Weird Robin Nolan Tablature

cantzon

Beware of the Robin Nolan play along books. They have a really annoying tab system where the fret numbers are listed above the staff rather than on the appropriate string. It makes reading through the books a real chore. I'm baffled as to why he chose this weird notation system. The play along CD's are first rate. It's a shame the tabs aren't.

emicad

cantzon wrote:

Beware of the Robin Nolan play along books. They have a really annoying tab system where the fret numbers are listed above the staff rather than on the appropriate string. It makes reading through the books a real chore. I'm baffled as to why he chose this weird notation system. The play along CD's are first rate. It's a shame the tabs aren't.

it takes a while, but you'll understand the system. keep tryin'

tommaso

Hi Cantzon, you are wrong!
I have the Nolan Books and I see that the fret numbers are written on the appropriate string, not on the staff.
In fact if you put more attention in reading , you can see that there are six lines (representing the strings) not five !!!
Moreover I think that the Nolan's book notation is very optimized, because it reports on the TAB also the durations of the notes. In other words they are very well done!(thanks Robin)
Before writing those incorrect things you'd better learn to read a TAB!
Ciao

Stackabones

I love the books, but his tab system can be odd at first. I really do not like the practice of putting the melody on one page and the chords on the other.

I wish that standard notation had been included.

Oh, well, lots of gripes, but the series is cool.

cantzon

tommaso wrote:

Hi Cantzon, you are wrong!
I have the Nolan Books and I see that the fret numbers are written on the appropriate string, not on the staff.
In fact if you put more attention in reading , you can see that there are six lines (representing the strings) not five !!!
Moreover I think that the Nolan's book notation is very optimized, because it reports on the TAB also the durations of the notes. In other words they are very well done!(thanks Robin)
Before writing those incorrect things you'd better learn to read a TAB!
Ciao

We have a different book evidently. I have the Gypsy Jazz Songbook and Play Along CD/ the purple one by RNT Publications 2000.

The fret numbers are written above the staff with X's on the actual string to indicate which string should be played. Yes there are six lines. That's good. And yes there is some weird non standard note duration indication (X's and triangles) not note values.

As for my not being able to read a tab... get a life. I can read tab and sight read, have been playing for over twenty years and teaching for ten.

Condescend to someone else and check your info before posting.

Michael Bauer

Ah, Cantzon, it' so nice to see that you've mellowed...

There are lots of different tab styles out there, and there have been for a few hundred years. Assuming you are talking about Volume 1, not all the notation is above the "staff". See page 16, for example. Robin and Paul tried to come up with a tab that conveyed note value without having to write the notation. Given that desire, I think they did a pretty good job. It's not as weird as some 18th century French lute tabulature I've seen.

The point is, can you figure it out? Yes? Then it' fine. Emicad is right, it will soon becom easy. BTW, the x's are quarter notes, the "triangles" are really diamonds and indicate half-notes. Hope that helps. Robin's books have helped, and continue to help, countless guitarists get a start in gypsy jazz. If you find them irritating, there are other books from which to choose (The Complete Django is a stunning book). I'd have thought that you'd like Robin, since he is more open about picking style than most.

And just to save you the time, I have quite a good life, thanks, and have played and taught even longer than you. Still, I find this music quite humbling and guys like Robin incredibly generous with their time and knowlege, even with a hack like me. It takes alot of work to do what Robin, Michael, Stephane, Jean-Philippe and others have done, and I am really grateful that they have been willing to do it, in whatever format.

pinkgary

Aw, bless.

cantzon

All I did was say that the tab was not standard. It's not that I can't read it. I just don't like the system and find it less useful than more standard forms of tab.

It's a shame because the accompanying CD is outstanding. I also really like the chord diagrams and the print quality of the book is really first rate.

I like Robin Nolan and appreciate that he tried something different with his book. But, having said that, I don't like the tab system and was letting others who may be interested in buying the book that it is not the tab they may be expecting.

So then Tommaso's posted a response telling me I don't know how to read tabs and stating that I said something untrue. He basically called me an idiot and a liar.

I see no need to be "mellow" about people on this site who purposely insult me when all I'm trying to do is make people aware of a book they may be interested in buying.

Jack

Hi all,

All of Robin's stuff that I have has the numbers above the tab lines, and, like Cantzon says, it's a pretty awkward system--it forces you to look twice at the same note; once for the fret number, and again (shifting your eye down) for the string. For me, the biggest advantage of a tab system is that it more or less approximates the actual neck of the guitar you're playing, which lets you "see" the notes and patterns. With the system Rob uses you gain some duration indicators, but largely lose the visual aid of standard tab. I don't think there's been a tab system developed that does it all well, though.

That said, I still often reach for the Gig Book when someone asks about a tune they don't know...they really nailed the layout with that one. Opens flat, melody and chords on facing pages, no page turning, etc.

Anyway, I wonder if Tommaso's books have a more standard tab style? Basically I'm wondering if Robin changed it due to customer uprising...I heard something about a Million Middle-Aged Man March descending on Amsterdam to protest...

best,
Jack.

caseyspaos

Thanks for validating and expressing my feelings about RN's bizarre TAB system With all the praise and hoopla over it, I was beginning to think I was the only one who found it weird. I e-asked Robin why he invented a new (confusing) TAB system when the rest of the planet uses and understands the standard system. He didn't reply. Hehe.

Tele295

It's an interesting hybrid system, for sure. I suspect it was the best way to get both worlds (TAB to show string/fret location, and standard notation to show note value) and have it fit on a single page.