Notation staff and ledger lines
Being a long time tab reader I find the more I look at notation the more I like it.
Looking at the 5 line staff, I find a G note on the 3rd space ledger line, I guess that is an open G on the mandolin and the G@the second staff line is G note 5th fret D string ?
Thanks
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Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
You are correct.
Learn to read notation. In time you will be able to read it as fast as reading the words in your post.
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
Eventually you can even look at a page and almost hear the tune in your head.
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
Ok, looking at the staff again I see an e note below bass ledger line 3 and one on line one of the staff also space 4 and another on treble line 3,
Would these be played low to high on mandolin ?
Thanks
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
Something I'm not understanding here, I'm looking at a simple fiddle tune "pretty Polly" and the book has notation and below the notation is the tab.
It shows an e note on the 1st line of the staff and the tab has it shown as G string 9th fret ?
Thanks
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
The notation is telling you what note is sounding when you play it. The tab is telling you where they think you should put your finger. They are suggesting playing the e on the g string way up the neck, which may make sense for the way the tune is located.
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
Yep, don't be afraid to choose a different string/fret combination than what the tab is telling you. That's just the suggestion of the person who tabbed it out, and you may find it easier or more fun to play it a different way. As long as you get the right note, it's all good.
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
i already hear enough stuff in my head!Originally Posted by JeffD
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
Iron,
In notation, there are actually more than one staff or clef (the grid with 5 lines). Normally four are used -- base, treble, alto and tenor. It can get a bit confusing, but below the treble clef is a bass clef. They are separated by a specific number of blank spaces and lines (that c below the d you mentioned). They also have different signs at the outside left edge which tell you what clef it is. This Wiki article will help.
Since the mandolin cannot play below an open G, we never see mandolin music written in the bass clef. You will see some in the higher clefs, though.
In each clef, the notes represented by the lines and blanks is different.
Notation is very precise usually and tells you much more about a song than tab. It tells you the time, the key, the actual spacing between notes, and much more. I find it helpful (and frustrating) because I learn songs by ear and OFTEN learn them wrong. This is okay if I play by myself, but if I play with others we need to have a song in common. A score helps a lot there.
Bill
IM(NS)HO
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
Notation indicates the pitch and duration of a note. It usually does not give an indication of where to finger the note (unless the score has been edited for your instrument, then there may be fingering suggestions). For stringed instruments, most notes can be played in several different locations on the fingerboard. It's up to you to decide what the best fingering is.
As others have mentioned, with experience, you will soon develop the ability to quickly decide the best (easiest, most efficient) fingering for that tune. There is really no "correct" fingering (other than to play the right note). You decide what fingering is best for you based on playability and musicality. That's why it is critically important to know where all the notes lie on the fretboard (at least up to the 12th fret where everything repeats, although an octave higher). Just keep at it!
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
Ron Thomson( Dry Branch Fire Squad ) said that if everyone learned to " read music" there would be no need for musicians, we would just write it and everyone that wanted to hear it could read it!
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
This, for some strange reason made me think of this joke from the Canonical List of Banjo Jokes[1].
[1] - http://bluegrassbanjo.org/banjokes.htmlAppendix C: Telling jokes by the numbers…
A well-known tabloid reporter went to the Annual Banjo Joke Convention to report on it for her newspaper. Part of the convention was a joke competition. The first comedian came out and said, "Number 57." The crowd burst out laughing.
The next comedian walked on stage and said, "36." A round of laughter gripped the audience. Some of the people around the reporter even fell out of their chairs. Another one came out and said, "42." The chuckling lasted for minutes.
The confused reporter turned to the person seated next to her and asked, "I don't get it. Why are they just saying numbers?"
The guy replied, "Well, we know all the jokes by numbers, so all the competitors have to do is give the number."
The next banjo player came out and said, "Number 103." Silence. Not even a guffaw…
The reporter asked, "What happened?"
"Some people just don't know how to tell a joke."
The next comedian came out and said, "Number 254." The audience erupted with raucous laughter. More hysterics than any of the previous comedians.
The reporter asked, "What happened! What happened?"
The banjo player could barely get the words out he was laughing so hard it hurt, "That was a joke we'd never heard before..."
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
And this is another great reason to learn to read standard notation. Tab can only tell you where to put your finger, while standard notation tells you a note and optionally hints at where to play it - just a richer way to convey information.
If I'm learning something new, I always play it in first position as I read it, then once I've got it all memorized, I move it around on the fretboard to wherever I think it sounds best.
This is a great book for learning standard notation with tips specifically for the mandolin http://www.stringthingm.com/Shop.html . Some great hints in there in addition to the generic basics.
Re: Notation staff and ledger lines
A great short story by Chekhov has the main character complain about the theater. He says that if a play is good enough you can completely enjoy it by reading it, and that if a play is not good enough to enjoy by reading, actors on a stage cannot improve it.
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