How Come Very Little Tab For Gospel Songs for Non Pedal

Will Brown · From: Oklahoma, USA

I was wondering how come you can get tab for all other types of music. But very little for Gospel Or Hymn music. Now I know you can find a few classic gospel songs in tab. But I mean how come not a really good source of tab for non pedal players. It looks to me like this would be a good way for some one who knows how to transpose music to tap for non pedal to make a little extra income. but I was just wondering how come there isn't more avabile for non pedal people thanks

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I do a lot of tabbing of gospel music for the E9th pedal tuning.
That tuning is pretty well established and standardized.
I play gospel music on non-pedal steel but the problem with tabbing out that music is that there are SO many different tunings I wouldn't know where to start. Very Happy

Erv

Will Brown · From: Oklahoma, USA

Erv I understand that to a point. But all in all how come say for instants we use the C6th tuning that seems to be for the most part the tuning most people use the most for non pedal I just think its hard to belive you cant find more sheet music tab books etc with a extensive arrary of gospel music avabile why hardly any of the teaching book companys etc don't publish any to speak of. that's all I am trying to say.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Publishing companies appeal to their audiences and the audience that wants gospel music for steel guitar is very small. Sad

Erv

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

Will, what tuning do you want tab in?
and what songs? I may be able to help a bit.
Although I believe that after some amount of time a non-pedal steel player with practice and God's help could learn to play any Gospel song by ear and make their own tab if needed.

I'd just follow the chord changes, and hunt for the melody note within the chord. Sometimes the note will be found a fret or 2 away from the chord position.

Smile

Dom Franco
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David DeLoach · From: Tennessee, USA

I was watching the newer TRUE GRIT movie last night and LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS got stuck in my head after hearing in the film. I worked up a pretty nice arrangement for that tune in Leavitt tuning. I was surprised how nice that hymn sounded in that tuning.

David DeLoach · From: Tennessee, USA

Here you go...just put it into Sibelius.

When I sang this arrangement back to myself, I realized I'd left 8 bars out of the form of the song. I've added those in my post below...[/i]

Alex Shi · From: Taiwan

Here is one

https://www.lwtstreaming.com/programs/softly-and-tenderly-c6-lap-steel

David DeLoach · From: Tennessee, USA

When I sang back my arrangement of Leaning On The Everlasting Arms, I realized I'd left out 8 bars in the form of the song. So I've added those in the arrangement below (and added the chord symbols).

Brad Davis · From: Texas, USA

I think I had a beginner book or tab that had Amazing Grace somewhere. But I played in church all my life, and even as hymns have fallen silent and out of favor I have a huge library of those melodies in my head. Sometimes I don't really know all the words, but I know the music through and through. Whether C6, E6 or A6 I've been able to work out dozens of such songs by ear, which is how I've almost always played them on other instruments anyway. With the sustain and a little reverb the steel can have an amazingly reverent, even somewhat organ-like sound for sacred material. My arrangements are probably far from the best. I could tab out some of them easily enough, I just can't get in much of a hurry about it with life and work and all.

But to your question, there is scant officially published C6 music in general. Mel Bay and HL have a few token offerings of varying quality, and there are a few forum members who publish more or less independently to supplement the community with additional materials. It's a tiny tiny market for such sheet music. For better or worse lap steel is mostly considered an archaic instrument and playing it is almost a lost art. It would probably be nice if someone wanted to tab out a lot of old hymns, and they could maybe even get it published. But it wouldn't sell a lot.

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

Will,

Have you considered just learning standard music notation? No more tab worries.
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Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Will,
What tuning are you using?
Erv

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Once in a while my daughter and I play together in church.
To keep it simple, I play a Weissenborn tuned to A, high bass, and my daughter plays an autoharp.

Other times, I set up my pedal steel and together with a guitar slinging buddy of mine we offer up some hymns.
The first time I asked him to accompany me in church, he asked if it was OK for him to play in our church.
I told him we were quite selective in our church, we only allow sinners to attend. Very Happy

Erv

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

This might be a good opportunity to figure it out for yourself. Learn the fretboard, keys and chords, find the notes in the songs and write them down. This will also help you become a better reader/musician for the future and you won't have to depend on someone else for the version you want. JMO.

Russell Taylor · From: Dade City, FL

I also like the sound of the lap steel playing sacred music. Tab is good, but I wanted to work on learning what and where the actual notes were on the neck and also work on learning to sight read. I came up with this simplistic method of transposing the notes to my blank lined sheet in their correct position, by note name.
Beside that, I refer to a diagram of the neck with only whole notes identified, usually in C6, but works with whatever tuning. This way I can also discover alternate ways to play the same passage. The numbers underneath the measures are quick references of fret locations where I found the best way to play the notes. But I sometimes deviate from them. I've done about 40 hymns this way so far, but haven't done any more lately. Another cool thing about it is I find licks and runs buried in the songs that are fun to use in various ways.

Russell Taylor · From: Dade City, FL

When I said I refer to a diagram of the neck indicating where the notes were located, I meant without sharps/flats.

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