Amazing Grace

ray07101 · #1 April 7th, 2005

In the tab (Amazing Grace) that is listed on this site do you pick the first two notes (G (E string) and open G string at the same time or individually? First, the G on the E string and then the G on the G string.

allthumbs · #2 April 7th, 2005

When numbers in a tab line up like that they are always played together. If there are lined up numbers with a wavey arrow pointing up or down, the notes are strummed in the direction of the arrow. Hope that answers yor question.

ray07101 · #3 April 7th, 2005

I do appreciate the information, but when I start the song it sure does not sound like what is being played in the video. I was just wanting to make certain that it was the intention that both are played together.

allthumbs · #4 April 7th, 2005

I just took a look at the video. It is right and the tab agrees with it. Your playing an open G and a G on the E string. Kirk has a really good guitar with great bass so it would be hard for us to get the same sound on ours. I know the bass strings on mine sound really muddy compared to his tone, but then my old Norman was $400 and his is worth somewhere around 10,000.

ray07101 · #5 April 7th, 2005

Thanks again. I will keep trying and see if it begins to sound at least similar.

ray07101 · #6 April 7th, 2005

One more question then - do you play all four strings for the C chord at the same time or do you pick them individually?

allthumbs · #7 April 7th, 2005

yup. They are lined up so you pick them all at once. Remember if it was a strum it would be indicated by a wavey arrow pointing in the direction of the strum. Picked one at a time would look something like this.
---------------------------------X
-------------------------------X
----------------------------X
--------------------------X
You can find a beakdown of the notation in most tab books or google for it. It will make understanding the tabs a lot easier.

Kirk Lorange · #8 April 7th, 2005

Hi ray07101 ... I'm back from a short trip away.

I had a quick look at the movie. There does seem to be a nanosecond of the bass G before the open string G, but yes, basically I'm picking them in unison.

Looking at the C chord, I guess there is a bit of a spread in the live playing. allthumbs is right about the tab indicating that they're plucked as a unit, but I do sort of roll each note out in the movie. They're very close together in the time line, but they're not plucked as a unit. I guess I should look into figuring out how to tab that technique out in GuitarPro.

allthumbs · #9 April 7th, 2005

Opps sorry about the C chord

allthumbs · #10 April 8th, 2005

I have been thinking about how a fast rolling chord pick is notated in tab. Standard music notation would show 16 or 32nd notes in a diagonal pattern which would have told me the chord was rolled fast. I just looked through a tab book and I think that a strum arrow, with the body as a wavey line is used to indicate a rolled chord pick.though it still doesn't give a clear indication of speed. I have always liked the standard notation with tab as a double check for the timing and nuances of a piece, it tends to fill in the blanks.

ray07101 · #11 April 8th, 2005

I do appreciate the information. So my understanding is that the C chord is picked from top to bottom?

Kirk Lorange · #12 April 8th, 2005

From 'bass to treble' is the best way of putting it.