to go |
Download 7x6 grid blank document template (*.ott) |
Gtr-diagram-7x6.ott - to be imported in LibreOffice as a Template (File/New/Model/Import) |
One more thing:
The font is provided "as is", for free and without any responsibility for bad things happening using it!
