Chords/TAB in the Digital Tradition

Subject: RE: Chords/TAB in the Digital Tradition
From: MMario
Date: 21 Nov 06 - 04:22 PM

Something that drove me crazy when I first started to visit the 'cat - lyrics would be posted and requests for chords would flood in - but everyone assumed you knew the tune!!!!

and yes - by the time you consider variants in lyrics, chords, etc - each DT entry would either have to be multiplied several times or so annotated that they would become incomprehensible.

But I also get fascinated by people discussing the difference in chords for a particular song and why they use this that or the other.

Subject: RE: Chords/TAB in the Digital Tradition
From: Big Mick
Date: 21 Nov 06 - 04:18 PM

I don't see a thing wrong with chord/TAB request threads. It is natural, especially for newer players. I don't think they should be incorporated in the Digital Tradition, but a thread here asking for the help certainly doesn't hurt a thing. And many of us that can "pull" the chords don't mind assisting.

To those that think they ought to be in the DT, I don't think you are thinking it through. It would be a massive job, to insert this stuff, never mind the keys or the arrangements. A thread is a good place for that discussion.

Mick

Subject: RE: Chords/TAB in the Digital Tradition
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Nov 06 - 04:11 PM

Hmmm. How is it that I sound other than myself? I guess I have to admit that I get annoyed by chords threads, and more annoyed by requests that chords and tab be in the DT. The Barring of the Door chords request thread is a good example - invariably, chords request people fail to recognize that there may be more than one version of a song.
And people who post chords seem to have no idea that people might actually be interesting in knowing the lyrics to a song.
And people who play guitar sometimes fail to want to hear people sing more than two verses of a song, but they want 16 instrumental breaks....
Bitch, bitch, bitch....
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Chords in the Digital Tradition
From: MMario
Date: 21 Nov 06 - 01:18 PM

Joe, Joe, Joe! You begin to sound like someone other then yourself...

Of course there are opinions regarding whether chords or tab should be in the DT.

Dick decided against it as a general practice - and gave some pretty good rationale for his choice (in my opinion).

But in the long run - it's *his* choice.

Subject: Chords in the Digital Tradition
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Nov 06 - 01:14 PM

Here's a post from another thread:

Subject: Chord Req: Harris and the mare
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Nov 06 - 09:53 AM

Can anyone give me the chords to this Stan Rogers song. This song does not seem to be represented on any of the tab pages on the internet. Have we ever discussed adding chords to songs in the digitrad collection?

I think there's been discussion of this subject before, but I couldn't find it. There are chords for some songs in the DT, but not many. Dick Greenhaus prefers to collect the melodies for songs, and let guitarists work out their own guitar arrangements.

There are lots of chords in the threads, and some of the chords discussions turn into interesting explorations of various ways to present a song. I don't play guitar, so I dont have any desire to see chords in the DT. The one thing I'd like is to be able to see the complete song WITHOUT the chords, instead of posting the first verse with chords - the first verse and chorus with chords can be posted again at the beginning or end of the message. Song postings without chords are much easier to work with.

Another thing - if you're looking for chords for a song, please be sure that the lyrics have already been posted. If they haven't, please include them in your chords thread.

Anyhow, are there opinions on whether there should be chords or tab in the DT?

I'm against it. I think it's better to use Mudcat to supplement the DT with chords and discussion and background information.

-Joe-