JayFreddy
Poster Extraordinaire
This discussion started in the Christmas Song Thread, but I think the topic is broad enough to deserve it's own thread.
What is the BEST way to indicate chord diagrams in ASCII tab?
I have been doing it "my way" for over ten years, but I know it's not the only way, and it might not even be the best way.
The way I do it, vertical lines represent strings, frets are indicated by Roman numerals and/or carriage returns, and fingers are represented by Arabic numerals (regular numbers) placed on the corresponding string/fret space. O's represent open strings, and X's represent strings not played.
For example:
One of the problems with this method is it requires fixed width font to display correctly, and on a forum such as the TDPRI, you need to put CODE brackets around it or it gets all garbled. In fact, even with the CODE brackets, it still shows up as garbled on my Android phone.
So I'm willing to admit that, "my way" might have been the best way to do things in 2003, but now that it's 2013, there may be better solutions.
I like this solution, and in most cases it works, but it doesn't allow you to define different grips. For example:
In Jbmando's system, all three of these common A chord grips look the same, i.e., x02220.
This is probably perfectly acceptable when working with intermediate or higher level students, but I know for myself, I was playing for several years before I learned the "213 A", i.e.,
Another way I've seen (and sometimes used) is to simply TAB out all the chords, not as diagrams, but as tabulature. For example:
This doesn't show the grips (i.e., fingerings) but allows you to put a lot more chords in a much smaller space.
Sometimes this TAB method for chords will work with variable width fonts, but to avoid confusion, I use fixed width fonts, thus requiring the use of the CODE brackets on forums like TDPRI...
One thing I've noticed just in the process of making this one post, Jbmando's system is MUCH easier for the person writing out the tab.
While I might like to use grip-specific chord diagrams (i.e., those that show which specific fingers to use) for my paying students, when I share stuff for free on Internet forums, I'm thinking Jbmando's way is so much easier, I might use it as my default system, and only use grip-specific diagrams by request... :idea:
EDIT: When I post suggested grips, they are only suggestions, and I usually label them as such. The problems occur because some people are so hungry for dogma, they'll latch on to every little thing you say as a "LAW" or a "RULE". :idea:
The only rule I have is to make it sound as good as possible... And the only way to do this is by LISTENING. Good guitarists play with their ears, not their fingers...
What is the BEST way to indicate chord diagrams in ASCII tab?
I have been doing it "my way" for over ten years, but I know it's not the only way, and it might not even be the best way.
The way I do it, vertical lines represent strings, frets are indicated by Roman numerals and/or carriage returns, and fingers are represented by Arabic numerals (regular numbers) placed on the corresponding string/fret space. O's represent open strings, and X's represent strings not played.
For example:
Code:
D G A
xxo oo xo o
I |||||| |||||| ||||||
II |||1|2 |1|||| ||213|
III ||||3| 2|||34 ||||||One of the problems with this method is it requires fixed width font to display correctly, and on a forum such as the TDPRI, you need to put CODE brackets around it or it gets all garbled. In fact, even with the CODE brackets, it still shows up as garbled on my Android phone.
So I'm willing to admit that, "my way" might have been the best way to do things in 2003, but now that it's 2013, there may be better solutions.
I like this solution, and in most cases it works, but it doesn't allow you to define different grips. For example:
Code:
A A A
xo o xo o xo o
I |||||| |||||| ||||||
II ||123| ||112| ||213|
III |||||| |||||| ||||||In Jbmando's system, all three of these common A chord grips look the same, i.e., x02220.
This is probably perfectly acceptable when working with intermediate or higher level students, but I know for myself, I was playing for several years before I learned the "213 A", i.e.,
Code:
A
xo o
I ||||||
II ||213|
III ||||||Another way I've seen (and sometimes used) is to simply TAB out all the chords, not as diagrams, but as tabulature. For example:
Code:
D G A
1e---2--3--0---||
2B---3--3--2---||
3G---2--0--2---||
4D---0--0--2---||
5A------2--0---||
6E------3------||This doesn't show the grips (i.e., fingerings) but allows you to put a lot more chords in a much smaller space.
Sometimes this TAB method for chords will work with variable width fonts, but to avoid confusion, I use fixed width fonts, thus requiring the use of the CODE brackets on forums like TDPRI...
One thing I've noticed just in the process of making this one post, Jbmando's system is MUCH easier for the person writing out the tab.
While I might like to use grip-specific chord diagrams (i.e., those that show which specific fingers to use) for my paying students, when I share stuff for free on Internet forums, I'm thinking Jbmando's way is so much easier, I might use it as my default system, and only use grip-specific diagrams by request... :idea:
EDIT: When I post suggested grips, they are only suggestions, and I usually label them as such. The problems occur because some people are so hungry for dogma, they'll latch on to every little thing you say as a "LAW" or a "RULE". :idea:
The only rule I have is to make it sound as good as possible... And the only way to do this is by LISTENING. Good guitarists play with their ears, not their fingers...
