I have considered several important factors for good tab notation conventions, including:
|
|
|
|
| A number name by itself means a draw
note. (Sometimes you'll see a dash '-' before the number.) |
|
3 draw |
| A number followed by a greater than sign
">" means
a blow note. (Sometimes you'll see a + before
the hole number.) |
|
3 blow |
| Each apostrophe ' means a 1/2 step bend. |
3'' 8>' |
3 draw half step bend
3 draw whole step bend 8 blow bend |
| A sharp sign "#" (hashtag) after a number means overbend. |
7# |
6 overblow
7 overdraw |
| A tilde "~" before a number means a dip bend. |
|
smooth bend from 4' to 4 |
| An ampersand "&" between numbers means play them at the same time. |
1>&2>&3> |
octave on 1 and 4 draw
chord on 1, 2, and 3 blow |
| A slash / between numbers means a slur. |
|
2 draw with a little 3 draw |
| A percent % before a number means "tongue slap" the note. |
|
slap the 4 draw |
| Two percents %% between two numbers means "flutter tongue" . |
|
draw 2, 5; flutter on 3, 4 |
| An equal sign = between two numbers means a two hole shake. |
|
shake between 4 and 5 draw |
| A vertical bar "|" separates measures. |
|
1st bar: 2 3, 2nd bar: 3 2 |
| A lower case "v" after a number means
add
vibrato
to the note. Normally this is up to the player.. |
|
3 blow with vibrato |
Here is an example of some tab.
Listen to my version in MP3 format.
verse:
Look at me,
~4 3 2'...
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree,
1 2> 2" 5>.. 5> 6> 5>
4.. 3
2 2>...
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud;
1> 1 2> 2
3
4 4 4 4' 4..
I can't un-der-stand, I get misty just holding your hand. (repeat for
2nd)
4> 3 4> 4
2
3" 3 4> 2> 2> 2'
2
3" 2
Bridge:
You can say that you're leading me on
2 3"
3
4 5>
5
5 5 5...
But it's just what I want you to do.
5> 5 ~6 6>
4
5> 5> 6> 5>
Don't you notice how hopelessly I'm lost,
6> 6
7
8 8> 9>' 9>'
9>' 8> 9>'...
That's why I'm foll-ow-ing you. (DS for 3rd verse)
9>' 9>' 8> 10>"
9>' 8> 8 (fill
for turnaround)
I just wanted to add a couple comments about Jerry Portnoy's rendition of Misty. I heard him do it at SPAH 97, and--despite not being that fond of the song before hand--I was blown away by how great a job that Jerry did. He was so attentive to the details.. rhythmic, pitch--especially on the embarrassingly exposed intermediate bends (3 draw whole step (3") and 2 draw half step (2') bend), and tone (see note with pitch). It's a piece where "the slow" is definitely in evidence, less is more. His tone on the bends was just killer.. very horn like I thought. It's great practice for those intermediate bends because 1)the melody is so well known, you're familiar with what the note must sound like, and 2)the bends are right out there on important sustained notes.. you've got to get them clean and strong and pure. There is also some good work on the top end. The 9 blow bend (9>') is the key note of the melody on the bridge.. you have it hit it without ever getting the unbent 9 blow.. same with the 10 blow whole step bend (10>").. but you go from 9>' to and from 8>, so you've got to keep hitting the 9>' plain, without bending into or out of it.
Presto! That's it! Now you've got tab for any song you can find in MIDI, in any position, for any tuning of harp!
You can even play the MIDI and follow the tab along with the melody as the song plays. This is a great way to learn new songs. There are even options that allow you to color the notes, say making blow notes, draw notes, and bends a different color, making the music easier to read.
AND, you can learn to associate standard notation with the harp tab! This is a super way to learn how to read standard notation, since the harp tab's right there with the music notation. It's also nice because you can get the timing and rhythm information from the standard notation, and use the tab to get the right pitch.
If you don't find the MIDI song you want, you can always go buy a book of sheet music, quickly enter in the melody, then use Melody Assistant to generate the harp tab.
