Continued from the previous message...

In this case a quick email to the author to ask for enlightenment
is the only way forward.
 
 
 
 
 
*********************************************
***  3.0   WRITING TAB - GETTING STARTED  ***
*********************************************
 
 
Perhaps one of the most important things to do before you start
typing up a piece of TAB is to decide exactly how much information
to include in it. The trick is to convey the right amount of 
information in a clear, easily readable form.
 
Questions you can ask yourself are :
 
  - Is the song played using mostly chords ?
 
  - Are there a number of riffs which appear throughout the song ?
 
  - Is there a clear verse/chorus/middle bit structure ?
 
 
By planning ahead a little you should be able to produce a clearly
structured TAB which will not only be easier for others to read, but
also easier for you to type in.
 
There are also choices to be made when deciding what package to use
when typing the TAB in.  All you really need is a simple text editor,
however a mouse-driven editor will probably make things easier.
 
When you start typing in it saves time if you draw out one blank stave 
and then make 8 or 10 copies of these before you start typing in
the fret numbers etc. 
 
If you use a more complicated package like Microsoft Word then
make sure that the characters you use are all the same length.
If an 'm' character is wider than an 'i' character then your TAB
is going to look very strange on another text editor. Choose a font
where all charcters get the same width - Courier usually does the
job.
 
There are also a number of programs available by ftp which were written
specifically to make TAB writing easier. Details of these programs
including ftp addresses are in the 'TABBING MADE EASY' FAQ by John Kean,
along with other useful hints for writing TAB. 
 
 
 
 
*************************************
***  3.1   TO TAB OR NOT TO TAB   ***
*************************************
 
 
If a song can be described well with just chords, then it will be
a lot easier to read and write if you just use the chord shapes, rather
than tab out the chords.
 
BUT - if you do just send in the chords it makes things *much* clearer
if you give the chord shapes as well.
For example, if you wanted to send in Led Zeps 'Gallows Pole' you could 
write:
 
 
Intro :  A7 G/A A7  Am7  Dadd4/A  A7 G/A A7  Am7  Dadd4/A
 
Verse :  A7 G/A A7  Am7  Dadd4/A  A7 G/A A7  Am7  Dadd4/A 
         A7 G/A A7  Am7  Dadd4/A  G   D
         A7 G/A A7  Am7  Dadd4/A  A7 G/A A7  Am7  Dadd4/A
 
 
(You should really have the words underneath as well, but I can't
remember them at the moment !)
 
Now this is OK, but how many people actually know how to play Dadd4/A
off the top of their heads ?
 
What you need to do is include some chord shapes like this :
 
 
EADGBE   EADGBE   EADGBE   EADGBE   EADGBE   EADGBE
x02020   x02010   x04035   320033   xx0232   x0000x 

Continued in the next message...
--- TriToss (tm) Professional 11.0 - #229
---------------