The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm a sort of newbie to the tab world and after looking a number of tabs and becoming mystified, I have a question.

Why are tabs not blocked off in measures without time or key signatures and usually lack chord notation? (I mean if someone had to learn a song they didn't know, how could they ever do it with JUST tab notation?)

I'm just learning the lap steel (C6th) and find I only want to work with tab that has the accompanying standard musical notation -- even if it's just the melody line.

Inquiring minds want to know! (And I posted this here as I didn't see any other clear place to post it, and this is where I hang out mostly!)

Clair,
Your complaints are justified. That's what I disliked about most tabs; the lack of measures, notation, chords, etc.
I don't write tab for non-pedal steel but here is an example of how I write tabs:

Clair Dunn wrote:. . . Why are tabs not blocked off in measures without time or key signatures and usually lack chord notation? . . .

FWIW, as far as I am concerned, that sort of thing is basically totally unacceptable. I don't know what's out there on the web for free, but if you're willing to spend a few bucks, there are books with good notation available. One is Basic C6th Nonpedal Lap Steel Method by DeWitt Scott. All examples and exercises include standard notation and chord names as well as the tab. You can get a copy from b0b here at the Forum: http://steelguitarmusic.com/instruction/nonpedal.html or, of course, from the bookstore of your choice. HTH.

Clair Dunn wrote:
Why are tabs not blocked off in measures without time or key signatures and usually lack chord notation? (I mean if someone had to learn a song they didn't know, how could they ever do it with JUST tab notation?)

The best tab courses I've used include the chords and are accompanied by a recording of the tab part and also a rhythm track. Your right though about learnin an unfamiliar song. It would be almost impossible.

I use a program called TablEdit for both lap steel and 10-string pedal steel. It's not easy to use, but it produces nice results. You can download a free demo at www.tabledit.com

Listen to the mp3 ---> CLICK HERE

The printed music for standard guitar that I've seen is all transposed up an octave from what is played, which avoids all those descending ledger lines when using treble clef. From what I can tell, some of the examples here are transposed up and some are not.

Of the printed material for steel that you have seen, has it been transposed up an octave?

I've played three instruments that all sounded (partially) in the same range, and one was notated in bass clef (trombone), one was transposed up an octave (guitar) and notated on treble clef, and the music I get from my steel teacher is not transposed and is notated in treble clef, so it has up to five descending ledger lines.

Thanks all for clearing this up -- and I do have the DeWitt book and several others -- either just notation or both -- but a number of things I've checked on the web have been "tab only"; hence my question.

I'm glad to learn that "as a rule" folks prefer both!

And, BTW, I wasn't complaining, just really curious.

Thanks again.
SGF = best place for answers!

We've probably ordered several of the same books, Clair. The best money I spent was on Doug Beaumier's book of C6 tabs.

As well, lots of free stuff to be found on the Forum...

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=169298

Clair, if you go to the "Sticky" at the top of this section of the forum and click the link you'll see ALL the lap steel tab posted on the forum..

Here is some of mine..

1/ Sweet Georgia Brown C6th
2/ Underneath an Island Moon C6/A7th
3/ Always Late 1951 intro A6th
4/ San Antonio Rose C6th
5/ Little Heaven of the Seven seas C6/A7th
6/ Sleepy Lagoon C6th
7/ Goodbye Hawaii E13th
8/ Sand B11th
9/ It Happened on the Beach at Bali Bali C6th
10/ Mapuana B11th
11/ Sleep Walk E13th
12/ The Moon of Manakoora E6th
13/ Adventures in Paradise E13th
14/ Keli Manu Waltz C6/A7th
15/ Moon over Miami (Backing practise) E13th
16/ Sophisticted Hula C6/A7th

This would be MY preferred way of posting Tab...






And samples of various versions to help a little..

1. Sophisticated Hula original
2. Sophisticated Hula original chords
3. Sophisticated Hula original chords
4. Sophisticated Hula original chords
5. Sophisticated Hula original chords
6. Sophisticated Hula wrong chords
7. Sophisticated Hula wrong again
8. Sophisticated Hula ditto
9. Sophisticated Hula altered again
10. Sophisticated Hula wrong chords AND Altered melody

Peter, thanks for your kind comments my book/CD. Much appreciated!

Clair, the most valuable TAB you will ever find is the one you write yourself.

David - et al.

Yes, indeed. I look forward to the day when I feel capable of writing tab -- it will come. But for now I rely on others to learn. I'm also working on re-learning a bit of bass --- I was moving right along a few years ago when I began to have serious trouble with my left hand (bones and muscles). THAT's when I acquired my Magnatone- no muscle or bone troubles with a lap steel. Then, just after I got so San Antonio Rose on the steel was recognizable to others I had to devote all time to earning a living.

Now I'm back at the steel with a vengeance and a little of the bass, just because I love it so.

I first saw tab about 15 years ago when my step-son was messing with a guitar -- (not very seriously) but I questioned him about the tab (no notation at all). I shrugged it off as being sort of a dead end. Now I see it as a valuable learning tool, BUT, only if accompanied by notation.

Cheers all -- and maybe this is the day my National Dynamic arrives. Fingers crossed.

I'd like to share an additional one:
Wiki Wiki

was surprised to learn that this version is by a czechoslowakian group, with Vaclav Kucera as leader & steel guitarist. (I believed that it was an indonesian group)
What about the Hawaiian lyrics? Did they make 'em up? (seem to be quite different from those on Amy Gillioms "Nostalgia" CD - which is fairly new to me, I only heard the samples on mele.com)

Rainer, that's most interesting.
Wiki Wiki

Strange thing is that the link I've just done is formatted identically to yours. so why the discrepancy ? It puzzles me..
Ah I see now :-
http://www.bitel.net/bggd3297ej/assets/ ... 20Wiki.mp3
a gap between letters is "% and 20"

FWIW -- %20 is a space character.

So if I searched for "blah blah" it would be fed to the search process as "blah%20blah"

Clair

Not to be contrary, but if a member here had written out TAB for a song he figured out without the things you mentioned (time and key signatures, chords, accurate timing) I would be very grateful for what he did write up. Especially if it was a song that I was trying to figure out myself. At least for me, I need to hear the song- just reading the sheet music (even the proper kind) is not enough.

Of course, if it was presented as a finished product (and not just notes jotted down) I would certainly want it nicely formatted, like the samples posted in this thread.

Thanks for bringing up this topic!

Steve Ahola

P.S. So why does most TAB paper have only 6 lines? I wish it had 6 lines so that you could write between the lines, not on the lines.