Need some help transposing!

[somedumbguy]

OK, got Guitar Pro. This program rocks! Now, one problem. The tab I have is written for 5 string. I need it for 4. So I had GP transpose from BEAD to Drop C and It just removed all the low (B) notes. Am I missing something? Is there a certain order I need to follow? Like Transpose first, then change number of strings?

You say you want the song to be as low as possible... well I could just completely misunderstand here... but the low B is definately a lower pitch than "drop C" so why bother changing?

 

[warduke75]

Yeah, that's the problem. I need to find the time to do that. Believe it or not, I actually took a year of college for music composition but at that time was a sax player and never took the time to learn the actual placement of the notes on the bass neck. Guess it's time to do so.... I played sax to sheet music, but with the bass I've always enjoyed playing by ear instead.

 

[sleepytime]

You say you want the song to be as low as possible... well I could just completely misunderstand here... but the low B is definately a lower pitch than "drop C" so why bother changing?

+1

 

[JimmyM]

Yeah, that's the problem. I need to find the time to do that. Believe it or not, I actually took a year of college for music composition but at that time was a sax player and never took the time to learn the actual placement of the notes on the bass neck. Guess it's time to do so.... I played sax to sheet music, but with the bass I've always enjoyed playing by ear instead.

you'll still enjoy playing by ear, bro...you'll just have a much more trained ear.

 

[Crazyeelboy]

Warduke75 - seriously, dude, you will enjoy the instrument so much more when you master the fretboard.

 

[sound of bass]

may i ask your reasons for believing that, and how long you've been playing in order to reach that conclusion? because in over 30 years of playing pro, i have not once gotten a piece of tab on a gig, only sheet music or chord charts. i would think if it was so much better for playing, i would get tabs on my gigs.

if you're going to say that tabs tell you where to put your fingers, though, why would you need someone to tell you where to put your fingers? i can figure that out on my own, and most good readers i know can, too. once you learn how to read notation, the only reason you need exact fingerings is for historical accuracy, and who cares about that?

One reason is for example, say a beginner just starting out who cant read music yet, wants to learn a few of his favorite tunes, to not get bored while learning to read composition,theory, technique,etc. he already knows how the tune goes, so tab is a quick short way to learn where to put his fingers in the meantime. Ive been playing for 22 years or so but only starting to gig now...3rd rehearsal is Monday,lol, and even though Ive been learning to read music the last 5-6 years now, I admit I sometimes have brain farts and a quick tab glance may help. Yes, theres plenty of downfalls with tab, timing, note length, correctness, etc. but some people need several learning adjuncts to reach a certain point. And if learning a quick, favorite song in the meantime by using tab will keep an aspiring bassist interested and contributing to the overall saving of the music, why not?

 

[4Strings46]

may i ask your reasons for believing that, and how long you've been playing in order to reach that conclusion? because in over 30 years of playing pro, i have not once gotten a piece of tab on a gig, only sheet music or chord charts. i would think if it was so much better for playing, i would get tabs on my gigs.

if you're going to say that tabs tell you where to put your fingers, though, why would you need someone to tell you where to put your fingers? i can figure that out on my own, and most good readers i know can, too. once you learn how to read notation, the only reason you need exact fingerings is for historical accuracy, and who cares about that?

lol. Jimmy we think the same. I never had a Tabchart handed to me before a gig. And try playing it right the first time. I think TAB is useful for just educational purposes. and even some of the biggest music instruction books have a tab line below the standard notation line. My instructor could not publish a lesson in" just jazz guitar" without adding a tab line below it. I wasted 25 years on tab before I was taught SN.

 

[Implosion]

I apologize. I am just trying to make the song as LOW as possible so as to not lose the heavy sound and make it sound like the original song which I do not want. I am doing this to try and accomidate the guitar player and the singer.

"As low as possible" as in as low as the song can be played on drop-C tuned bass. When in the original song they are chugging away on the B-string you want to do the same on your low C-string? In that case you have to do this


Original
D-------------------------------------
A-------------------5-5-5-5----------
E----------3-3-3-3----------5-5-5-5-
B-0-0-0-0----------------------------

You
F-------------------------------------
C-------------------3-3-3-3----------
G----------1-1-1-1----------3-3-3-3-
C-0-0-0-0----------------------------

This is the way play it as low as you can with your drop c tuning (if I understood your question correctly?).