Harp Guitar Tablature: In Search of A Standard
By Nate Blaustein
2005
Edited by Gregg Miner
2024
March 2024: Harp guitars continue to be built, tuned and played in many different configurations. Number of sub-basses can vary (not to mention super-trebles), and their tuning can vary widely, often requiring re-stringing when musicians decide to try another tuning. (See Harp Guitar Tunings) On top of that, there is no agreed upon standard notation or tablature system for harp guitars. The options have been widely discussed since the early 2000s, with several options discussed below.
For those lucky enough to have been at HGG3 in Oregon over Labor Day, one of the lectures discussed how to write and annotate for the harp guitar. The topic brought up several problems: different tunings, different numbers of strings, treble banks, sub-basses, etc. I will attempt to re-cap what was discussed. First and foremost: why would one want to write down music? I can think of two general reasons. One is to share with others and the second is for one to remember what they wrote. If we are to compose music for others to study and perform
the only logical answer is to use standard notation. One could argue for a form of tab but that does not translate
to non-stringed instruments. Below
I have my introduction for Amazing Grace. Although
I play on a 5-sub-bass harp guitar tuned to D modal, it does not matter since it
is all lost in translation to standard tuning.
We also have a secure way of documenting timing, which is difficult using
tab. Ex. 1 You may want to play around with this for a minute before continuing and think about how you would annotate for yourself. Bennett and Doan swear by standard form yet not all of us are as proficient in reading music. Furthermore, there are multiple places on the neck of a guitar to play the same note lending itself to different fingering and inadvertently different interpretations of the same body of music. This is how I notate my music in tab
form (same piece): Ex. 2 This method addresses tuning, tab as well as allowing for different number of sub-bass strings and sub-bass tuning. It is a rapid way of writing, conducive to quick documentation on the go. Downsides are that most would look for sub-bass notes where a bass clef would be located below the treble/tab. Also the letters above a treble/tab often refer to chords or sections (A,B,C etc). Next variant is one that Miner and McKee use: Ex. 3 Now we have placed the sub-basses in the appropriate location by using a sub-bass tab clef. With the tuning on the left all you do is strike to appropriate string. But all those zeros can be difficult especially as you near the bottom of the line... After listening to the lecture Nancy Conescu scribbled on a piece of paper for me the ideas she had by making an amalgam of the above styles In this case we still have the tuning to the left of the sub-bass tab but what she proposed was to add the string number for further ease of sight-reading. I hope that this will simply be the beginning of the discussion. I welcome feedback in the forum as well as additional ideas on how people accomplish this task. When I get to it, I will try to discuss possibilities for treble bank notation. In Search of A Standard continued... by Gregg Miner Thanks for that great start Nate! I have a couple other options that we tossed around, and came up with further variations and observations regarding the above, if I may...
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