Well of course you need to specify the tuning for tablature.
(Muse will handle *any* tuning, including balalaika where two strings are on
the same pitch and left-handed guitar played right-handed where the treble
string is nearest the ceiling). The only interesting question is "how much
of this, if any, should be encoded in the ABC. I take the position that
where the tablature was entered directly the string or fret should be
recorded. Where it was generated automatically there's no need. Often you
want to give either the program or the player a hint saying "play *this*
note on string 4" and let him/her/it figure the rest out. Rather like
bowing. You don't put a bow direction on every note. And, yes I generate
G;4 for G on string 4.
It could theoretically be input to the tablature generation program but it's
much more likely to be output.
It applies to not just one instrument but to a fairly large family,
including unfretted instruments such as violin.
(guitar, 5 string banjo, tenor banjo, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki,
balalaika, bass guitar, violin, viola, cello, double bass, viola da gamba,
cittern, vihuelha, ud, p'i-p'a, gekkin, sitar, vina, tampura, lute and no
doublt many others).
Laurie
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2002 8:27 PM
Subject: [abcusers] Re: To tell the dancer from the dance
Phil Taylor wrote
>If Laurie wants to write
>something like "^F9S3"e in his music to indicate that the note is to be
played
>at a particular point on the fingerboard I don't see why he shouldn't.
Fingerboard of what instrument? Banjo? Lute? Cittern? Balalaika? Guitar
tuned DADGAD? Players of all these might want to use the same idea and then
you have to specify not just the instrument but the tuning as well. Getting
a wee bit specific. OK, pipers have done the same but at least K:HP says
loud and clear "This is a highland pipe tune" right from the start. If they
are only interested in exchanging tunes between themselves, that's fine. It
doesn't cause problems for anyone else.
More to the point, this subject came up a while ago and Laurie gave an
example of his notation -
>i.e. a3;4 means play the a on the 4th string
claiming precedence for the use of the semicolon over somebody else's
suggested use. The ascii character set is a limited resource so if people
start laying claim to characters for narrow usages we could start running
out. At the time I suggested using the same notation for English concertina
cross fingering and several people were quick to tell me this was a bad
idea.
For those who didn't realise it at the time, I was joking. I would say the
same about u and v for fiddle bowing (and I play fiddle) but it's been done
now so it's too late. [chords] may not be relevant to all instruments but
they are relevant to a great many, not just one.
>I can see that such hints could be
>useful to a program which generated tablature from abc.
If you are simply using it as input for a tablature generation programme
fine, but if you are using it to distribute tunes to fellow musicians
regardless of how they are going to use them they are just more useless
clutter.
Bryan Creer
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