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DATE: Thu, 05 Nov 1992 21:58:32 CST
From:
Subject: A stab at tab(lature) notation

We still don't have an agreement on how to post tablature, do we?
I remember one or two posts that suggested putting draw notes in
parentheses (), but I think that's as far as we got. My only
objection to parens is that if I have to use "SHIFT" a lot, I
screw up pretty often, and have to backspace to correct. I'd
rather see some method that uses lower or upper case all the time.

One style I could suggest is:
"hole #" "breath" "bend" "duration".

hole # = the number of the hole being played. When playing chords this
could be "2-3-4." "r" means rest, don't play anything.

breath = "b" for blow, "d" for draw.

bend = the degree of bending required. "0" = no bend. "1" = the 1st bent
note on that hole. "2" = the 2nd... You get the picture.

duration = the length of time to hold the note, in beats (this is the
hardest to notate). It could be written "1" = 1 beat, "2" = 2 beats,
"1/2" = one half beat, "1/4" = one quarter beat, etc. This is a bit
cumbersome, but it would work for those who don't read any music and
don't want to ever learn. A more effective method for those of us
who do read and will eventually transcribe the tablature into
musical notation, would be to specify note values. "w" = whole note,
"q" = quarter note, and so on. Dotted notes would be designated with
a period, as in "q.".

Here's the intro to Little Walter's "My Babe" using the first method for
describing duration. Walter played it on a B-flat harp.

2d01 2d01/2 3d03/2 3b01/2 4b01/2 3b01/2 4b01 3d01 r2 2d01/2 2d01/2

3d03/2 3b01/2 4b01/2 3b01/2 4b01/2 3d01

The first note is hole #2, draw, no bend, hold for 1 beat. Get it?
The third note is hole #3, draw, no bend, hold for 1 1/2 beats (3/2).

The beginning of the harp solo in "My Babe" goes like this:

1d01/2 2d01/2 3d01/2 4d01 r3 2-3d01 2d01/2 2d01/2 1d01/2 1d01/2 2b01/2

2d03/2 r2 1d01/2 2d21/2

There are two rests in this phrase. Also, holes 2 and 3 are played at
the same time at one point. All of the notes are unbent, except for
the last, which is bent 2 half steps below the unbent 2 draw note.

I know I lost some of you. I hope nobody expected this to be easy.
I'd appreciate feedback, critiques, suggestions for improvements.
I'll even accept ridicule (I'm a harmonica player, after all. I've
taken a lot of abuse already.), but I don't have to like it.

Let me know if any of this stuff works for you.

George