h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

True - I reckon that's one of the best entries I've been involved with...

Okay, I have just added a bit about harmonics. I am finding I am forgetting a few things. If anyone can think of something I have forgotten please let me know...

Well... you might make the business of timing a bit clearer. For instance, if you're in 4/4, and a bar has five notes in it, how do you tell if it is crotchet, crotchet, quaver, quaver, crotchet or one of the other possible variations? (that's quarter, quarter, eighth eighth, quarter for our American friends, I think)

You show a bar with some symbols under it (good), but not how they are used (less good). I think I know, but then I have been playing since approximately the fourteenth century myself, so I ought to...

Crotchets? Quavers? That really confused me for a second. But we're okay now.

Guitar tabs don't have bar/beat markings, only drums. And if that's not what you mean, I really don't know what you're talking about. Sorry.

As the Entry says, there are guitar tabs that try to show how long a note is by the distance between the symbols, but that's not generally the point of tab. You listen to the music to work out what it sounds like, how long the notes are, etc., then look at the tab to see where to put your fingers on the fretboard. If you want to be able to play a piece of music without being familiar with it or without a recording to refer to, you're probably stuck with with using 'real' sheet music

Yes...isn't that what the entry already says?

As far as I can see, yes!

All true up to a point, and if you're happy to use tab just to simplify the business of working out something you've heard, fine. On the other hand, lots of guitar tab uses 'tails' to the numbers to signify note length just like 'real' notation does, and you can use this kind of tab to play stuff you've never actually heard. Maybe this goes beyond the scope of your entry.

Yeah - I don't want to get too complicated. Although I've never seen guitar tabs with note lengths, just drum tabs.

Fair enough. And congratulations on tackling this subject in a medium without any sound clips or real pictures - nice work. I'm all in favour of ANYTHING that spreads the guitar word!

"What tabs will NOT tell you:

* Durations of the notes, unless beat markings are given, which they usually are."

If beat markings are usually given, then shouldn't this be under what the tabs will tell you (unless beat markings aren't given, which is rare)?

Well this is so true.

Furthermore, tablature has a long (400 year) and honourable tradition, and the earliest tabs did show note lengths. It is unnecessary to show them if you know the tune or have a recording, so they are now often left out.

An, from a few posts back, "lots of guitar tab uses 'tails' to the numbers to signify note length just like 'real' notation does" . . . tablature *is* real notation. The other kind is called staff notation. They are equally valid, each has its advantages but neither is more real than the other .

Okay, I fixed it. Dumb mistake on my part; sorry, guys.

Thanks. By the way I wasn't counting well when I said fretted-instrument tablature has a 400-year history; make that 500.

Hmmm. I really like this Entry, but I am about to make a heretic comment:

I think it would it be better to write separate Entries on drum- and guitar- tablature (Both chapters are presently quite good to stand for themselves). Why? Well, because:

A) A complete Entry on tablatures should then also contain bass, violin and leave space for any other kind of tablature (dunno, IIRC Banjo and Accordeon also have a tablature-ish notation), and not just be limited to guitar and drum.

B) Technically the Guitar Entry would be the replace for the current Edited Entry (consider giving the original Authors credit?). The Drum Entry would be something new.

What do you think?

HELL

I think that's a pretty good idea, except bass tabs are the same as guitar tabs. I don't really know anything about the other kinds of tabs (violin/accordion etc.), so we could leave that for other people. Okay, so, all in favor of splitting the entry?

Of course. Call this Guitar Tablature. There is also room for one on lute tablature (Italian, French and Spanish).

Done - A2981216 is drums; A2604124 is guitars.

Cool!

The first section would be better called 'Guitar Tablatures' (drop the Bass - you mention that the principle is the same, but this section is not giving any bass example anyways). In fact there are some special things about bass notation, or tablature, for example, in bass notation there is more emphasis on the rhythm (understandably) and there are the slap things, which you normally don't do on guitars.

HELL

PS: BTW; I've never seen five-string bass notation, or 7-string guitar tablature? Do these exist?

Oh yes, indeed. Wherever there is an alternate tuning there is a different tab. For instance:

G |---
D |---
A |---
E |---
B |---

is used for 5-string basses. You could also use alternate tunings like this:

D#|---
A#|---
F |---
C |---

(I was really tempted to use bass tabs for all the examples; they're smaller and I play bass primarily.)