Note entry

The Soundslice notation editor lets you create and edit music notation and tablature directly via our website. It’s powerful but easy to use.

Here’s our help section about how to use it.

Opening a slice in the editor

1. First, log into your Soundslice account and go to your homepage.
2. If you want to edit an existing slice, find it in the list and click “Edit” at right. If you want to create a new slice, click the “New slice” button.

This will bring you into the editor. If you’re creating a new slice, you’ll see a place for you to give it a name and some other info.

Overview of editor layout

Here’s what it looks like when you’re editing a slice:

The currently selected note/rest is highlighted in an orange circle. You can click any note/rest to select it, or use the arrows on your keyboard to navigate around.

There are two panels: one at left and one on top. The left panel provides the most basic notation functions, such as changing a note’s duration. The top panel provides several menus’ worth of functionality broken into sections, such as “Bars,” “Repeats” and “Tab.” There’s also a search box, which lets you quickly find a particular notation or command.

The section at the bottom of the left panel displays information about the currently selected note(s). This lets you quickly toggle notations that are active on your selection.

The very top of the page has general functions for editing information about the slice and its recordings. For example, this is where you can change the slice’s name and visibility settings.

The Save button is at upper right. Click that (or use Control S) whenever you want to save.

The rest of this page assumes you’re using a computer with a keyboard. If you’re using a tablet, see our separate page on touchscreen support.

Entering notes via the staff

The fastest way to enter notes is with via your keyboard. Here’s how:

1. Select the rest in which you want to add a note.
2. To change the rhythmic duration, use the + key to make it shorter or the - key to make it longer. You can also click the appropriate icon in the edit pane (e.g., a quarter note or eighth note).
3. Type the pitch name — either A, B, C, D, E, F or G. Soundslice will add the note, in the octave closest to the previous note. It’s diatonic according to the current key signature (so if you type F in the key signature of G, the note will get entered as an F sharp).
4. To change the octave of the freshly added note, hit Control (or Command) and the up/down arrow.
5. To add an accidental, use Control J for sharps, Control G for flats and Control H for naturals — or click the appropriate accidental icon in the edit pane.
6. To move forward and add another note/rest, use your keyboard’s right-arrow key. We’ll automatically create a new bar whenever you’ve filled a bar’s allotted space according to its time signature.

Entering notes via tablature

If you’re editing tablature, the process is slightly different:

1. Select the beat and string in which you want to add a note.
2. To change the beat’s rhythmic value, use the + key to make it shorter or the - key to make it longer. You can also click the appropriate icon in the edit pane (e.g., a quarter note or eighth note).
3. Type the fret number — a number from 0 to 36.
4. Soundslice automatically figures out the pitch in the standard notation, based on the string tuning. If you’d like to change the enharmonics (e.g., changing B flat to A sharp), use Control (or Command) E or click the “Toggle enharmonics” button in the edit pane.
5. The cursor will not auto-advance. You can quickly move across strings and beats using your keyboard’s arrow keys.

Appending notes (creating chords or double stops)

To add a note to an existing beat — hence creating a double stop or chord — select the original note and do one of the following:

• To specify the new note’s pitch name, hold Shift and type the pitch name (A through G).
• To specify the interval, hit a number key from 2 (second) to 8 (octave). By default, the interval will be added above the selected note, but you can hold Shift to add the interval below.

Changing note durations

To change a note’s rhythmic value — e.g., change it from a quarter note to an eighth note — select it and do one of the following:

• In the left panel, click the appropriate note duration, from whole note to 32nd note.
• Or, use the keyboard shortcuts: the + key makes the selected beat duration shorter, and the - key makes it longer.

To add or remove an augmentation dot, select the beat and hit the . (aka “period” or “full stop”) key on your keyboard.

For longer durations, such as double whole notes (breves), start with a whole note and use the “Increase duration” command, available via editor search.

Changing note pitch values

To change a pitch:

1. Select the note.
2. Type the new pitch name (A through G).
3. To change the octave, hit Control (or Command) and the up/down arrow.
4. To add an accidental, use Shift Control 9 for sharps, Shift Control 7 for flats and Shift Control 8 for naturals — or click the appropriate accidental icon in the edit pane.

To change a pitch in a tablature instrument, simply select the fret number in the tablature and type a new number.

Adding notes/rests to a bar

With a note selected, hit the right arrow on your keyboard to navigate to the right. If there’s rhythmic space available in the current bar (according to the time signature), Soundslice will automatically create a rest. With the rest selected, type a letter A through G to enter a note.

Deleting notes/rests

To delete a note or rest, select it and hit the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard.

Adding articulations, dynamics and other notations

The editor is jam-packed with notation options. Explore by clicking around the various menus of the top panel, and don’t miss the search box at the top. Many commands, especially for more obscure notations, are only available via search.