Slash notation

Slash notation replaces pitched noteheads with rhythm slashes on a single-line staff — the standard shorthand for chord-comping parts. Use it for rhythm charts where the guitarist or pianist voices chords by feel, or for backing parts in an ensemble score where fret-exact notation would clutter more than it communicates.

When to reach for slashes

Slashes tell a player play the chord in this rhythm without pinning down voicing or inversion. Use them for:

• Rhythm-section charts where the guitarist or pianist voices chords by feel.
• Lead sheets that combine a melody staff on top and a slash comp staff below.
• Backing parts in ensemble scores where fret-exact notation would be noisier than useful.

The slash staff carries the same durations, flags, beams, ties, and rests as the standard staff. Chord names sit above it exactly as they do on any other staff. Set showSlash = true on a Staff and toggle showStandardNotation / showTablature off if you want a slash-only chart.

Show it in code

import * as alphaTab from '@coderline/alphatab';

const container = getAlphaTabContainer();
const api = new alphaTab.AlphaTabApi(container, {
  core: { file: '/scores/song.gp' },
});

api.scoreLoaded.on((score) => {
  for (const track of score.tracks) {
    for (const staff of track.staves) {
      staff.showStandardNotation = false;
      staff.showTablature = false;
      staff.showSlash = true;
    }
  }
  api.render();
});

getAlphaTabContainer() is a placeholder for the platform-specific step of obtaining the render target — a <div> on Web, an AlphaTab control on .NET, or an AlphaTabView on Android. Every other line runs unchanged on all three runtimes.

Where to look next

• Guitar tablature — the other common comping notation.
• Numbered notation — cipher notation for the same chord parts.
• Staff.showSlash and SlashStaffConfig in the model reference.