Re: [Harp-L] Harlem Nocturne -- fakebook search

"Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx> · Mon, 2 Jun 2008 09:46:06 -0700

Phil has informed us about fakebooks and how to use them with electronic 
chromatic tuners to make tab charts. As an extension of that information, I 
offer the following:
I saw in these posts a challenge:  Can one devise a table that can be used 
by a person who does not read music to convert standard musical notation to 
tab?  By "does not read music" I mean, "does not know the letter names of 
the notes on the treble staff or on the harmonica."
I have devised such a table of 98 rows and 12 columns that covers 4 octaves. 
One enters on the left with line or space numbers on the treble staff.  The 
columns on the right give hole number, blow/draw, and bend or slide-push. It 
works for diatonics and chromatics of any key. It will be tedious for those 
who must count the lines and spaces.  It will be much less tedious for those 
who know the (easy to learn) letter names of the lines and spaces of the 
treble staff.
It works without modification for harmonicas in C.  To accommodate harps of 
other keys, one cuts the table into two parts and shifts the right part up 
or down slide-rule style. If the user has Excel and knows the copy / paste 
commands, he can manipulate the table on the screen of his computer.  If 
not, he can print out an Adobe *.pdf version and physically cut, paste, and 
shift pieces of paper. For accomplished masters of Excel, you might even 
automate the shifting and the table lookups. Since the spreadsheet is like 
"open code", you are free to make additions and improvements and to share 
them with us.
Because these relationships are well known to musicians, I may have 
re-invented the wheel.  I think that there are musical programs that accept 
standard notation and produce tab.  However, I claim that the table will 
give the user some insight.
If you are interested, let me know off-list and I will email both the Excel 
and Adobe versions with instructions to you.  Please place "Tab Table" on 
the subject line.  It is free but I would like to have your comments and 
opinions.
Vern
Visit my harmonica website www.Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Philharpn@xxxxxxx>

To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>

Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 12:08 PM

Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Harlem Nocturne -- fakebook search
Somebody asked recently about harmonica tab for Harlem Nocturne. I don't 
have

one but I can tell you how you can make your own with the aid of a 
fakebook.
A fakebook is simply the cheapest legal way to get the largest collection 
of

tunes. It has a one-note melody line, chord names and lyrics.
For example, The Ultimate Fakebook (1200 tunes, 3rd edition) is $45 (the

mini-size version $35). Look for the edition for "keyboard, vocal, guitar, 
all C

instruments" but the music is not limited to the key of C. (Also note, 
there

are also Eb and Bb editions.)
If you are looking for copy of Harlem Nocturne, it is available in the
following fakebooks:
10 results.
Harlem Nocturne
Ultimate Jazz Fakebook
Harlem Nocturne
Real Book Volume 3
Page: 104
Harlem Nocturne
New Real Book Volume 2
Page: 127
Composer/Artist: Earle Hagen
Harlem Nocturne
Ultimate Fake Book
Harlem Nocturne
TV Fake Book
Harlem Nocturne
Jazz of the '50s
Harlem Nocturne
Real Chord Changes For 54 Standards
Harlem Nocturne
The Best Chord Changes for the Best Standards Ever
Harlem Nocturne
The Easy Forties Fake Book
Harlem Nocturne
The Real Book (legal edition) - Volume 3
FYI: In the previous century, fakebooks were bootleg collections of the

melody line and chords of songs that were still under copyright control 
(meaning

that if you legally wanted to print the sheet music you had to pay the

owner/publisher of the music.)
Professional musicians discovered that if they had only the melody line 
and

chords, they could "fake" a song during a live gig or studio session that 
they

didn't otherwise "know." (have memorized).
These original fakebooks were available "under the counter" at the music

store and were often handdrafted copies of the sheet music. Since there 
was no

control, some fakebooks were better than

others -- and often the chords were simplified or just plain wrong.
Over the years (don't know exactly when this started) legitimate 
publishers

realized that they could reach additional sheet music customers by selling

their own version of fakebooks containing the music they controlled. 
Again, some

were better than others.
Nowadays, there are categories of fakebooks: Beatles, Gershwin, Broadway,
Country, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Standards and even Classical.
The great thing about a fakebook is that they contain that universal 
language

-- music notation -- so they work with all instruments: piano, guitar and

even harmonica.
But they don't come in harmonica tablature; they only come in music 
notation.
Is that a brick wall? What if you don't read music?
Simple. Any intermediate level harmonica player already owns at least one
harmonica book that includes both music notation and harmonica tablature.
How do you double check to make sure you are playing the right note (the 
one

in the music notation)? Simple, buy yourself a chromatic tuner that will 
give

you a readout for the harmonica note you play. (DO NOT buy a guitar

tuner--they tend to recognize notes like C as really flat D strings.) 
Also, unlike

harmonicas, you can actually test a chromatic tuner in a store against 
your

harmonica to see if it will read the low and high notes. Also, there are 
probably

some Internet tuners.

By comparing the blow-draw tablature with the notation you can match up 
the

notes with the tablature so that you can tell and create your own 
tablature for

a given song in the fakebook.
Is this tricky the first time you do it? Probably. But hey, Charlie

Musselwhite did it with a trumpet instruction book. If you want to do it, 
so can you.
Besides, once you try making your own tab a few times, you will never have 
to

waste your time looking for somebody else's harp tab. You'll have your own

and know it's right.
Hope this helps.
Phil Lloyd

In a message dated 5/30/08 7:44:29 AM, Chromboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

Earle Hagan, 88 dies...he was the composer of this great song.....great 
harp

tune!
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