Guitar Transcriptions in Tablature
Here is a small collection of guitar tablatures of transcriptions which I have tinkered with over the years (I only present pieces I could not find on the web already). Feel free to send me your comments if you liked the tabs or if you didn't, and of course any corrections or improvements are always welcome:
- [ Tab vs. Pitch? ]
I won't belabour the point of tab versus pitch notation. As a dabbler without any classical musical training, I do find tabs quite useful - provided that you also have an audio source to compare with, or at least a mental image of the tune you're trying to learn. Here's a summary of the differences between the two systems.
- [ Copyright ]
The transcriptions below are all legal and may be freely distributed, with the possible exception of the Ponce. In my understanding, the variation on Cabezón should be in the public domain, although it was argued on RMCG that it is not, and since I'm not absolutely sure I have taken it down. If you are interested in the piece, there is an analysis of it with excerpts of the score available here.
- [ Transcriber tools ]
A valuable (as well as amusing) tool for transcribers is the "Amazing Slow Downer" from Roni Music - highly recommended if you're tabbing by ear. The sound quality of ASD is far superior to any similar tool that I have tried.
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Title
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Aria di Fiorenza (Partita 4, 6 and 9)
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Composer
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Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (c.1580-1651)
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Date tabbed
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Revised 30 December 2004 (first tab in 1994)
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Notes
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Three of the easier partitas (out of nine) of this aria con variazioni on
"Ballo del gran duca", the concluding chorus from the 1589
wedding music for Fernando de' Medici. I use the
tuning D-A-D-G-B-d for the classical 6-string guitar: this
aria never goes very high, so for the most part this tuning
works fine.
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Title
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Suite for Harpsichord in E Minor: II. Courante
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Composer
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Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
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Date tabbed
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5 December 2004 (updated 12/21/04)
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Notes
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It isn't fair, that Söllscher should have 11 strings and I only 6. Well. The fewer the strings, the greater their share of glory. How about this tuning: D-G-d-g-c-d# ? I recently also added my suggestion for left hand fingering.
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Title
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Variacions sobre un tema de Antonio Cabezón (1948)
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Composer
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Manuel Maria Ponce (1882-1948)
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Date tabbed
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25 October 2004
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Notes
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Work in progress. 6 Jan 2005: withdrawn due to allegations of copyright infringement. This is a great piece by Ponce. The tab is still in a "raw" state, however, undergoing revisions. The notes are all there, but much of the ornamentation and phrasing is missing. For now, I offer it as is.
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Title
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Despacio and Final
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Composer
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Santiago de Murcia (1685-c.1732)
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Date tabbed
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16 October 2004
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Notes
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The "Final" somewhat challenging for the right hand, but this piece is a real gem! Couldn't have tabbed this one without the Amazing Slow Downer.
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Title
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Canario (1640)
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Composer
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Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (c.1580-1651)
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Date tabbed
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28 September 2004
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Notes
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This one might have been called "16 variations on G-C-D." tabbed from a Paul O'Dette lute recording. I use the tuning E-A-D-G-B-d.
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Title
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Prelude No. 2 (of 9) in A major
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Composer
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Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)
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Date tabbed
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22 August 2004 (first tab in 2002)
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Notes
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A very nice little prelude by Tárrega which is pretty easy to learn. With LHF. Note Dec. 2004: I recently realized that I have neglected to tab the coda, sorry.
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Title
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Greensleeves
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Composer
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Anon./Francis Cutting (fl.1583-c.1620)
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Date tabbed
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22 June 2004 (first tab in 1994)
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Notes
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Transcribed from a recording with Göran Söllscher, playing this piece on an 11-string alto guitar. My transcription for the standard 6-string guitar uses E-A-D-G-B-d tuning. Cutting's (original?) version of this renaissance classic offers a a bit more for the classical guitarist than the traditionally lame christmas ditty.
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