major feature request (tablature)

[Danalute]

I know this was brought up some years ago, and shotdown as basically going
against the grain, but I think it can be done, done well, and integrated
with benefit to all.

No problem with engraved music, but it isnt all that is needed.  The
orchestra pit is far from the only place where music has a marketplace; but
it is orchestral score scribal practice that Lilypond seems to have taken as
its total focus; there are other practices which this ignores.

Tablature is the one I would address.  
\tabstaff is not acceptible as it stands; several issues have been recently
noted on the Lute mailling list, but I think the main one is that it may
draw too heavily on the present \staff concepts.  

I know (having done) that it is possible to encode a GUI-based C++ tablature
program which is parameter-defined and can handle french, italian, german
major forms as well as all the variations on them (polish, neapolitan,
spanish, guitar...) for arbitrary plucked instruments.  Given suitable fonts
(of which I have made several) it is possible to publish replicas of
historical editions; it is even possible to transliterate freely from one
form to another (eg, entering german from an historical facsimile, proofing
visually and aurally, then transliterating to the user prefered form,
perhaps french).  Sadly, bugs and apples greed conspire to prevent me from
finishing that and releasing it, too much work for this one programmer.

I began to implement support for mensural staff notation, and in doing that
I may have gained a viewpoint which will allow me to help us to get past the
obstacles that make \tabstaff as it is now (2.10.x)unacceptible to many
would-be users.

Users have a need for open scores with mixed staves, both tab and mensural. 
Voice and plucked instrument for example, mixed-consort such as flute, lute,
cittern, bandora, treble viol, bass viol is another.  How nice it would be
if lilypond could handle that.

Finale, Sibelius, Lilypond all say they can do it, but all have drawbacks;
and it really should be possible for us to do better.
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