Wow!

Last year, I contributed a (very) few Randytab transcriptions to Frank's MJH Museum site, and sort-of intended to continue working up more of them, but real-life problems have intervened and I failed to continue my project.

At least one of the many numbers on Khandu's long list of transcriptons duplicates a song I had contributed earlier: to wit, "Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me." I'll be checking the site soon enough, to see if there are any differences between our two interpretations. And also, of course, to learn a few new songs.

Over the years, I've studied and learned so many of John Hurt songs in the keys of C and D that when I hear a new song of his (or even one in his style) in either of those keys, I can pretty much picture and identify all the licks. But when I hear his songs in other keys (and especially those in other tunings besides "standard"), I have no idea what he's doing and can't begin to figure out how to play it. Ken seems to have covered a wide variety of Hurt's pieces, in a fairly complete array of the many keys and tunings used by this great master.

My first stab at writing out a guitar arrangement in Randytab took me no more than a half-hour, and the next was even quicker. (Those two efforts were the aforementioned "Mermaids" and the key-of-G version of "Chicken.") The software provides a blank staff, that is, a framework in which to work, so you can get right down to the task at hand with little or no "prep" time. As you put down each note, you hear it, which provides an instant check on your work, and after you write out a line or two, you can play it back and hear how it sounds, to further verify that you're on the right track. (I find it a little trickier to get the timing right ~ half-notes vs quarter-notes, etc. ~ than to put down the correct notes.)

If you're already "tab-literate," and you already know how to play the piece you're transcribing, it's really a piece of cake.

My only reservation about Frank's decision to use the free Randytab program is that readers need to download the program not only to enjoy all its features and listen to the transcription, they need the program to even see the tabs. Folks like Susan who, for one reason or another can't make Randytab work on their machines, should certainly have access to good old-fashioned printed tabs even if they cannot enjoy the full effect of listening while looking. It would be nice if the software had an export feature that would output transcriptions into readily visible text (or graphic) form accessible to all. Well, it's freeware, and beggars can't be choosers.

Recently ~ just within the last week or two ~ there was a Mudcat thread requesting tabs for Mississippi John Hurt's "Here I Am, Lord Send Me." I see that this is one of the motherlode of songs that Ken just posted.