Does anyone have, or know where I can find tabs for the Sally Gardens (reel)? I can only find tabs for Down By The Sally Gardens (Air), which I already have, and is not the one im trying to find.
Or here?
https://thesession.org/tunes/98
This one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1rUGU6m_M8 which I believe is the top one from that ‘the session’ link
One of my favourite reels! Good choice to learn.
I know you asked for tab, but I would recommend that you learn ABC notation because thousands of trad Irish tunes are available online in it. ABC seems to be standard in the ITM world.
Personally I very much prefer standard staff notation. But I realise that I’m in the minority.
I would recommend that you learn ABC notation because thousands if trad Irish tunes are available online in it. ABC seems to be standard in the ITM world.
Am I mistaken to think the ABC of the internet is only an easy, compact and portable way of writing (code to translate into) staff notation? I don’t think it was ever meant to be read.
The ABC shorthand used in Ireland is really a different, and older, format, even if the two have become a bit intertwined at this point. But the internet one, everybody just converts that to staff, don’t they?
Not mistaken in the first part. Back in the dial-up internet days, ABCs were invented to save time on connections and space on those computers with very small brains.
However, some folks, put off by dots, have begun reading directly from the “code”. To my eye the “code” is more confusing to read directly from than the dots or the “Irish ABCs”.
Best wishes.
Steve
To my eye the “code” is more confusing to read directly from than the dots or the “Irish ABCs”.
Exactly. That’s why they invented ‘Easy ABC’ etc.
It really has become a matter that I ‘can’ sort of read from the code but don’t see the need because it’s easier to use it the way it was intended to.
It ought to be mentioned here that the instigator of ABC notation (Chris Walshaw) started its development from his use of letters-for-notes as an aide memoir for tunes.
He specifically states on the “about” page on abcnotation.com :
Why: One of the most important aims of abc notation, and one that distinguishes it from most computer-based musical languages is that it is very concise and can be read easily by humans. In other words, with a little practice, it is possible to play a tune directly from the abc notation without having to process and print it out.
The aim for abc was simplicity in notating folk tunes (the ones that Chris Walshaw was playing) in a text format, and, as stated, it was always meant to be in an easily human readable form.
That’s what I do, for anything more than a few bars anyway.
I struggled to re-learn reading staff notation from childhood then spent too much time learning to read ABC notation, but, what the ABC notation allowed me to do was print out the tunes with a fingering tab that I immediately could follow. The fingering tabs have limitations as far as rhythm and tempo, yet, once the fingering was learned and a lot of listening to tunes I could play. Then playing with better whistlers tunes were refined. I learned visually watching fingers and reading tabs which might not work for everyone and I may have taken the long way but I did it my way. I’m now learning to transcribe tunes using the blank fingering tab diagram.
See a sample here:
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/no-whistle-youtube-thread-well-then/46703/485
It’s a funny thing, but I can’t make my brain understand tab at all. I can sight-read from sheet music or from ABC notation, but tab? Not a hope. I don’t even seem to be able to work it out at all. It’s probably just the way I’m wired …
Some people have an ear some folk don’t and I certainly don’t. Here is an example of how the ABC software allows the printable fingering tab to show.
The fingering tab merely shows which hole(s) are to be covered. Half-holing is a bit tricky. I can look at the particular finger tab and look up to the staff notation for the relation which is how I re-learned to read staff notation while the letter note is shown in the ABC. The blank fingering sheet above is for transcribing from audio onto the paper the note(s) which takes a bit of effort as one would work it out with help from a slow downer app while trying to match sound on the whistle note for note. I hope that’s a good example.
When I first began following the Chiff I was soaking up every tidbit of help in playing whistle, reading staff notation, and learning tunes. One of my earliest and most helpful experiences occurred when MTGuru transcribed a tune called ‘Leaving Stage Harbor’. At first, MTGuru did a quick simple transcription and then followed later with a more complex ABC transcription. I visually learned quite a bit about ABCs from that one thread.
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/a-lovely-wee-tune/83263/18
Another tune MTGuru transcribed into ABC and one of my all-time favorites is Erin’s Shore. I can’t find it now searching Chiff.
I love these two tunes MTGuru transcribed, others as well.
Whoever put D dorian as the key for that transcription (not you, I know) doesn’t!
That’s half the struggle using The Session site with so many versions and mistakes later identified/corrected in the comments section, very confusing to the uninformed folk. My example is from X: 4 on The Session and I always reference my source(s) in the ABCs with citation and try to provide a proper YouTube or CD source as well. I’m not sure if possibly the ABC software itself when designating the whistle tab key effects the key.
https://thesession.org/tunes/706
I’m just a copy and paste kind of guy. 
I didn’t even look. But this has long been a bugbear of mine - the unthinking assignment of a mode based on final note, and nothing else.
I’m somewhat similar - well, except for trying to read ABC, I haven’t seen the need for it (I just pass any ABC through a converter to get sheet music). Tab? Never really worked. Even tab for guitar doesn’t work, and I’ve been playing (and seeing guitar tab) for 45 years. Reading a score always worked. The sheet worked for the whistle from day one too, I took one look at the tab-like explanationary drawing that came with the Walton I had just bought, and I used sheet or ear from then on.
I haven’t been able to learn to read the F clef though. But as I’ve been transcribing a lot of music recently it looks like I’m finally getting there too.
I certainly don’t know anything about the origins of ABC.
All I know is that when I started talking ITM online and visiting ITM sites it quickly became apparent that ABC was standard. I’d never heard of it. Perhaps it’s an American thing? I don’t know. But I kept finding ITM written in ABC only. For staff notation I was referred to software that converts ABC to staff notation.
It was all strange to me, coming from Highland piping and Church music all of which is written in ordinary staff notation (well except for canntaireachd and shape-note).
I’ve had Irish players tell me that they can’t read staff notation, but can fluently read ABC.
To me ABC feels primitive and woefully inadequate, and hardly a comprable replacement for staff notation.
I use the “tradmusician” app on my phone to convert ABC to sound (you can also convert to staff notation) and learn by ear, always cross-checking against good recordings on youtube because the app only gives me the bare bones of a tune. But I think it is immensely useful for practice. I did learn to read sheet music when I was younger and took Boehm-flute-lessons but that was 30 years ago and I barely remember it. Learning by ear is also a lot of fun IMO and I never did it any other way on the whistle.
When I started learning to play music over 40 years ago some formal lessons were held in schools in the evening time.
Tunes were written up on a blackboard in Irish ABC. An arc was put over a group of 3 notes in a jig. A line was put under a note if it was a long note. The higher octave had a little tick mark put at the top right hand side of the note. All very intuitive. Students were expected to bring along a notebook in order to take down the tune. Also a tape recorder in order to record the tune.
This method has survived up to this day. Both my sons learned this way. Instead of a blackboard tunes were photocopied but still written out in the same fashion.
This is what is meant as ABC in Ireland.
Cheers
John