What's with Steel tab?

Phil Halton · Post by **Phil Halton** » 27 Aug 2007 3:20 pm

I've been reading and writing tab for decades(banjo and guitar) and this is the first time I've run across tab without any rhythmic markings. It's got the strings, the fret numbers, the effect markings (pedals slides etc), but nothing to indicate rhythm. How are you supposed to know if its quarter notes, whole, half etc? Some I've seen doesn't even give measure lines. I don't get it.

Is this just to keep the complexity factor of playing the steel alive? If it is, then it's working!

Keith Wells · Post by **Keith Wells** » 27 Aug 2007 6:09 pm

Hi Phil,

You really need to know the tune to take advantage of the tab. (or music notation, or better yet, both)

Some steel tabs do use various schemes to show the rythym, but usually the tab is not meant as a replacement for music notation.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 27 Aug 2007 6:11 pm

Phil>>> steel guitar tab is strictly a road map, showing which strings and fret, etc. To play tab, you have to either know the song, or have the recording available. I agree, timing can not be discerned from steel tab. But even if the timing could be discerned, you would still have to know the tune, IMO

Phil Halton · Post by **Phil Halton** » 27 Aug 2007 6:54 pm

If you think about it for a moment, you'll see that its just a matter of putting note stems on the various notes of the tab to indicate the rhytmic content of the music. In some banjo tab for example, a simple rhythmic system marks each measure with spaces for eight eighth notes, and if, say, there are two half notes in the measure then the first and fifth stem are marked for the fret#'s of the half notes while the other stems either have X's or no markings on them. In fact, there's no reason why standard notation can't be used in terms of the rhythm. You're just putting fret numbers on the stems instead of staff notes.

So, saying there's really no way to accurately reflect the rhythmic content of notes in steel tab, or that you really need the recording to know how the tune goes, just doesn't wash. I saw a primitive system of rhythm markings in Jeff Newman's tabs, he put little hash marks under the notes-1 hash mark for every beat (4 beats per measure). That at least gave some indication of the timing of a piece--primitive as it was.

So, I still don't get why steel tab is like this. Especially since Bill Keith co-authored the Winston book and didn't put in rhythm markings--(scratching my head). I've got reams of tab from and its all marked out rhythmically--what the...

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 27 Aug 2007 7:29 pm

Cuz we don' want any stinkin' instructions, okay?? You got a problem wid dat?

Joe Butcher · Post by **Joe Butcher** » 27 Aug 2007 7:44 pm

This is actually the first time youve encountered tab without rythmic indicators??
$:\$ $:\$
I could point you to countless websites and books that show no rythym value.

Almost every guitar tab I've ever seen has no rythym notation. The assumption is you already know the tune.

The Winnie Winston book comes with a CD (or vinyl, depending on which century you bought it in) You listen to the tune, then you look at the tab.

Whats so hard about that?

Its actually LESS complex this way. Many players dont know how to read music.........rythmically or melodically. BTW, I can read, I can also sight read tab provided I know the tune.

If you didnt get the CD with the Winnie Winston book maybe I can make a copy for you?

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 27 Aug 2007 10:02 pm

Some steel tab does have rhythmic markers.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 28 Aug 2007 8:22 am

I've always written tab on graph paper. A measure is eight horizontal blocks and each is an eighth note. It can be done using Excel or other spreadsheet app and it's easy to read and write rhythms. Triplets are a bit more challenging but can be done pretty easily.

Works for me.

Phil Halton · Post by **Phil Halton** » 28 Aug 2007 8:41 am

[quote="Jim Cohen"]Cuz we don' want any stinkin' instructions, okay?? You got a problem wid dat?[/quote]

Hey Jim, didn't I see you in Rocky III?

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 28 Aug 2007 10:01 am

Here is an option I came up with for Steel Guitar
Music several years ago. It is concise and contains
all the necessary data to play a song with the timing
using the lead note only. The remainder of the notes
for chords is expressed in string numbers. Frets are
indicated above the staff.

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 28 Aug 2007 10:11 am

Here is my sound file to the music above. (Pg 1)
The tuning used here is The Bill Leavitt set up
on strings 2 thru 7. I extended the tuning to 10 strings and added pedals.
You can see the strings activated by pedals/knee
in the music. (+ and -)
http://freefilehosting.net/download/MTY1Mzk=

steve takacs · Post by **steve takacs** » 28 Aug 2007 8:08 pm

Really cool, Roy, but might there be some danger of learning to read music with this notation.

Nice work, steve t

Nic du Toit · Post by **Nic du Toit** » 29 Aug 2007 7:18 am

Just get "Tabledit"......you can set the display, and printout, to show the staff above the tab line.........

Regards,
Nic

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 29 Aug 2007 10:11 am

Just get "Tabledit".

I did

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 29 Aug 2007 10:17 am

For the past four years in our magazine 'Aloha Dream' I've been using Logic Audio to make my tab, but it's long an laborious, the results are OK.

Just get "Tabledit".

So convinced that Tabledit was the way to go and after various recommendations I did just that, looks good but I am wondering just how long it will take for them to mail me the password etc. ?

After paying the asking price I was given the option to download the DEMO version, the DEMO version ISN'T what I paid for !!

Solved, only took a couple of days to get the code..!

Baz

Nic du Toit · Post by **Nic du Toit** » 29 Aug 2007 11:26 am

Basil,
I've sent you some info to your PM box !
Regards,
Nic

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 29 Aug 2007 11:38 am

Phil,
On my gospel tab I always include the notation along with the lyrics. Just the lyrics alone help a lot in getting the timing correct but you can't beat having the notation present also.
I line up my tab with the measures for the notation. It's nice to be able to play a tune but I see nothing wrong with gaining a little knowledge of "music" along the way.

Fred Amendola · Post by **Fred Amendola** » 29 Aug 2007 3:03 pm

I've been using Tabledit for about two years. You write in tab in the correct timing and the standard notation is completed for you. Slides, hammers, pulls, etc. Very powerful.

You can either print or not print the std notation.

Here's a link to a Tabledit sample in one of my posts.
Go to the third link down for the first line of Jimmie Crawford's Pickin Pot Pie to see a Tabledit sample.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=103113

Hope this helps.

Bo Legg · Post by **Bo Legg** » 20 Sep 2007 5:15 pm

basilh

Does anyone have GOOD contact info for those responsible for customer's concerns. My e-mails seem to be going nowhere, although they AREN'T bouncing, they aren't being responded to !

Are you sure you are contacting the right people. I have never had any trouble and they are very prompt and helpful. If you have your order number you can get another key for you tabledit I don't know who your rep is but I contact "Keith G. Saturn" www.tabledit.com/

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 5 Oct 2007 5:25 pm

phil...it's the secret steel guitar cult society thing!!

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