Classical Tablature

**JimBobWay** · 03-06-2010, 03:28 PM

For those here who also play Classical guitar, this site has quite a selection of tabs: Classical Guitar Tablature Like most similar sites, there is a lot of dreck but it's worth wading through. Some of the arrangements are quite well done (e.g. Villa-Lobos preludes; some of the Andrew York; much of the Bach; Giuliani..). It's a great resource for expanding your repertoire even if you don't sight read as well as John Williams. Enjoy!

**mr. beaumont** · 03-07-2010, 11:12 PM

classical music in tab...what's next, the sopranos edited on A&E?

**FatJeff** · 03-08-2010, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

classical music in tab...what's next, the sopranos edited on A&E?

LOL

The use of tablature for me is limited to only those situations where I'm writing out licks or transcriptions, and I want to quickly notate the best fingering for playing it.

When I was playing mostly classical a few years ago, the only tablature I ever looked at was old lute tablature. My teachers would have shot me if I had asked for tab.

That said, there's nothing wrong with opening up the beautiful world of CG to casual guitarists who can't read. Those of them who get into it enough will soon realize the folly of their ways.

**mr. beaumont** · 03-08-2010, 12:57 PM

very true--i was kidding mostly, considering that old lute music was the original TAB!

but, boy do i try to keep that a secret from my students!

**randalljazz** · 03-09-2010, 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

very true--i was kidding mostly, considering that old lute music was the original TAB!

but, boy do i try to keep that a secret from my students!

nah, just let 'em have at it!

http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/tab...s/warsaw3a.pdf

**Sailor** · 03-14-2010, 09:26 PM

Ha! Can't believe I missed this thread...Oh No!! Classical TABS!!! What hath God wrought??

I would never go there with my students either. (It is true though...lute music was in TAB and keyboard music was only partially written...figured bass in their own numerical TAB).

Please learn to read notes...TABS take just as long and are VERY limiting!!

Sailor

**FatJeff** · 03-14-2010, 09:51 PM

I use tab very rarely - typically when I'm trying to quickly notate fingerings for licks I'm figuring out. They pretty much suck for everything else.

**Sailor** · 03-14-2010, 10:10 PM

Yeah Brother...me too!

**JimBobWay** · 03-17-2010, 09:48 PM

I respect your sentiments. "Classical Tab" is as ironic as "Jazz Snob", no? I learned by ear for many years before learning standard notation, which I prefer to tab (and definitely to the late great Ted Green's chord diagrams!

). A lot of youngsters only know tab, so I use it as a gateway to expand their musical experience. I also know fantastic musicians who can't read standard notation; there are no secrets, really.

**lulallay** · 03-23-2010, 03:53 PM

For classical stuff :scores ,partituras
for long jazz modes and of course flamenco: quality tablatures

**jack_gvr** · 03-30-2010, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by randalljazz

nah, just let 'em have at it!

http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/tab...s/warsaw3a.pdf

Thanks for the Weiss Suite, Randall, I'll save that for a rainy day! (afraid I don't have a theorbo, but I can decipher it as necessary...)

In any case, to read music in whatever form, you are dependent on someone else to write it for you. Since all of the 19th and 20th century classical guitar literature is in staff notation, if you want to access it, you learn to read it. The contrary is true for the lute repertory from 1500 to 1750 -- you can find tons of tablature online, but not a whole lot of staff notation except for the real obvious stuff. I recently found Rob McKillop's complete re-intabulation of Milan's "El Mastro", and started reading the tab direct, capo 3rd fret, 3rd string dropped a half step. How beautiful! And you would never know it by playing a guitar transcription, all clunky down a third in guitar tuning. So this is not necessarily a cut and dried issue.

If you were going to study ancient Chinese poetry, you might want to learn to read Chinese. Or you can read a translation... but has anybody translated it for you already? With regard to the classical guitar literature, if you are going to limit yourself to what's been already provided for you in TAB, well, whatever. You're getting a filtered version, which may not matter to you... Enjoy.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 03-30-2010, 05:13 PM

BTW, can anybody help me with my theorbo. It's a little neck heavy, :lol:

**jack_gvr** · 03-30-2010, 05:22 PM

Hold still right there, Big Daddy, I'll get the Sawzall!

**randalljazz** · 03-31-2010, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by jack_gvr

Thanks for the Weiss Suite, Randall, I'll save that for a rainy day! (afraid I don't have a theorbo, but I can decipher it as necessary...)

In any case, to read music in whatever form, you are dependent on someone else to write it for you. Since all of the 19th and 20th century classical guitar literature is in staff notation, if you want to access it, you learn to read it. The contrary is true for the lute repertory from 1500 to 1750 -- you can find tons of tablature online, but not a whole lot of staff notation except for the real obvious stuff. I recently found Rob McKillop's complete re-intabulation of Milan's "El Mastro", and started reading the tab direct, capo 3rd fret, 3rd string dropped a half step. How beautiful! And you would never know it by playing a guitar transcription, all clunky down a third in guitar tuning. So this is not necessarily a cut and dried issue.

If you were going to study ancient Chinese poetry, you might want to learn to read Chinese. Or you can read a translation... but has anybody translated it for you already? With regard to the classical guitar literature, if you are going to limit yourself to what's been already provided for you in TAB, well, whatever. You're getting a filtered version, which may not matter to you... Enjoy.

well, you might like the sound of it played on the third fret (i used to capo three and play the sor study #1, segovia collection, in E-flat actual pitch--sounds very cool)...

...but the vihuela had a scale length between 720 and 798 mm, considerably longer than the guitar, so one must assume the actual pitch rather lower...

**jack_gvr** · 03-31-2010, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by randalljazz

...
...but the vihuela had a scale length between 720 and 798 mm, considerably longer than the guitar, so one must assume the actual pitch rather lower...

Here are some currently offered for sale: (no long-scale ones are listed here)

Lutes for Sale

VIHUELA DE MANO by Carlos Michelutti
-Basic Vihuela features: G 440, 59cm string length,...

Viola da mano. 6 c. 57 cm string length. Made in 2009 by Martin Haycock...

Vihuela for Sale. Flat-back Vihuela de Mano by Alexander Batov. 6 Courses, string length 56cm....

**randalljazz** · 03-31-2010, 06:29 PM

modern repros. early vihuelas came in various sizes. only three survive. here is one:

The Musée Jacquemart-Andrée 'Guadalupe' vihuela
This instrument – which has no label or other identifying marks, save for the word 'GVADALVPE' branded on the bass edge of its pegbox – has been known to scholars, makers and players for several decades, since it came to light early in the twentieth Century. It is a large instrument, with a string length 0f 798mm (measured from the marks of the six-course bridge it was originally fitted with) and probably represents a guild examination masterpiece. Conservation work by Pierre Abondance in 1978 was the first time the instrument had been worked on by a skilled modern restorer, and Pierre thankfully provided the rest of us with splendid drawings of the instrument at the same time.

i would venture a guess that the smaller sizes were for the young ladies at court to play the chords accompanying themselves for their villancicos.

**jack_gvr** · 04-01-2010, 11:10 AM

Thanks for the input, Randall. I have no grounds for refuting the idea that a string length of 720c+ may have been standard for the vihuela. Really, I don't play it, and am not a historical expert... so I can certainly accept this at face value and do some research (i.e, Google it!) - which I will do some more of. (Merely to state that "there ain't no such animal" would be lame...)

But I will say that it stretches my belief - not to say my hand. Do you play, or have you, personally, played such an instrument?

For instance, in the first few pages of "El Maestro", Milan calls for fingering what would -- on the guitar -- be an F major chord thus:

XX3X15

This is a stretch for me on a 650 scale, gets tougher on a 660...
whereas at about 630 or less it would be routine...
(and where I have found such positions in the 19th century literature I have always assumed a shorter scale rather than a huger hand)
so I scratch my head over your comment. There are a lot of pics and videos of folks like Rob McKillop playing what look like pretty short scale instruments.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 05-05-2010, 12:55 PM

On a related note... on another guitar forum (the Telecaster forum) there was a thread inviting people to post "cool-sounding chords you fell in love with". A couple people posted fingerings and wrote something like "I have no idea what this chord is". One of these chords was just an E major seventh chord. The poster thought it was "some kind of E minor" chord. When I pointed out what it really was, he relied sheepishly: well, major/minor, I'm not into theory.

I didn't respond, but I thought, well ...

**S_R_S5** · 05-07-2010, 12:57 AM

Classical tabs... Bahaha =D Sorry

Anyways Major/Minor, I would let him think it was minor and let him sound bad. haha maybe thats why I don't like teaching?