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Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed

16 Aug 01 - 06:57 PM (#529697)
Subject: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: JohnInKansas

My S.O. is attempting to compile her own song book, and has been doing a slash & burn trip through all kinds of web sites - and thoroughly trashing my carefully indexed library of music books. This is keeping her off the streets and out of trouble, so it's not a problem.

My problem is that when she can't find a midi (which her program makes into notes) or a standard score that she can copy into her print program, I get tasked to "translate."

I've worked out translations for harmonica tab, and abc etc is do-able, but I've run into some guitar tab that I can't read. The problem scripts come mostly from "vanity" sites, where people have posted their own stuff with no info on what their "pet" notations mean. These may be "standard" but they ain't in any of my refs.

Example, if I can get this to stick together when I post it:

    

                G
  +-------------+----------------+------------------+
  ¦-------------¦----------------¦---0--------------¦
  ¦----4:-------¦-0---0----------¦-3---0----0-----0-¦
  ¦----4:--0--2-¦----^5--2-0---0-¦-------3----1h2---¦
  ¦-------------¦------------2---¦------------------¦
  +-------------+----------------+------------------+
           q  q   q   q  e e e e   e e e e  e e+e e  

I've got that the "G" above the string diag is a chord name.

The "1h2" I presume is fret 1, hammer-on to 2. There are also a couple of "pulloffs" notated as "3p2" etc.

Can anyone tell me:

.....if the ":" on "4:" in the first measure has a conventional meaning?

.....what the "^" on "^5" might signify?

.....what the "q" and "e" notations (and the "e+e") at the bottom might mean?

Thanks for any help.

John

16 Aug 01 - 08:56 PM (#529779)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: IvanB

The q's and e's are just quarter notes and eighth notes respectively. On the rest of them, you've got me.

16 Aug 01 - 09:01 PM (#529784)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: Chicken Charlie

This is in 4/4 time judging by the q's and e's. Is the 4: 4: just a way of saying that? That would be my guess, that it's a conventional time signature.

CC

(And here I was just bemoaning the fact that I never get in on threads until all the good stuff has been said twice. Then Spaw rags on me if I repeat. [Joke!!])

16 Aug 01 - 10:14 PM (#529823)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: Charcloth

I wonder if the ^ means that you are to choke the note?

16 Aug 01 - 10:15 PM (#529824)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: JohnInKansas

Sounds reasonable enough to me. The tab was strange enough that I wasn't able to make much of a melody out to try to "fit" stuff.
That leaves the caron "^," which I'm gonna assume for now is a "bend(?)".

Thanks guys & gals

John

16 Aug 01 - 10:20 PM (#529827)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: JohnInKansas

Charcloth

Your post came up while I was writing mine. I'll see if I can maybe tell about the ^ from the tune(s) when I get some more of them fingered out.

The SO is working mainly old-timey Country (from back when it was called hillbilly), so the nuances probably don't make a lot of difference for her purposes.

Thanks all

John

16 Aug 01 - 11:24 PM (#529851)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: John Hardly

The "^" is a bend into a doubled up G note (probably assuming a start on the fifth fret and bending to the pitch of the fifth fret--G)

16 Aug 01 - 11:25 PM (#529852)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: John Hardly

sorry. meant to say starting at the fourth fret and bending to the pitch of the fifth fret

16 Aug 01 - 11:31 PM (#529856)
Subject: RE: Help: Guitar Tab Translator needed
From: JohnInKansas

Thanks John Hardly

My SO does sometimes play in-between notes on her lap dulcimer, but I don't think you can really call it a bend.

And her other main instrument is a squeeze box.

I'll probably just fake it on the bend.

John