Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Playing around with Tabledit

#1

All,

I was messing around with tabledit today and decided to throw everything I have learned thus far from Ben into one tef file of “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes”

It has the following instrument tracks in it

Banjo Melody - Not my arrangement, got it from the web somewhere
Guitar Melody - Not my arrangement, got it from web somewhere
Guitar Rhythm - I created based on what I have learned from Ben’s Guitar Rhythm series thus far
Bass - I created it just by taking a stab at what I thought a bass player would play :smiley:
Banjo Rhythm - I created based on what I have learned from Ben’s Banjo Rhythm series thus far

I welcome your feedback on it as I think both the banjo and guitar melodies may be a hair off in regards to how you would tie back in and start over on the next verse. Any other feedback you have would be cool too, I am planning on using this as kinda a one stop practice file. when I want to practice each part I will just mute that one and play along with the others.

#2

Nice piece of work, Brad. Even lyrics! I haven’t messed with using TablEdit for lyrics at all. I think on the guitar melody all that’s really required is those two lead in notes (D & E) to be stuck at the end of the section of music. Of course, you could get fancier with it if you wanted.

#3

Good job Brad. Keep 'em coming.

#4

I like it Brad. You said you took a stab at the bass line. It sounds like a good solid bass line to me. I need to get better with tabledit so I can do stuff like you did.

#5

— Begin quote from "ldpayton"

Nice piece of work, Brad. Even lyrics! I haven’t messed with using TablEdit for lyrics at all. I think on the guitar melody all that’s really required is those two lead in notes (D & E) to be stuck at the end of the section of music. Of course, you could get fancier with it if you wanted.

— End quote

Ya I was thinking that about those two lead notes too but I am having a hard time putting them in there with the repeat. One of my goals with this file was to have something that was the entire song that I could kind of play along with from start to finish. Because the rhythm doesn’t kick off until after those 2 lead in notes it kind of makes it a challenge to do that.

#6

— Begin quote from "mreisz"

I like it Brad. You said you took a stab at the bass line. It sounds like a good solid bass line to me. I need to get better with tabledit so I can do stuff like you did.

— End quote

I got my buddy into bass and I pick on him all the time saying " why u have such a hard time playing bass? I can tab out a bass line and have never picked one up before :wink: " of course playing what I tab is a whole different ball game :wink:

#7

I was picking this tab out just a bit ago, specifically the guitar break and I am not sure I like the flow of measures 4 and 5 and 8 and 9. there is that whole note at the end of measure 4 and measure 8 that takes 4 beats, that sounds fine but it seems like resting those next 2 beats in measures 5 and 9 leave a gaping hole. It seems to me that is sounds better if I only hit that whole note in 4 and 8, count 2,3,4 and then start up on the first beat of measures 5 and 9 again instead of counting 1,2 and then starting back up on the 3rd beat in those measures.

Like I said, that guitar melody tab is not mine and its just a basic one I found on jaybuckey.com and it has the notation with it and it definitely shows half note rest in both of those measures but my ear just doesn’t like it.

#8

— Begin quote from "bmorgan42175"

I was picking this tab out just a bit ago, specifically the guitar break and I am not sure I like the flow…

— End quote

I think that guitar break is just itching for the Banjo Ben treatment. All those quarter notes, whole notes and rests offer a ton of opportunity for adding some spice to the break. Here’s a couple of quick ideas I had about utilizing those long pauses at measures 4 and 8.

[attachment=1]idea.jpg[/attachment]

#9

Larry,

That’s a cool idea! I will have to put that in my list to try once I get up to that level. Right now I am just at the basic beginner stages, still trying to get my chord changes down and such.

#10

Maybe you can come up with a couple of runs using quarter notes instead of eighth notes for measues 4 and 8, then. I agree that it feels like too long of a pause they way jaybuckey has it tabbed.

#11

to me the half note rest in measures 5 and 9 are really what make it seem like forever. if I play that whole note in 4 and 8 and then pretend like someone is singing backup, like singing it “she’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes, when she comes” like I remember hearing it all the time as a kid that whole note makes perfect sense but then to wait those extra 2 beats into 5 and 9 just doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel as bad when I am playing rhythm but it does feel a little tricky to be picking up the singing on the second bass note as opposed to the first bass note in some of the measures.

I like what you added Larry, it sounds good and definitely gives it some depth and hopefully someday my fingers will be able to play it that way.

I am probably over analyzing such a simple song but I figure this is a really good way to get pick the thing apart and see exactly what is going on and use it as a building block to learn more and improve my playing.

From what I have seen of my learning process thus far I can’t learn soley by tab nor soley by video. I need them both. the tab is kinda like the schematic of how one would build the song and the video is of someone building it. show me the schematic and then let me listen to what it built and show me how you built it and I get it. Guess its the computer techie in me!

#12

— Begin quote from "bmorgan42175"

I am probably over analyzing such a simple song but I figure this is a really good way to get pick the thing apart and see exactly what is going on and use it as a building block to learn more and improve my playing.

From what I have seen of my learning process thus far I can’t learn soley by tab nor soley by video. I need them both. the tab is kinda like the schematic of how one would build the song and the video is of someone building it. show me the schematic and then let me listen to what it built and show me how you built it and I get it. Guess its the computer techie in me!

— End quote

Some good insights, Brad. Working with tabs seems kind of like typing to me. If I practice every day I might become a really fast typist, but I’d still have no clue how to write a book. I think Ben’s tabs are great for building speed and technique, but I learn the most if I start with a really basic version of a song and try to see how Ben arrived at his finished version from the basic melody.

#13

Some good insights, Brad. Working with tabs seems kind of like typing to me. If I practice every day I might become a really fast typist, but I’d still have no clue how to write a book. I think Ben’s tabs are great for building speed and technique, but I learn the most if I start with a really basic version of a song and try to see how Ben arrived at his finished version from the basic melody.

Yup, exactly how I learn too, start with the most basic piece and then build on top of it. I tinkered around some more tonight as I had an idea that came to mind which came from Ben’s traditional Wildwood Flower tab which picks out the melody and then fills in with chords. see what ya think.[attachment=0]Guitar Lead Alternate.JPG[/attachment]

#14

Hey Brad,
I like what Larry added to it. I like the chord strumming you did to fill in the blank spots as well. You said you were working on the chord changes mainly. When you do start working on playing the melody, early on, I would suggest adding some upstrokes. One way would be to do the phrasing like I sang it when I was a kid. It adds one note and changes the rhythm a little. The added noted is for “a” of “around.” As it was originally tabbed, they would all be down strokes. Frankly, that’s how most people start is by playing all down strokes. It will take an extra few minutes to get used to playing the two upstrokes that I added, but I think it could pay big dividends to get upstrokes going sooner rather than later. Your pick has to move up in between two down strokes, so you may as well get your money’s worth and make a note with that movement when it fits. With the two up strokes it looks like this:
[attachment=0]AroundTheMountain.jpg[/attachment]
I also added the echo of “when she comes.”

#15

I have attached a zip of the tef from the previous post. I need to get the registered version, so it may not work for you, but hopefully so.

#16

Good ideas, guys. The strums fit nicely, Brad, and allow you to keep the groove through that long pause. And Mike’s little rhythmic variations make the break seem a lot more human. Between the three of us we might be able to write a decent lead break. :sunglasses:

#17

hmmmm,

now to find my rhythm tab of “Worried Man Blues” and have you gentlemen tab me out a lead break to it… insert mad scientist laugh… :smiley:

#18

— Begin quote from "mreisz"

It adds one note and changes the rhythm a little.

— End quote

Mike, so does that mean I need to change the guitar rhythm and banjo rhythm tracks slightly to account for that?

I am looking at that now but not quite sure how I would change it. just started staring at it though so it may not have hit me yet :wink:

#19

Here’s the latest version with the upstrokes. It’s challenging me but I like it so far.

#20

That sounds good. You even threw a slide in there. Good deal. The more you add to your bag of tricks, the better. I wish I had Ben’s site years ago. I probably would have gotten into playing bluegrass much earlier.

As far as changing the backing tracks to account for a slightly different rhythm, you can change it if you wish, or not. It’s kind of like chocolate and vanilla, which ever one is better is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t think there is a “right” way, although I can usually come up with a wrong way :smiley: I just try different things and when you hit something good, you generally know it. My big hope for my rhythm playing is that it will be solid.