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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Harmonica RHYTHM / DURATION Notation
Harmonica RHYTHM / DURATION Notation
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Shaganappi
62 posts
Dec 03, 2013
8:45 AM
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Rhythm is the more complicated part of any proposed notation. Standard Music notation (SM) shows rhythm durations by means of using MANY different SYMBOLS to show each duration for both notes and rests and THEN if needed, uses modifiers to alter durations (eg: the dot and tie). An unfriendly system.
Beat Tab (BT) uses a method whereby ALL hole numbers are assumed to be ONE value of duration (normally a 1/8 note duration) and then MODIFIERS shorten or lengthen that duration. For instance, a hole number followed by a space becomes a 1/4 note. This may sound restricting as one cannot just string and count several spaces after a hole number, but if ALSO, a dash (-) does the same as a space, then successive spaces and dashes create durations easily. And forum space parsing does not happen either.
If dashes are only used where DOWN beats happen, that also makes counting VERY easy. Dashes on DOWN beats, invisible spaces on the UP beats. Then 4 counts to a bar would tend to just see the visible dashes. Eg: /3 - - - / would be 3 draw with a duration of 4 whole 1/4 note beats (technically it has a 3 followed with 3 dashes and 4 spaces before the next bar marking, but we just "see" the 3 and the next three down beat dashes for a total of 4 beats). So tap your foot 3 more times after the 3 draw is played.
For rests, the same consistent method can be used. For a rest, BT uses an x if it is on a DOWN beat and a period (or a space) if on an UP beat. Eg: /3 x.x.x./ would be a 3 draw for one beat (a quarter note) followed by a rest for 3 more beats (a quarter note rest plus a half note rest). Easier than SM.
Shorter durations uses square bracketing. Eg: [234] is a triplet and [2345] is 4 notes played within a quarter note duration (therefore 1/16 notes). The [ ]'s show a quarter note duration (Reference Beat).
As well, swing can be explicitly incorporated in any rhythms with the comma (another story).
Note that when this system is not WHOLLY incorporated (dashes and spaces not used), then BT basically collapses into becoming a standard Harp Tab (HT) system. Or alternatively, one can copy tab from the web, and then just add in the rhythm modifiers basically. Easy.
Once one uses BT for a while, one can recognize different standard rhythms at a glance similar to how we recognize words on a page. This visual facility comes quick once one understands the notation.
This is the core of Beat Tab. It focuses on the Beats per the dashes instead of a myriad of different symbols like in SM notation. As the dashes (and certainly the spaces) are nearly invisible, it does not clutter up the notation and yet, also provides where to tap your foot. So you actually end up not needing to count out the beats even, but rather, you basically just keep sounding the note until you (and your foot) run out of dashes and another note is played or a rest is encountered. Simple really.
For more info on Beat Tab, visit:
https://sites.google.com/site/btabnotation/
or email me at BeatTabNotation@gmail.com
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WinslowYerxa
443 posts
Dec 03, 2013
2:13 PM
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Have you investigated how ABC notation handles rhythm? It's already a well established system with literally thousands of tunes catalogued.
ABC notates pitches and rhythm, not harmonica actions (i.e.) tab and rhythm, but perhaps the rhythm part could be borrowed.
I mean, why re-invent the wheel for the 5000th time?
Speaking of which, standard rhythm notation has survived for several centuries while proposed alternatives have withered away. I disagree that it's "unfriendly." It's quite elegant, actually, and marvelously flexible. But it does have a learning curve.
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Winslow
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BigBlindRay
205 posts
Dec 04, 2013
4:59 AM
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Learn to read music and you'll be set.
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Big Blind Ray Trio Website
Big Blind Ray Trio Facebook Page
Big Blind Ray Trio on Bandcamp
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mr_so&so
767 posts
Dec 04, 2013
6:58 AM
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Winslow makes a fair, and I think well intentioned comment about ABC notation, which was also designed to be computer readable. I've found many trad. Irish tunes in ABC and used a nice conversion tool that adds harp tab to it (and allows key and position transposition; very cool).
Having said that, people do use harp tab and what Shaganapi is doing here is trying to create a standardized, well thought out, tab and also extend it to include rhythm notation. This is a worthy and useful endevour, and I thank you for it.
@BB Ray, a lot of musicians, even pros, are not music readers, but still want to jot down ideas occasionally, and tab is the way they do it.
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MindTheGap
84 posts
Dec 04, 2013
7:12 AM
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mr_so&so - what was the software that adds harp tab to ABC notation? That sounds interesting.
(no disrespect to Shaganapi's efforts)
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Komuso
238 posts
Dec 04, 2013
7:14 AM
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
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mr_so&so
768 posts
Dec 06, 2013
10:31 AM
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@MindTheGap (and apologies for hijacking the thread)
http://www.harmotab.com/
Edit: I meant to say http://abcharmotab.appspot.com/
(I'm not sure how useful the harmotab thing is, and I've never tried it.)
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Last Edited by mr_so&so on Dec 06, 2013 1:35 PM
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Shaganappi
63 posts
Dec 08, 2013
3:00 PM
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ABC is not exactly "friendly" per rhythm although it has an excellent use. Would suggest most players, beginner and pro would not be too happy scratching (computer) code for rhythm they heard on a napkin via abc mode. Would be interesting to see if any players do something similar to that.
On the other hand, I can go to a harp seminar and immediately notate both the holes and rhythm to paper pretty well as fast as it can be explained. And the notation has the precision needed to later convert to abc or SM later if I want from those notes. Granted it takes practice but the basics come pretty fast.
I would suggest the reasons that Standard Music (SM) notation has lasted for centuries is more due to that:
1. QWERTY has only been around and available to the general public recently.
2. Generally only professional non-harp musicians used it as their main vehicle per "classical" playing.
3. No one in the harp community has come up with an easy rhythm system similar to regular harp tab.
4. There is a general inertia in not embracing (or even trying) anything new when all most players want to do is improvise to something or else they already know the rhythm well enough already.
It would be interesting to hear if many of the forum players play using SM. It is my impression that unless the harp player has musical roots prior to picking up a harmonica, that it is seldom learned.
If a notation is close enough to regular harp tab, and just basically "added to" harp tab, to get the rhythm and it is presented in a visual manner that approximates how one counts beats, then what is to lose?
Maybe the 5000 and one'th notation is appropriate for now. Certainly Edison didn't quit, thinking that people already have kerosene lamps, etc. Folk lore said he tried how many times?
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