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Ddd
Dec-14-2015, 9:14pm
Is there a way to convert guitar tabs to mandolin tabs?

Tobin
Dec-14-2015, 9:45pm
You could do it in TablEdit. If you had the guitar tabs in the TEF file already, you could change the tuning/strings of the instrument and it would assign tab for the mandolin part. Might need some tweaking, though, as it tends to get a bit wonky sometimes when trying to change strings or tunings.

Why not just do it manually, as an exercise?

Mark Wilson
Dec-15-2015, 7:32am
Second the Tabledit suggestion. I use it to change keys of existing tab. Never tried the instrument conversion but I see how it's done. For a fiddle tune length song - maybe 20 minutes to enter in the tab and 10 minutes or so to straighten out some string selections. Works surprisingly well for key changes.

JLewis
Dec-25-2015, 7:54pm
What I've done is export abc from a TablEdit file, either instrument, close that file, and create a new file for the other instrument. Then you can import the abc to the new TablEdit score. I've done that a lot lately for tunes I play on mandolin to a guitar score in open G (DGDGBD). Some work out OK, some don't translate well usually because the fingering as translated is impossible.:grin:

Bernie Daniel
Dec-30-2015, 6:52pm
What I've done is export abc from a TablEdit file, either instrument, close that file, and create a new file for the other instrument. Then you can import the abc to the new TablEdit score. I've done that a lot lately for tunes I play on mandolin to a guitar score in open G (DGDGBD). Some work out OK, some don't translate well usually because the fingering as translated is impossible.:grin:

I agree, direct conversion of guitar or piano tab to mandolin or the reverse is easy to do but seldom works out using TablEdit.:crying: The fingering is both impossible and often times the wrong note is shown as well --I don't really know why that is the case.


The best thing is to first convert the guitar tab to the key that you eventually want and then manually convert that guitar tab to mandolin tab.

I mostly convert guitar tab to mandocello tab using a chart which lines up each note on the scale with the tab for the two instruments. Once you've done it a few times you can do it fairly quickly.

Then it is simple to convert between mandocello and mandolin.

FYI. In the "instrument" drop down choose "tenor banjo" i.e., CGDA for mandola and mandocello. If you want you can drop pitch each string in the tenor banjo tuning module one octave but you really don't have to do that.