Translating Chromatic tabs to Diatonic
Fri, 06/07/2019 - 11:50
Hello all,
I looked up a song on Harptabs.com but found the only version is chromatic. Is there a way to interpret or translate chromatic tabs to diatonic? BTW, what does the asterisk* mean? I assume its the button, but perhaps there's a more nuanced interpretation.
Thanks in advance.
For anything not involving the button that lies between Holes 5 and 8 on the chromatic, simply subtract one hole number for diatonic.
For higher notes, both Blow 8 and Blow 9 on a chromatic are the same as Blow 7 on a diatonic. For blow notes above chromatic Blow 8, subtract *two* hole numbers to translate to diatonic. For draw notes, subtract *one* hole number.
For notes below Hole 5 on chromatic, Blow 1, 2, 3, and 4 all correspond directly. So does Draw 1.
Draw 2 and Draw 3 on chromatic are both two-semitone bends on diatonic.
Without looking at an example, it's hard to know what the asterisk means. People make up their own tab symbols and even whole systems. But the slide button is a reasonable guess. Some slide notes will be draw bends or overblow s (first six holes on diatonic) whole the higher ones maybe either blow bends or overdraws. Whole can o'worms there.