Tab Notation
Tab is short for tablature, which is a notation to specify how to play a note, as opposed to what the note is as you have with standard music notation. Tab is a useful way to communicate music using a normal keyboard. How to play a note on the harmonica is specified by several things:
-
which hole to play,
-
whether you are inhaling (i.e. drawing) or exhaling (i.e. blowing), and
-
what alteration to apply, be it a draw or blow bend, overblow or overdraw.
-
what effect to use, e.g. attack, vibrato, dip bend
There is another equally important consideration usually left out of tab, and that is the duration of the note. This tab separates the note's pitch from it's duration with an underscore '_'.
Notation Convention
A number indicates which hole to play.
A number by itself means play the hole breathing in--a draw note.
These symbols specify the other ways to play the notes in the hole:
Mark Meaning
> Means Blow. Associate the symbol with the airflow direction where > means out.
' Means Bend ½ Step. Mentally associate the single mark with a single bend.
: Means Bend 1 Step. Associate the 2 marks with 2 half-steps.
! Means Bend a minor 3rd (3 half steps). Think "bend to the very bottom".
# Means Overblow. The pitch on the overblow goes up. The sharp sign means that.
For each particular hole there is only one way to play a bend or an overbend, so the breath direction does not need to be indicated. Since it's easier to read fewer marks than more marks, absent ambiguity, the minimum number of marks should be used.
For example, hole 3 contains these notes:
3 // The hole 3 draw note has no other marks than the hole number.
3> // The hole 3 blow note
3' // The hole 3 ½ step bend
3: // The hole 3 whole step bend
3! // The hole 3 minor-3rd bend
3# // The hole 3 overblow, which has a duplicated pitch, and is very rarely played.
Another example, hole 10 contains these notes:
10 // Hole 10 draw
10> // Hole 10 blow
10' // Hole 10 half-step bend
10: // Hole 10 whole-step bend
10# // Hole 10 overblow
A tilde "~" before a number means a dip bend.
E.g. ~4 means a smooth bend from 4' to 4
An ampersand "&" between numbers means play them at the same time.
E.g. 1&4 1>&2>&3> means: octave on 1 and 4 draw; followed by a chord on 1, 2, and 3 blow
A slash "/" between hole-numbers means a slur.
For example 2/3 means 2 draw with some 3 draw
A percent % before a number means "tongue slap" the note.
E.g.: %4 means slap the 4 draw
Consecutive percent signs %% between notes means use a "flutter tongue" .
E.g.: 2%%5 means draw 2 and 5; flutter on 3, 4.
An equal sign = between two numbers means a two hole shake.
Ex: 4=5 means shake between 4 and 5 draw
A vertical bar | separates measures.
Ex: | 2 3 | 3 2 | means 1st bar: 2 3, 2nd bar: 3 2
A lower case "v" after a number means add vibrato to the note. Normally this is up to the player.
So 3>v means play the 3 blow with vibrato.
An underscore _ separates the harp tab from the timing tab.
The timing tab is:
w means whole note
h means half note
q means quarter note
e means eighth note
s means sixteenth note
t means triplet, written between parentheses
h. means dotted half note
q. means dotted quarter note
e. means dotted eighth note
Here's a tabbed out lick using these conventions:
| 2_e 3'_e 4>_h. | 4'_e 4>_e 3'_q. 2_e 2_q | 2_w