Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.

Subject: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Musicboy
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 11:09 AM

This is a long shot, but...Not sure how many people on this site re old enough to remember the first Incredible String Band song book, but I am the transcription of Robin Williamson's October Song that is in it. Anyone able to help?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 11:28 AM

You mean the Happy Traum book? I have it here! Is it a copy of the tab you're after? If so, PM me with your email address.

That book was my next step on guitar after 'Hold Down A Chord'. Quite a challenge, since every piece seemed to be in a different tuning! And I never got 'October Song' to sound quite like the record.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: DaveRo
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 11:49 AM

I found this review of it:
http://www.angelfire.com/biz3/ISB/songbook.html

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 12:15 PM

Interesting review. However, it states: "Omitted from the first album are the two "trad" titles, Schaeffer's Jig and Niggertown, Palmer's one and only ISB title Empty Pocket Blues, Robin's Womankind and Mike's Can't Keep Me Here. Included from WT/BH are Cousin Caterpillar, The Greatest Friend and You Get Brighter."

My copy has all of those self-composed tracks from the first album, and none of the three from Wee Tam & The Big Huge. Must have been two editions?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: DaveRo
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 12:33 PM

The link to the review comes from here - which has a list of songs.

All the versions I see listed have 112 pages.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 12:42 PM

Thanks Dave - looks identical apart from those three songs.

And it was worth £60 twelve years ago!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 12:51 PM

'Womankind' is actually one of RW's most interesting early guitar accompaniments. Fancy omitting that in favour of the basic strumming that MH used on 'Greatest Friend'!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Musicboy
Date: 20 Apr 18 - 11:11 AM

Hello Brian. Not sure what the happy traum book was. I think I missed that. The book I had in mind was just called "The Incredible String Band Song Book". It is the book linked to above. It has a TAB and a music score of the melody. It's the melody I'm interested in. I can't get it to sound right. I would love to get hold of a copy of the complete volume, if anyone has one to sell. Mine disintegrated over four decades ago.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 20 Apr 18 - 11:32 AM

Same book. If you want the 3 pages for 'October Song', let me know by PM. Not selling, though!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST,ID
Date: 22 Apr 20 - 03:17 PM

Brian Peters,

I have been looking for a copy of the ISB tab book for ages and it is not possible for me to buy one because I live in South America. Is there any way of sending me a few pages from this? Thanks very much

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 24 Apr 20 - 01:18 PM

Chords and a few tabs there.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jul 20 - 09:16 PM

Thanks for that, but I was looking for the material in the happy traum book specifically,

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Aug 20 - 02:15 PM

Has anyone got the tab for good as gone?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 05 Aug 20 - 08:15 AM

Hello Guest, I still have the Happy Traum ISB songbook, but it doesn't have any tab for 'Good as Gone', just chords - and I don't think they're correct anyway. On the LP it's played in A, and to me it sounds like G capoed up to II, which is supported by this live recording on which it's played in G without a capo. However the book gives chords in A with E chords in brackets (which would indicate capo V), but when I've tried that it doesn't sound right. I think the confusing thing is that RW is playing a version of the G chord with no thirds in it, so to sound authentic you have to damp the 2nd string and fret the fifth at III. Also he adds a high A on the 6th string (V) to his D chord on the word 'May' and slides that down to get a partial C chord (*) consisting of xxDGCG on 'coming'.

In G the chords are:

/C///G///D//C*G//
/C///G///D//C*G///
Am//C//G///
Am//C//G///

The chords in the coda would be:
Gm, Dm, Gm, Dm, Bb, F, Bb, F, Cm, Am, G.

Very approximate, since his timing is very free, I don't do tab and I never played the song before. But that's my best guess.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 05 Aug 20 - 01:25 PM

I think you mean ‘dampen’ the fifth string at fret three for the G chord. I don’t know the song but an alternative fingering for G in standard tuning would be: 350033 (bottom to top) with no clumsy dampening surely.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 08 Aug 20 - 07:39 AM

You're right, I got my strings mixed up. What I meant was 3x0033.

I scarcely ever play in standard tuning, so where you say 'clumsy' I would probably say 'expedient'. Personally I would find 35003 quite a difficult shape to fret smoothly.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 08 Aug 20 - 08:25 AM

Yes, my suggestion itself would be a bit clumsy to finger, but if you have a narrow neck and wrap your thumb around, it’s somewhat easier (especially if a capo is being used).

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Oct 20 - 10:55 AM

Thank you both for your suggestions and taking the time to do that. I will try these out. Lovely song...

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Oct 20 - 10:59 AM

Thank you both for your suggestions and taking the time to do that. I will try these out. Lovely song... Message for Brian Peters, do any of the songs in the Happy Traum book have tabs, and if some are they complete and good. Thanks, Guest ID / Jamie

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Incredible String Band song book.
From: Brian Peters
Date: 12 Oct 20 - 09:43 AM

Hi Jamie. Maybe 50% of the songs (which as you probably know are all from the first three LPs) have some kind of tab - sometimes an intro, sometimes a suggested picking pattern, sometimes a short break or harmony line within the song. There are also explanations of alternative tunings (quite a few) and non-standard chord shapes. Things like 'Minotaur's Sing' and 'A Very Cellular Song' have keyboard arrangements as per the recorded versions. There are no songs with a complete tab from beginning to end, so you have to do some work yourself.

From his intro I'd guess that Happy Traum used his ears to work them out, though I suppose RW might have given him some tips on the tunings. It's a few decades since I tried to work out those guitar parts and I'd say that, while not always re-creating the sound of the record 100% accurately (bearing in mind I listened to those LPs obsessively and knew every note!), they get pretty close in most cases. It looks like Traum took a lot of trouble over the book.