diff --git a/src/annotation.ts b/src/annotation.ts
index dd7d8f57ff..bef8b9adb2 100644
--- a/src/annotation.ts
+++ b/src/annotation.ts
@@ -8,9 +8,8 @@ import { Stave } from './stave';
 import { Stem } from './stem';
 import { StemmableNote } from './stemmablenote';
 import { Tables } from './tables';
-import { TabNote } from './tabnote';
 import { TextFormatter } from './textformatter';
-import { Category } from './typeguard';
+import { Category, isStemmableNote, isTabNote } from './typeguard';
 import { log } from './util';
 
 // eslint-disable-next-line
@@ -86,7 +85,8 @@ export class Annotation extends Modifier {
       const stemDirection = note.hasStem() ? note.getStemDirection() : Stem.UP;
       let stemHeight = 0;
       let lines = 5;
-      if (note instanceof TabNote) {
+
+      if (isTabNote(note)) {
         if (note.render_options.draw_stem) {
           const stem = (note as StemmableNote).getStem();
           if (stem) {
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ export class Annotation extends Modifier {
         } else {
           stemHeight = 0;
         }
-      } else if (note instanceof StemmableNote) {
-        const stem = (note as StemmableNote).getStem();
+      } else if (isStemmableNote(note)) {
+        const stem = note.getStem();
         if (stem && note.getNoteType() === 'n') {
           stemHeight = Math.abs(stem.getHeight()) / Tables.STAVE_LINE_DISTANCE;
         }
@@ -110,8 +110,8 @@ export class Annotation extends Modifier {
 
       if (annotation.verticalJustification === this.VerticalJustify.TOP) {
         let noteLine = note.getLineNumber(true);
-        if (note instanceof TabNote) {
-          noteLine = lines - ((note as TabNote).leastString() - 0.5);
+        if (isTabNote(note)) {
+          noteLine = lines - (note.leastString() - 0.5);
         }
         if (stemDirection === Stem.UP) {
           noteLine += stemHeight;
@@ -127,8 +127,8 @@ export class Annotation extends Modifier {
         }
       } else if (annotation.verticalJustification === this.VerticalJustify.BOTTOM) {
         let noteLine = lines - note.getLineNumber();
-        if (note instanceof TabNote) {
-          noteLine = (note as TabNote).greatestString() - 1;
+        if (isTabNote(note)) {
+          noteLine = note.greatestString() - 1;
         }
         if (stemDirection === Stem.DOWN) {
           noteLine += stemHeight;
diff --git a/src/articulation.ts b/src/articulation.ts
index 972e5a0d10..3ad83faaf4 100644
--- a/src/articulation.ts
+++ b/src/articulation.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { Stave } from './stave';
 import { Stem } from './stem';
 import { StemmableNote } from './stemmablenote';
 import { Tables } from './tables';
-import { Category, isGraceNote, isStaveNote, isTabNote } from './typeguard';
+import { Category, isGraceNote, isStaveNote, isStemmableNote, isTabNote } from './typeguard';
 import { defined, log, RuntimeError } from './util';
 
 export interface ArticulationStruct {
@@ -218,8 +218,9 @@ export class Articulation extends Modifier {
       const stemDirection = note.hasStem() ? note.getStemDirection() : Stem.UP;
       let stemHeight = 0;
       // Decide if we need to consider beam direction in placement.
-      if (note instanceof StemmableNote) {
-        const stem = (note as StemmableNote).getStem();
+
+      if (isStemmableNote(note)) {
+        const stem = note.getStem();
         if (stem) {
           stemHeight = Math.abs(stem.getHeight()) / Tables.STAVE_LINE_DISTANCE;
         }
diff --git a/src/bend.ts b/src/bend.ts
index d3a8fec5dc..af8c57b973 100644
--- a/src/bend.ts
+++ b/src/bend.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@ import { FontInfo } from './font';
 import { Modifier } from './modifier';
 import { ModifierContextState } from './modifiercontext';
 import { Tables } from './tables';
-import { TabNote } from './tabnote';
-import { Category } from './typeguard';
+import { Category, isTabNote } from './typeguard';
 import { RuntimeError } from './util';
 
 export interface BendPhrase {
@@ -44,8 +43,9 @@ export class Bend extends Modifier {
     for (let i = 0; i < bends.length; ++i) {
       const bend = bends[i];
       const note = bend.checkAttachedNote();
-      if (note instanceof TabNote) {
-        const stringPos = (note as TabNote).leastString() - 1;
+
+      if (isTabNote(note)) {
+        const stringPos = note.leastString() - 1;
         if (state.top_text_line < stringPos) {
           state.top_text_line = stringPos;
         }
diff --git a/src/ghostnote.ts b/src/ghostnote.ts
index 43a2edadb8..b904c4c818 100644
--- a/src/ghostnote.ts
+++ b/src/ghostnote.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,11 @@
 //
 // ## Description
 
-import { Annotation } from './annotation';
 import { ModifierContext } from './modifiercontext';
 import { NoteStruct } from './note';
 import { Stave } from './stave';
 import { StemmableNote } from './stemmablenote';
-import { Category } from './typeguard';
+import { Category, isAnnotation } from './typeguard';
 import { RuntimeError } from './util';
 
 const ERROR_MSG = 'Ghost note must have valid initialization data to identify duration.';
@@ -67,7 +66,7 @@ export class GhostNote extends StemmableNote {
     this.setRendered();
     for (let i = 0; i < this.modifiers.length; ++i) {
       const modifier = this.modifiers[i];
-      if (modifier instanceof Annotation) {
+      if (isAnnotation(modifier)) {
         modifier.setContext(this.getContext());
         modifier.drawWithStyle();
       }
diff --git a/src/renderer.ts b/src/renderer.ts
index 8a45a42b49..5457d4665b 100644
--- a/src/renderer.ts
+++ b/src/renderer.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import { CanvasContext } from './canvascontext';
 import { RenderContext } from './rendercontext';
 import { SVGContext } from './svgcontext';
+import { isRenderContext } from './typeguard';
 import { RuntimeError } from './util';
 import { isHTMLCanvas, isHTMLDiv } from './web';
 
@@ -112,10 +113,8 @@ export class Renderer {
   constructor(context: RenderContext);
   constructor(canvas: string | HTMLCanvasElement | HTMLDivElement, backend: number);
   constructor(arg0: string | HTMLCanvasElement | HTMLDivElement | RenderContext, arg1?: number) {
-    if (arg0 instanceof RenderContext) {
+    if (isRenderContext(arg0)) {
       // The user has provided what looks like a RenderContext, let's just use it.
-      // TODO(tommadams): RenderContext is an interface, can we introduce a context base class
-      // to make this check more robust?
       this.ctx = arg0;
     } else {
       if (arg1 === undefined) {
diff --git a/src/typeguard.ts b/src/typeguard.ts
index 312bc01c1b..0b86bd7d87 100644
--- a/src/typeguard.ts
+++ b/src/typeguard.ts
@@ -2,19 +2,19 @@
 // Author: Ron B. Yeh
 // MIT License
 
-import { Accidental } from './accidental.js';
-import { Dot } from './dot.js';
-import { GraceNote } from './gracenote.js';
-import { GraceNoteGroup } from './gracenotegroup.js';
-import { Note } from './note.js';
-import { Barline } from './stavebarline.js';
-import { StaveNote } from './stavenote.js';
-import { StemmableNote } from './stemmablenote.js';
-import { TabNote } from './tabnote.js';
+import { Accidental } from './accidental';
+import { Annotation } from './annotation';
+import { Dot } from './dot';
+import { GraceNote } from './gracenote';
+import { GraceNoteGroup } from './gracenotegroup';
+import { Note } from './note';
+import { RenderContext } from './rendercontext.js';
+import { Barline } from './stavebarline';
+import { StaveNote } from './stavenote';
+import { StemmableNote } from './stemmablenote';
+import { TabNote } from './tabnote';
 
 /* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any */
-/* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/explicit-module-boundary-types */
-/* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/ban-types */
 
 /**
  * Use instead of `instanceof` as a more flexible type guard.
@@ -52,15 +52,17 @@ export function isCategory<T>(obj: any, category: string, checkAncestors: boolea
   }
 }
 
-export const isStemmableNote = (obj: unknown): obj is StemmableNote => isCategory(obj, Category.StemmableNote);
-export const isStaveNote = (obj: unknown): obj is StaveNote => isCategory(obj, Category.StaveNote);
-export const isBarline = (obj: unknown): obj is Barline => isCategory(obj, Category.Barline);
 export const isAccidental = (obj: unknown): obj is Accidental => isCategory(obj, Category.Accidental);
+export const isAnnotation = (obj: unknown): obj is Annotation => isCategory(obj, Category.Annotation);
+export const isBarline = (obj: unknown): obj is Barline => isCategory(obj, Category.Barline);
+export const isDot = (obj: unknown): obj is Dot => isCategory(obj, Category.Dot);
 export const isGraceNote = (obj: unknown): obj is GraceNote => isCategory(obj, Category.GraceNote);
 export const isGraceNoteGroup = (obj: unknown): obj is GraceNoteGroup => isCategory(obj, Category.GraceNoteGroup);
-export const isTabNote = (obj: unknown): obj is TabNote => isCategory(obj, Category.TabNote);
-export const isDot = (obj: unknown): obj is Dot => isCategory(obj, Category.Dot);
 export const isNote = (obj: unknown): obj is Note => isCategory(obj, Category.Note);
+export const isRenderContext = (obj: unknown): obj is RenderContext => isCategory(obj, Category.RenderContext);
+export const isStaveNote = (obj: unknown): obj is StaveNote => isCategory(obj, Category.StaveNote);
+export const isStemmableNote = (obj: unknown): obj is StemmableNote => isCategory(obj, Category.StemmableNote);
+export const isTabNote = (obj: unknown): obj is TabNote => isCategory(obj, Category.TabNote);
 
 // 'const' enums are erased by the TypeScript compiler. The string values are inlined at all the use sites.
 // See: https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/enums.html#const-enums
@@ -97,6 +99,7 @@ export const enum Category {
   Ornament = 'Ornament',
   Parenthesis = 'Parenthesis',
   PedalMarking = 'PedalMarking',
+  RenderContext = 'RenderContext',
   RepeatNote = 'RepeatNote',
   Repetition = 'Repetition',
   Stave = 'Stave',
diff --git a/tests/typeguard_tests.ts b/tests/typeguard_tests.ts
index 85219f3811..8a0ab4765f 100644
--- a/tests/typeguard_tests.ts
+++ b/tests/typeguard_tests.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@ function real(): void {
   ok(isNote(s), 'StaveNote extends StemmableNote which extends Note, so s is a Note');
   ok(isStemmableNote(t), 'TabNote extends StemmableNote');
   ok(isNote(t), 'TabNote extends StemmableNote which extends Note, so t is a Note');
+
+  const canvas = document.createElement('canvas');
+  canvas.width = 800;
+  canvas.height = 400;
+  const ctx = new CanvasContext(canvas.getContext('2d') as CanvasRenderingContext2D);
+  ok(isRenderContext(ctx), 'ctx is a RenderContext');
 }
 
 /**