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

This entry is posted here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A539165

This entry tells you how to read guitar tab for those who are'nt familure with it. This entry also tells you how to read chords in Guitar tab.

Very useful information.

BUT... THERE ARE SOME THINGS I MISS:

Notations for:

-Hammer-on and Pull-off
-bend and negative bend
-palm mute
-tapping
-natural and artificial harmonics
-the tempo
(there might be other stuff not mentioned here, you could try looking in the OLGA for the notations.

Greetings, HELL

I seem to remember subbing something similar - http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A442883 - which covers the basics. An advanced guide would be better, using the bits and bobs Hell suggested Anything I can do to help, just ask Until later....
BCNU - Crescent

Thanks, Iam just trying to master tapping in reallife so when i have that mastered i will add it. There are many scales which i could also add as well. Thanks for your suggestions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A511598 - Mnemonic Devices for the Guitarist - is another h2g2 edited guide entry you may like to check out

The list of notes on the frets is a little confusing as you only use sharps.

This isnt neccesary for playing tab and is confusing. If you feel its neccessary I think a graph of the fingerboard/fretboard would work better.

also check any online guitar resources. links to these pages on the site would be great as they are organized with more info on using tab. PLaces like OLGA and guitarnotes are what I have in mind.

This entry needs a little more work before it is ready.

1. There are quite a few misprints. While editors will try and catch all these, it helps if you get the spelling right in the first place:

six line which represent each sting --> six lines which represent each string

you band here --> your band here

mutting --> muting

2. You don't explain how to show an open string in Guitar Tab. Is it 0?

3. The A major pentatonic scale example is totally wrong, if I understand you correctly. Why not give a C major scale, starting on the lowest C? This would be much easier to understand.

4. Barre should be written Barré. You can type the é by holding down Ctrl and Alt and typing e. Alternatively you can hold down Alt and type 0233 on the numeric keypad (providing Num Lock is on).

5. The sentence "Barre chords are simply are chords which are found up and down the fret board." is not correct. Barré chords are chords in which the first finger presses down all six strings. This means that the chord can be played at any fret without changing the fingering pattern.

6. I didn't understand what your table "6th string chords" was intended to represent. You'd better explain it a bit more.

>>>> 4. Barre should be written Barré. You can type the é by holding down Ctrl and Alt and typing e. Alternatively you can hold down Alt and type 0233 on the numeric keypad (providing Num Lock is on).

Or you could just type "é" which would work whatever the readers' character set

What else do you think i should add.

Missing: Mainly -- read my mail above....

Specially or at least:

- BENDS (P-P-Please: They are sooo important)
- TEMPO (P-P-Please!)

You should mention that the order of notes is important. Following:

--------5----------8----------
-----------7---6--------------
------------------------7-----
---5--------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------

is totally different from:

----5-8-----------------------
--------7-6-------------------
--------------7---------------
-----------------5------------
------------------------------
------------------------------

And

Hold................
-----5-8----|-----------------
----------7-|-------------(6)-
----------7-|-----------------
----------5-|-----------------
------------|-----------------
------------|-----------------

See?

(Have you looked into OLGA by the way?)

Apart from that, I think that this is very useful information and definetly MUST (when it's finished) go into the guide.

Suggestion:
Perhaps you could add the notes to familiar little tunes (e.g 'Popeye the sailor man') or a famous riff (e.g. 'Shine on you crazy diamond' to finalize the entry)

BTW: Shine on riff:

Let Ring............................ --------------------0--|-----------------|
----------6------------|-----------------|
---------------0-------|-----------------|
------8----------------|-----------------|
-----------------------|-----------------|
-----------------------|-----------------|

Cheers,

HELL

OOPS sometimes it might be displayed oddly:

The Shine on riff:

Let Ring............................
--------------------0--|-----------------|
----------6------------|-----------------|
---------------0-------|-----------------|
------8----------------|-----------------|
-----------------------|-----------------|
-----------------------|-----------------|

Cheers,

HELL

Tab needs to be displayed in a fixed width font. Is there any way to do this in guideML?

It depends on your browser's settings

I think the official way to produce fixed width font is to use and . Unfortunately this does not work in Netscape, so we will end up with an entry which is only viewable in Internet Explorer.

O yea, that's right. In Netsacape you will have to go to the preferences and install an appropriate fixed width font. (Maybe there should be a warning or a remark in the entry pointing to this 'problem')

A propos fixed witdth font: Worked fine with me (Used...umm, wait a minute...courier new)

Bye.

HELL

om thanks but will i be aloud to add famous riffs e.g a whole lotta love by Led Zeppelin or Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. Will i just be aloud?

If I understand your explanation right, then the following is the tab for an A major pentatonic scale:

e ---------------------5--------------
B -----------------5-7----------------
G -------------4-6--------------------
D ---------4-7------------------------
A -----4-8----------------------------
E -5-7--------------------------------

and the following is the chord A major (Barre)

e -5----
B -5----
G -6----
D -7----
A -7----
E -5----

You could also use the element.

You might note have noticed, the previous posting was in reply to another one. I meant, can be used to make a font fixed width.

On the subject of copyright and the reproduction of riffs, I don't think there should be any problem. You're allowed quote from copyright works for the purpose of illustration. For example, you can quote a line from a poem without infringing copyright. What you can't do is to reproduce the entire poem. I think the same should apply to a riff from a rock number: you can't publish the entire number in tab format, but there should be no problem quoting a single line (such as the Beatles "Day Tripper" riff) for illustrative purposes.

This is only my opinion as a h2g2 user.