Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

[sweet_lou]

This is very embarrasing but.

I have been taking lessons for one year in Feb. All I have been doing is is exercizing, learning some cords and the minor Pent. scale. I have learned most of Stairway but I understand so has everyone else. :smack:

The problem is I have some kind of learning dissability when it comes to looking at a tab and understanding how to play it. I have been loving music and wanting to play for most of my 55 years. I realize I don't have any natural talent just a real burning desire to play. I get the the greatest pleasure out to doing some improvising with the Pent scale but I really got to learn some songs

I really want to stop focusing on my gear addiction and start/playing songs

My first love would be BB King

So like I said please HELP!!!!!!!!!! :yell:

 

[Davey]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

what do you need exactly?

 

[sweet_lou]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

what do you need exactly?

I want to be able to look at a Tab and have some idea how to play it.

I get the strings and frets but the little notations. I paly the CD, I play what I think I should and it does't ever sound right

I need help in how to understand how to learn/play a tab

 

[Davey]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

lets see if this works.

now, in tabs it's pretty much impossible to do timings, unless you're braking the whole thing down into sections which then kind of follow the drums, but lets leave that.

here's what a tab looks like:

strings from high e to low E - it always looks like this
e|-
B|-
G|-
D|-
A|-
E|-

now for the numbers and how to play em. each number represents the fret 
on which the note is played if it's a 0 it's an open string. you usually have 
an explanation on the top or bottom of the page explaining diferent symbols 
that may appear in the tab (on the good ones anyway)

so, playing an E chord would look like this. if there is no number and just a 
dash, you dont play that string. 
e|----------
B|----------
G|-1--------
D|-2------9-
A|-2------7-would be a power chord
E|-0--------

for a lick or something it usualy looks like this:
e|--------------15----14----|
B|-----15-------------------|
G|-------14-12----14----14--|
D|--12----------------------|
A|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|
it's part of the intro of sweet child of mine. every number tells ya on which 
fret to play on the respectable sting. you have to work out how you'll play it
 yourslef

the tab legend usualy looks like this and this one is pretty detailed

h   - hammer-on
 p   - pull-off
 b   - bend
 pb  - pre-bend
 r   - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
 /\  - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
 s   - legato slide
 S   - shift slide
  - natural harmonic
[n]  - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
 ~   - vibrato
 tr  - trill
 T   - tap
 TP  - trem. picking
 PM  - palm muting
\n/  - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
 \n  - tremolo bar down
 n/  - tremolo bar up
/n\  - tremolo bar inverted dip
 =   - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
   - volume swell (louder/softer)
 x   - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
 o   - on rhythm slash represents single note slash

i hope i didnt confuse you too much
you have to understand that it doesnt tell you HOW to play it, just shows you what to play. you have to figure out the timings and melody by yourself with playing alongside the record

 

[tone4days]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

1) get your instructor to thoroughly explain tabs to you .. if he can't, get another instructor ...

2) tabs work best if you have a decent ear ... it will help with the timing / rhythmic value of notes ... try not to worry about all the extra little squiggles for vibrato and harmonics and dive bomb stuff ... just be all about the notes and use your ear to fill in the rest ... you'll be able to tell when it should be a bend or a slide or a hammer on or a pull off just by listening ... stay with easy stuff first ...

3) you have to be able to blend what the tabs says with 'common sense / experience' when figuring out which fingers to use .. it is rare that tab will tell you which fingers to use - it only tells you which frets to play .. so experiment some

4) to start playing songs, instead of just exercises and scales my only advice is 'just do it' ... you probably want to either stay strictly rhythm (e.g. playing the chords of the songs) or try a blend of rhythm and lead (e.g. learning solos and improvising your own) ... for me, i started by getting some Beatles guitar music and strumming the chords (and singing along) ... after i got through a few dozen of my favorite Beatles tunes, i started learning other bands' songs by ear by figuring out the chords .. i did this mostly by picking out the bass note by ear (and scratching a lot of vinyl ) and making the chords that went along with them ... do you know barre chords? if not, learn the major and minor bar chord forms (then add in minor 7th, major 7th, and 7th) ... go slow at first and make the transitions between the chords smooth, without losing the beat .. then you can play it at full apeed after you get it smooth ...
make sure you tap your foot in a steady rhythm too

if you have a passion to do it, that's all you need ... just be dedicated, stop if it hurts, and keep at it ...
good luck
t4d

if you have access to ms-powerpoint and ms-word, i can email you some materials i put together for beginners - PM me your email address and i'd be happy to send em along

 

[sweet_lou]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

Thanks Davey for the info on the codes I will look for the Tabs that have a legend from now on. I am going to print out what you gave me for now.

Hey tone. That was good news bad news but very helpfull I will just chill out on the frustration part. I will be giving your those Ideas a try.

Is there a cd player that will slow it down and still be able to understand the what is going on.

As usual, this is the place thanks again :dance:

Oh yeah anyone know a good source for BB King tabs That is my real first choice. Also the easier ones :smack:

 

[tone4days]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

... Is there a cd player that will slow it down and still be able to understand the what is going on ?:

yup ... this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/241255/

sorry bout the 'good news / bad news' .. let me know if there is any way i can get rid of the bad news part .. i'll help however i can

when i am looking for tabs, i use google ... +"B.B. King" +"tab"

cheers
t4d

 

[sweet_lou]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

yup ... this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/241255/

sorry bout the 'good news / bad news' .. let me know if there is any way i can get rid of the bad news part .. i'll help however i can

when i am looking for tabs, i use google ... +"B.B. King" +"tab"

cheers
t4d

Thanks

The bad news part was the work, it's not your fault. I just WANT IT NOW!!!! :laugh2: :newangel:

I will take you up on that offer

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

Lou, seriously, you MUST download Power Tab Editor! Tabs can be difficult to translate when you hear the guitar playing, but with Power Tab, you open up the little file (less than a second download per tab!) you can browse through the whole tab in standard tab notation, but with the actual sheet style music above it! Extremely easy to use, and now even easier to learn! Once the file is opened, press play, and watch the tab play in real time, all by itself, highlighting the notes in red as it plays - just like the song! Multiple instruments are involved, like Bass and Keyboard! Some tabbers really go further and put drums in it. Like your own backing track, but extremely portable, due to the MIDI format! You can even slow the tempo down to play along at YOUR own speed. With Power Tab, you can and will exercise FULL CONTROL!

Download now!

If you're having trouble opening the song, or just want to configure .ptb files to be opened by PTE (Power Tab Editor) by default, visit my homepage, Fat Ugly Nerd, then simply click Downloads!

Also, you will need the tabs of course! The one and only, main site, for power tabs is http://www.powertabs.net/
Countless tracks to jam along to! This is the ultimate learning device. On the website, there are also LESSONS to build up technique and musical knowledge!

Hope you find what you're looking for, and I'm certain you will with the revolutionary technology in guitar software, Power Tab Editor!

Bee

 

[Davey]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

man, did you get paid for that advert? LOL

 

[Al.C]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

Lou lead is all about playing a melody. When I started playing there was no tab. I would simply play along to sheet music (standard notation) and play the simple melody. Now this really didn't help me when I wanted to copy someone else's solos but it did help ingrain the importance of melody in my playing. You may have noticed in my version of "The Thrill is Gone" that I did not play BB's parts, nor did I play very fast (too old). But there is a little melody to everything, sometimes exactly the original melody, sometimes variations on it. Also all the notes except one tiny phrase come entirely from the Bm pentatonic scale. It 's not about playinig fast all the time, or playing all the notes but fitting them together in "pleasant" phrases that fit to the underlying chords. Try and sing along (even if only in your head) with your playing and you will quickly get a better sense of what notes to play and how they connect to each other. Don't be married to the idea of trying to play someone elses parts exactly. I once read an interview by BB where he said the reason he ended up developing his own style was because when he was young he could never copy other peoples playing very accurately.
Seldom do I ever copy other players' parts exactly - usually I can never get them to sound just right, my own parts usually come out better.
Good luck, remember just have fun.

 

[RiffRaff]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

Lou, youv'e got some good advice here - since you like BB and you know minor and major pents you really only need to listen to some of his songs and jam around finding what sounds good. If you don't know all five pent scales you may want to learn them (it's the same notes with the root in different locations - they will add to the depth of soloing you can do). When you feel more comfortable with tab and picking phrases off records work on Crossroads and some of Clapton's tunes - he's a minor pent player usually using the same two boxes in two octaves (below and above the 12th fret). I use a Tascam disc tracker thingy to pick off licks, it allows the lick to be recorded and looped, speed can be changed.

Another thing, learn your chords, learn inversions - how to play a chord progression without changing your fingering up and down the neck. I took a Robben Ford seminar over the summer - about 20 people were there and everyone was wanking away playing leads - he made them all stop and really stressed how important learning chords is - lead playing is great, great rythmn playing is better. Find some people to jam with also - that's where you put all the stuff you've practiced and find your style and sound.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

Improvising is a bit like learning how to swim ... and it sounds like you've covered the basics. So, now just cannon ball into that big ole pool & shred your son's face off!

 

[sweet_lou]

Re: Somebody help me PLEASE !!!!!!

Great help thanks to all y'all

I will save this thread

Lou