Guitar Map
The Guitar Layout
Select the guitar layout
Click File/Open and navigate to the location of the layout you want to
load. The layout file must have a file extension of '.lyt'. You can choose
one of the existing layouts or you can cancel and create one.
Edit the guitar layout
To enter a string, click on the one of the gray boxes in the left margin
(ignore the box in the upper left corner). When you click on one of the
boxes in the left margin, the string note box at the top will open. Select
the string you want using the mouse or the up/down arrows and click the left
mouse button or press the enter key on the keyboard. The note you selected
will appear in the string position on the left. If you want to blank out
a string, choose the blank note.
To enter a pedal name, click on one of the gray boxes in the top
margin (ignore the box in the upper left corner). When you click on one
of the boxes in the top margin, the pedal name box at the top will be selected.
Type in your pedal name (one to three characters) and press the enter key
on the keyboard. The name you entered will appear in the pedal name position
on the guitar map. If you want to blank out a pedal name, select the name
you want to blank out and delete the characters from the pedal name box
and press the enter key.
To enter a pedal change, click on one of the white boxes at the intersection
of the pedal column and string row that you want. When you click
on one of the boxes, the pedal change box will open. Select the change
you want using the mouse or the up/down arrows and click the left mouse
button or press the enter key on the keyboard. The change you selected will
appear in the string position on the left. If you want to blank out a change,
choose the blank change.
If you want to change the description, click on the description
box and type your new description.
Save the guitar layout
When you are done, save the guitar layout using the File/Save option.
The Note Layout
Use the note layout
You must select a name and type to use the map (you also have to select
a guitar layout in the other window).
Click on the name box and select the starting note for the scale or chord
using the the mouse or the up/down arrows. Click on the entry you want
using the left mouse button or press the enter key on the keyboard.
The first two rows of gray boxes show the scale or chord in both the
number and note designations.
The gray boxes at the bottom show the pedals.
The map displays all of the notes in the scale or chord as they appear
on the fretboard. Notes that don't appear in the scale or chord are left
blank on the map.
Click on the pedal buttons at the bottom to activate the pedal change(s)
or to inactivate the pedal change(s). The notes on the map are adjusted
for the pedals. You can enter pedal combinations if you want. The map will
allow you to enter pedal combinations that you may not be able to do on
your guitar. There is no check for invalid pedal combinations.
If you want to switch from scales to chords or vice versa, click on the
scales or chrods radio buttons. You will then have to select a scale or chord
from the type box.
You can change from note display to scale number display by clicking
on the notes or numbers radio buttons.
Edit the scale file
Yopu can view directions for changing the scale file here.
Download the evaluation software.
Click here
to download a self-extracting zip file. You can save it to disk to run
later or you can run the program directly. Click on the setup button
to install the software. Follow the instructions in the installation procedure.
To uninstall the software, open the control panel, open the add/remove option
and select guitar map. Click on uninstall.
Send me comments
This software is for your evaluation. I make no claims about its applicabilty
or usability. I developed it for my own edification and decided to share
it with other people if they care to experiment with it. If you wish to
send me comments, you may email me. You may get my e-mail address from
the originating post on the Steel Guitar Forum.