Fretwriter Lite: Guitar CD-ROM

Immediate and liberating. Ideas that live only in your head or fingers suddenly become visible as actual sheet music with tablature, and hearing them played back by different instruments transforms how you hear your own writing.

Guitarists who compose original music or need to arrange songs for performance. Teachers looking to help students move from improvisation and ear training into scored notation and arrangement. Guitar students who want hands-on practice in music notation without learning complex professional notation software.

• Experiment with different instrument playback options to hear how your composition might sound in various contexts before finalizing the arrangement.
• Use the custom chord grid feature to document voicings that reflect your actual playing technique rather than settling for generic shapes.
• Build in time to proofread the printed lead sheets and tablature for accuracy before sharing arrangements with ensemble members.
• Layer multiple passes: sketch the melody and harmony first, then add lyrics and text formatting once the musical structure is solid.

Assign this tool as part of a songwriting unit where students compose originals and then arrange them for small ensemble. Use it in private lessons to help advanced students document arrangements they've created by ear. Incorporate it into a guitar class project where students create lead sheets with chord grids to share with other musicians.

• Creating guitar tablature and lead sheets from original melodies and chord progressions
• Selecting and notating key signatures and time signatures
• Designing custom chord grids that match actual hand positions
• Arranging for different instrumental textures and timbres
• Integrating lyrics and text into formal musical notation
• Listening critically to playback and revising compositions accordingly