TAB prefix? Thoughts?

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Nick
Date: 27 Sep 05 - 07:59 AM

Dave there are a fair number of sites around with Guitar tabs that include ones in DADGAD. Some are below. If you have/get the free TablEdit viewer you can play the vast array of TablEdit tabs that exist of which quite a number are in alternate tunings

Pierre Bensusan tabs

More tabs

More tabs

DADGAD tabs

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Wrinkles
Date: 27 Sep 05 - 05:21 AM

Thanks Joe ;-)

I must admit I don't know any HTML codes so I just fiddle with the "preview" function until things line up properly, so thanks for the tag codes they'll save me quite some time!

Wrinkles

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Sep 05 - 03:22 AM

Hi, Wrinkles - we've had the idea of using a TAB tag unofficially for a while - but it hasn't been used very much. If we see a message with TAB in it, we're supposed to rename it with TAB: and the song title. It should show up on our Old Forum Search - but I see very few TAB messages on the results list.

For posting or requesting chords, tab, or a tune for a song, it's best to add your request to an existing thread on the song, and give your message subject title a TAB (or whatever) tag with the song title.

One problem with TAB is that you have to use a monospaced font for things to line up. You can do that by using the <pre> tag before and the </pre> tag after the TAB.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 09:10 AM

1) Would _you_ find a TAB prefix useful to your Catting? (in what way?)

Mostly to skip.

2)Would _you_ use a TAB prefix? (For what instruments?)

Rarely. Could possibly look at one for guitar. Less likely GDAE tenor banjo/ mandolin. I mostly play single note melodies in open position on TB and play by ear - for that, although music can help me if I've heard a tune, Tab offers me nothing I can't work out as easily from dots.

Or if you mean use as in create a thread with one: If there was a set prefix, and in the unlikely event I was posting a tab, yes.

Problems:

Legal, ask Joe or Max.

Other, see Jeri's commments re laying one out as everything needs to be done in a fixed font. How often do we see.

       C                            F
  I've been a wild rover for many a year
           C            G                   C
  And I've spent all my money on whisky and beer
  

end up as something like:

    C                            F
I've been a wild rover for many a year
         C            G                   C
And I've spent all my money on whisky and beer

It gets a lot worse with tabs.

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: GUEST,Dave
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 08:15 AM

Wrinkles, there is a folk-tab site for mandoline http://www.mandolincafe.com/tabarc.html which is great for learning tunes and easy to transpose to other instruments. There's a penny whistle site somewhere too, but I can not find the addy at the monent.

I'd welcome some tabs for DAGDAD or DADF#AD, or indeed a site to find the like on. There isn't anywhere near enough of those tabs on the web, or bouzouki tab either, and no sites specifically for them. If I saw some here I might post a few myself.

As for legal problems, well posting to the Cat is giving tacit permission for others to use your arrangement ain't it!

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Jeri
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 08:07 AM

Wrinkles, you may never know for sure. If people find something they like and may have come looking for, they may not say anything. A person may search for something and find it two years from now. I don't know that there's any way to tell how many people would use it.

I DO know that there's a large amount of stuff archived that no one's really going to care about, if only because current events discussions don't much matter two weeks from when they occur, and many thread subjects don't interest many people.

The short version of the above is: If you don't mind doing the work for little or no acknowledgment right now (or perhaps ever). I'd probably try some out because I enjoy seeing how other people play things.

I agree with Jon about the typed-in prefixes being associated with instruments. The drop-down box for prefixes on the thread creation page is there because it's a step towards standardizing prefixes. It may be that if enough people post tabs, the chief MudGeeks^* may add prefixes. When Mudcat comes back from its 'trip' on the 'magic bus' anyway. (Right now there are 2 of every prefix due to a crash a couple of months ago.)


^* Well, YOU figure out what to call the Code Wranglers, the UberAdmins, the Divas of Data...er, you know - Max & Jeff.

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Wrinkles
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 07:45 AM

Jon, what you and Jeri posted answers the questions "would it be OK if _I_ used a TAB prefix", or that I'm seeking permission to use such a prefix (If I'd a TAB to post I'd just send it and await the reaction!), and am concerned about the "oficiality" (is that a word?) of the idea; which is not what I'm asking at all.

The questions are;
1) Would _you_ find a TAB prefix useful to your Catting? (in what way?)
2)Would _you_ use a TAB prefix? (For what instruments?)
3)Would _you_ read or ignore posts with a TAB prefix?
Do _you_ see any problems about having TABs on the forum? (legal etc?)

Wrinkles

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 07:21 AM

Wrinkles, from what I thought and from what Jeri said. It would appear you might as well just not use a prefix and enter it all in the subject as.

Tab: ...

If it gets used enough, you may find it gets added to the list box. The presence of the prefix in the box would appears only to serve the practical purposes of a) encouraging people to identify something as a Tab and b) helping towards consistancy of terms used when Tab is identified (otherwise you could get Tab: Tab Add: Banjo Tab:, etc.)

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Wrinkles
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 07:11 AM

Yeagh, but would anyone on the Cat want or use TABs?

Wrinkles

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: The Shambles
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 07:10 AM

Sure your opinion matters, Wrinkles

*Smiles*

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 08:25 AM

Or this even...

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 08:24 AM

It's hard to say, wrinkles. The prefixis at MC can serve 2 purposes. Numbers are assigned to prefixes these days (that is how come a thread can move above of below the line with no change to title, eg. you wil see non prefixed threads in BS) but outside the splitting of BS, I'm not sure if they serve any purpose outside making life a lot easier for people making text searches (eg, being able to search for "lyr add:" can be very useful). I get the impression you are thinking in terms of the more formal structured way of going about things, which is not overall the way MC works on this aspect.

BTW, on that sort of subject, I've made a new view (lots of other bits to do yet though for the full rewrite from asp into php) for folkinfo using the existing rather more formal apporach. Try this set the date filter at say 1 year to get a few groupings in and try changing the sort to group (hitting go to refresh). On group, it should group by top levels, tech, music and community and within that split music for example up to events, folk songs, etc.

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Jeri
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 07:58 AM

Sure your opinion matters, Wrinkles. Adding another prefix doesn't change anything really, except the number of prefixes. I'm not sure the demand is high enough. There are other sites that specialize in tabs, and writing them in HTML (pre-formatted text) poses a problem for many.

The bottom line is, would enough people make use of this to justify it? You can currently type your own 'TAB ADD:' prefix in.

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Wrinkles
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 07:38 AM

Nor mine Shambles ;-)

I suppose one could just submit with a self written prefix if one had a TAB to submit, but would there be enough of these for folk to realise that they could sub a TAB REQUEST?

I's just wondering if folk'd find a TAB prefix helpful or counter-productive really .

Is a TAB an _arrangement_ for example (certainly if it used chords it might be but there's less chance of that on a melody-only TAB), with all the copyright issues that'd bring up? Or is that a good thing because a TABber could then use their Mudcat submission as a copyright vehicle?

I suppose I'm brain picking to see if there's any problems or advantages that I've not considered.

Wrinkles

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: The Shambles
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 06:54 AM

Don't worry Wrinkles - my opinion will not count for much.

I have no problem with your concept but only with the introduction of yet more prefixes.

Could your wishes be accomplished by just putting TAB in the thread title?

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Wrinkles
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 06:32 AM

I'd agree Shambles, were it not that the 'Cat has already subdivided music threads into Lyrics (add/request), Tune (add/request) Chords Request...although not "chords add" for some reason, and Song Origins.

I've seen requests for TABs over the last years or so I've been a member (usually guitar TABs wanted) so there are folk out there who want to advance their playing beyond just strumming - and there are folk out there on the 'Cat who can share how that's done.


Wrinkles

Subject: RE: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: The Shambles
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 06:18 AM

I think that the only prefix required is one for non-music related subjects.

Subject: TAB prefix? Thoughts?
From: Wrinkles
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 06:13 AM

What would mudcatters think of having a TAB prefix for submiting TABs of tunes to the forum?

Any kind of TAB, Tin Whistle, Mandolin, Bouzouki, Waldzither, Banjo,Open tuned Guitar, etc - only criteria being that what's submitted is either folk (in its broadest sense), an instumant technique lesson, or an original tune?

I know there are TAB forums out there, but they're either devoted to a single instrument or not folk oriented, or worse; both.

I think folk oriented multi-instment TABs would be a nice and useful addition to the forum.

What do you think?

Wrinkles