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up vote 3 down vote favorite

(As I have 2 questions about this specific tab and as they're both (probably) easy to answer, I figured I'd just ask them at the same time)

tab

How do I play the ... ?

  1. Ornament (Green)
    I guess the ornament in combination with the 'H' means: Play 5th fret, play 5th fret again and shortly after hammer on the 7th. Is this right?

  2. Slur (Red)
    No Idea. Is this some kind of slide? But the two notes are on different frets! And what does the 'g.' above the arc mean?

PS: If you're interested in the whole piece, it's 'Wind Song' from Kotaro Oshio, available here.

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2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

You're correct about the ornament in green: the 5th fret note (an E) just before the 7th fret note (an F#) is called a grace note, and it is to meant to be a very short note played in anticipation of the main note (the F#). How short is "very short"? That's up to you.

As for the indication in red: the 'g.' indicates a glissando, meaning a slide from the first note to the second one, with all the notes in between included. In this particular piece, what you should do is slide from the 7th fret on the G-string (a D) down the G-string to the 4th fret---but just as you get to that 4th fret, you'll do a few things simultaneously:

  • play the E-string, 3rd fret (which is a G). Unlike almost every other note, the music doesn't suggest a left-hand fingering---I'd suggest using your middle finger (2).
  • let go of the G-string
  • play the open B-string

You could both let go of the G-string and play the open B-string in one movement by flicking your ring finger (the one sliding down the G-string) off the neck in such a way that it plucks the B-string on its way off the G-string. But that would also probably cause the G-string to ring out, so you'd have to mute it with a free finger---I'd use my left-hand index finger.

This all sounds very complicated, but it's really not so hard with a little practice. Best of luck!

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Thanks for the great answer! Very detailed instructions, I'll try this. – Bleagle Dec 30 '12 at 16:59
up vote 2 down vote

As noted in the music, this looks like Bm7 played at the 7th fret, and then a slide and lift movement to G in the "open position."

While this makes sense for the 2nd ornament, this makes the first ornament appear more difficult, but the fifth fret on the B string is the "same note" as the open E string. This means that instead of a hammer on from 5 to 7 on the B string, you leave the your finger on the B string at the 7th fret and merely pluck the open E.

In this way you can execute both ornaments without a lot of hand motion.

(There is an indication of an open A string there which complicates things a little, but may indicate a whole hand movement to Am7 rather than a hammer etc.: imagine you are sliding from Bm7 to Am7 to Bm7 but plucking slightly "out of phase" with the hand motion.)

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-1 This answer doesn't make sense to me. The included tablature indicates that the E is to be played on the B string, not the open E, and it doesn't address the OP's question about the 'g.' written above the slur. Finally, there is nothing in the music to indicate that the player should be holding down whole chords such as Bm7 or (especially) Am7. – Alex Basson Dec 28 '12 at 14:28
I should clarify: Yes, there are chord indications above the staff. But those are there to help the player understand the harmony of the piece, not to tell the player to hold down a whole Bm7 chord or a whole G chord. The left-hand fingering given over the notes of the staff clearly indicate what the player should be holding down, and it's not a whole chord. – Alex Basson Dec 28 '12 at 14:46
You are correct: I called the "g." a slide and lift movement, rather than a glissando. However I must take issue with the idea that the transcription addresses in any way what your other fingers are doing. – horatio Dec 28 '12 at 15:14
The standard notation includes explicit left-hand fingering on every note of the first half of the bar. For example, it indicates that the guitarist should hold the low B with the 3rd finger while playing the D, E, and F# with the 4th, 1st, and 4th fingers, respectively. – Alex Basson Dec 28 '12 at 18:48

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