These tabs and associated MIDI files were made with TablEdit, a shareware application. I type in the tabs based on the way I play the songs, and the program generates the notation and the MIDI files. I judge the accuracy of the score by the MIDI playback. The MIDI reminds me of computer reading machines, and obviously you need to listen to the original recording to hear how it's really supposed to sound.
Slurs, slides, and vibrato are often omitted. If you have suggestions for improving the scores, I'd appreciate them. I can be reached at lon.kelly@acsalaska.net
As of fall 2005, I've figured out how to combine the TablEdit MIDI output with Band-in-a-Box (BIAB), so single-line solos don't sound so empty, with the added benefit that I can output some choruses for jamming along with.
| Composer/Artist | Album and track | Song Title | Tab and Standard Notation (PDF) | MIDI | Remarks |
| Lorenzo Barcelata, performed by Ry Cooder | Boomer's Story, track 5 | Maria Elena | MIDI | First effort with TablEdit. DADGBE, but on the record he tunes down another whole step. You'll know Ry is a genius if you ever hear the Tommy Dorsey version. | |
| Bix Beiderbecke, performed by Ry Cooder | Jazz, Track 7 | Flashes | MIDI | I read in an interview that Ry didn't like the way this came out on the record, but I think it's nice. | |
| Scott Joplin, performed by David Laibman & Eric Schoenberg | New Ragtime Guitar, track 3 | Stop Time Rag | MIDI | I changed the bass line in the middle when I was a teenager and knew no better. You're supposed to stamp your foot in the rests, and I've simulated that with woodblocks. | |
| Scott Joplin, performed by Ton Van Bergeyk | Famous Ragtime Guitar Solos Arranged for the Guitar, track 6. (Kicking Mule KM114) | Silver Swan | MIDI | The record says "Free Tab Instruction Book" but I never had it. This is a very stately and pretty rag on the guitar. | |
| Django Reinhardt, performed by Michael Ross | Chocolat Soundtrack | Minor Swing | MIDI | I'm not sure who wrote this, although everyone seems to think it was Django. The film credits say Michael Ross performed it. This is close to the way it's played on the soundtrack CD. The fingering is the way it is to get the slides and legato articulation. I know TablEdit can notate legato, but I didn't try. | |
| Traditional | none | Greensleeves | MIDI | A quick and dirty fingerstyle Greensleeves. Swing. Dropped D. | |
| Stevie Winwood, Muff Winwood, Spencer Davis | Spencer Davis Group Featuring Stevie Winwood, track 1 (?) | Gimme Gimme Some Lovin | MIDI | Fun to play two syncopated parts (bass and horns/organ) at once. I put in one verse to learn how Tabledit handles text. Dropped D tuning. | |
| Dave Brubeck | This version is so simplified it can't be tracked back to an album. | Take Five | MIDI | Simplified version for 2 guitars. Learning about how Tabledit handles chords. | |
| Dizzy Gillespie | The Complete RCA Victor Recordings, Disc 1, track 9 | Night in Tunisia | MIDI | A "bop anthem." Tab for just the head (melody) before Diz starts to rip. Approximated for guitar. MIDI has a BIAB accompaniment and some choruses you can jam to. | |
| Edward Kennedy Ellington, Juan Tizol Lyrics by Irving Mills |
Chocolat Soundtrack (Rachael Portman) | Caravan | Lead PDF Rhythm PDF | MIDI | It sounds to me like they just cut and pasted the choruses from before the bridge after the bridge, although I didn't try to prove it. |
| Stevie Ray Vaughn | Boxed Set (Epic), Disc 2, track 10 | Mary had a Little Lamb | MIDI | Intro. Transposed up to E. The chords (particularly the I7#9) are closer to the recording compared to the online tabs I've seen. MIDI with BIAB accompaniment you can jam to. |