Harmonica Tablature

Subject: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 10:41 AM

Just to see if their is an interest I thought I'd start this thread.
All tablature is for diatonic Harmonica.Key is personal prefrence unless otherwise stated.
Bracketed number denotes drawn note,unbracketed denotes blown.
                   SHENANDOAH
3 4 4 4 (4) 5 (5) (6) 6
7 (7) (6) 6 (6) 6 5 6
6 (6) (6) (6) 5 6 5 (4) 4
(4) 5 4 5 (6) 6
4 (4) 5 4 (4) 4.
Please feel free to criticise/contribute.
Do you feel positive about tablature? Do you think it's the work of the devil? Let me know.

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Ernest
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 11:25 AM

It`s good enough for musical halfwits like me ;0)

Although it is easier to read when you add the lyrics or some other device that indicates how long each note (number) is to be played.

Best
Ernest

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 11:28 AM

Thanks Ernest & your right, sustain is something I have to work on.

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Ernest
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 01:43 PM

oh - and it would be good to indicate if something is tabbed in first or second position... (Shenandoah was first)
Best
Ernest

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Jack Campin
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 02:03 PM

Some people use up and down arrows above standard staff notation to indicate whether you blow or suck. Is it so much harder to read notes on a staff than to count hole numbers? - it's not like you can actually read the numbers while you're playing.

Suggested convention: ABC already supports violin up- and down-bow signs, so any reasonable implementation will let you print them. None that I know of will let you add arrows. So, why not use the up-bow sign for suck and the down-bow sign for blow? That makes it very easy for people teaching the harmonica to use existing ABC transcriptions.

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 03:32 PM

Post a tune as well known as "Shenandoah" only played in a cross harp style. I'd like to see how that works.

Don

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 20 Jan 07 - 03:46 PM

So would I! Will get back to you. Promise.

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Ernest
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 06:21 AM

Don: I suspect Alec wants to post more tabs than just "Shenandoah"

Alec: have you thought about using other keys symbols to indicate the sustain?

4... = 4 blow whole
4.. = 4 blow half
4    = 4 blow quarter
4`   = 4 blow eight

/4-454/ = ?

and so on...

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 06:40 AM

Am working on a more usable tablature & will get back to you.
I do intend to post tabs for other melodies (& hope others will as well) but am very taken with Don's crossharp challenge.
Results will be posted as & when: )

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 09:26 AM

OK How's this:- Number by itself "3" Draw
                Number with >    "3>" Blow
                Each apostrophe "3'" Half step bend
                Sharp sign       "3#" Overblow
                Tilde            "3~" Dip bend
                Ampersand between numbers "3&4" play simultaneously
                Slash between numbers    "3/4" slur
                percent before numbers    "%3" tongue slap

               2 percents before numbers "%%3" flutter tongue
                A vertical bar seperates measures
               lower case v denotes Vibrato.
               All tabs in first position unless otherwise stated.
I myself will not often use some of these symbols as I wish to contribute stuff beginners can use but I believe it is a workable system: )

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Ernest
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 09:33 AM

yes, sounds like a good system, but be prepared to copy and paste the explanation into every tab, otherwise beginners might get confused.
Good luck
Ernest

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 10:21 AM

Alec - Although I'm a harmonica player, I've never had any interest in tab., so I can't say for sure - but I suspect you're re-inventing the wheel here. Have you checked out the vast array of harmonica resources on-line? And harmonica e-groups such as harp-l and harptalk, where you could be consulting hundreds of harmonica-players, including big-shot professionals ...

(Just suggestions - not meant as criticism ... ).

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 10:31 AM

And not taken as such by myself,Meself.
Just thought it would be nice to have a specifically Folk & Blues resource attached to a specifically Folk & Blues site.
Means also if somebody wants to contribute a relevant tune it prevents people maybe spending hours trawling the net for it/
(I will also admit the last time I visited a dedicated Harmonica Tab site it gave me a nasty dose of spyware. which rankled a bit)

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 10:35 AM

Okay - more power to ya!

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 12:23 PM

I play straight style harmonica. Real basic stuff.   And I do it pretty OK. But I have always had the fascination of the sound of Cross Harped stuff. Blues in the manner of Paul Butterfield and back up like John Sebastian. I never hear a pure melody being played in a cross harp style.

I can only surmise this is because the scale becomes even more limited when played Cross Harp.(True???) I have looked at some harmonica books.
One by Tony Glover and one published by Mel Bay. Glover's book is not for the beginner and tends to be just "Too Hip". Mel Bay's is better for the beginner but not in-depth enough to help much ( for me anyway)with the Cross Harp thing.


For me cross harp is all about the sound. Now I know some of the sound that I hear is in the Green Bullet Microphone. (This is because of a hearing loss I have that distorts all the sound I hear.) The question is how do you get the smooth growl that defines a bluesical harmonica riff?


Don

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 02:56 PM

I think you may be refering to bending the note Don.
This is best done on a diatonic. (BTW I think "smooth growl" is a perfect descriptive phrase)
An excercise that may help.
1)Draw in from hole 2 as you would usually.
2)As you do pull your tongue back & against the bottom your jaw
if you draw hard enough you should hear the note go down in pitch ("Bend")
3)Try tightening up your lips & jaw or whatever helps to get the air column down to the lower part of your mouth.
Does this help?
I will post on how this relates to cross harp later.
Promise: )

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 03:08 PM

the lee oscar melody maker is an interesting harmonica,scale starts on suck 2[on g cross harp]this would be d.allthe notes of the scale of g are available including[the e below g].http://www.dickmiles.com

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 07:56 AM

Which harp for which key?
             IF BLUES IN             USE HARP IN
                  c                        f
             c sharp or d flat             f sharp
                  d                        g
                  e flat                   a flat
                  e                        a
                  f                        b flat
             f sharp or g flat             b
                  g                        c
                  a flat             c sharp or d flat
                  a                        d
                  b flat                   e flat
                  b                        e
N.B. Diatonics in all cases whilst it is possible to play blues on a chromatic it is very difficult due to the relative stiffness of the reeds.

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 23 Jan 07 - 06:49 AM

(Very) Basic Blues Progression.
          3&4" 3&4 3&4" 4&5 4&5> 4&5> 3&4"
          3&4" 4" 4> 3&4" 4 3&4.
Tabs as outlined in previous post.Does this approximate to the sound you want?

Subject: RE: Harmonica Tablature
From: Alec
Date: 25 Jan 07 - 10:14 AM

Amazing Grace
                   (3rd position)

          1 2> 2 3 2 3 3 2 2> 3
          1 2> 2 3 2 3 3> 3 4
          3 4 5> 3 2 3 3 2 2> 1
          1 2> 2 3 2 3 3 2 2> 2
          Hope this works ok & that's it's accepted as being as well known as "Shenandoah". :- )