Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
I am unfamiliar with the tablature starting out the 2nd measure of Copperhead Road? I'm not sure what this tablature is instructing me to do?
And I do not seem to be able to find this exact tablature in any of my books or online.
Please help.
Thank you,
Jim W.
Edited by - Texasbanjo on 11/27/2020 08:35:27
Looks like a quick hammer-on to the 10th fret and pull-off to return to the 9th fret. Easier to do than describe. :)
Three notes:
1. Fret the 1st string 9th fret and pluck the note. (likely will use the index finger to fret)
2. Continue to hold the 9th fret down, and hammer-on on the 10th fret (with the middle finger).
3. Continue to hold the 9th fret down, and pull-off from the 10th fret to the 9th fret (simply raise the middle finger while the index finger stays down).
While this may sound awkward, it's a very easy move. The hammer-on and pull-off don't have to be all that distinct -- a quick down and up with the middle finger while the index finger stays down. Results in a triplet sound. Hear it a lot in Celtic music.
Edited by - Alex Z on 11/27/2020 07:03:51
Thank you guys.
While I agree with the above, you could also strike the 9th fret and slide to the 10th and back to the 9th. It wouldn't be as sharp as the hammer on, but it would also work. I presume whichever sound you preferred is the one you would use.
Edited to add: this really belongs in the tab forum, so I'll move it there.
Edited by - Texasbanjo on 11/27/2020 08:35:16
I think that it's also important to recognize that the first picked note plus the second two notes created with a left hand technique constitute a triplet. Executing that triplet with proper timing in the context of the notes that come before and after may have a level of difficulty that's not as trivial as some have suggested.
That's a good point. Yes, it is marked "3". But what the heck, this is banjo notation in tablature, not an original manuscript from Franz Liszt. 
We have no idea how the writer of the tablature thinks about rhythm.
Depending on the music, this little figure could be intended to be played as an ornament, like a fiddle would do. A little two-note tweak to the first B at the 9th fret. This would be quick, not 3 notes against 2 pulses as in an actual triplet.
Could also be a true triplet, as one would play in a blues rhythm.
The musical context will provide clues -- we hope. I gave up long ago of trying to play tablature without a recorded source. Rhythmic notation of tablature writers is all over the map.
quote:
Originally posted by Alex ZThat's a good point. Yes, it is marked "3". But what the heck, this is banjo notation in tablature, not an original manuscript from Franz Liszt.
Depending on the music, this little figure could be intended to be played as an ornament, like a fiddle would do. A little two-note tweak to the first B at the 9th fret. This would be quick, not 3 notes against 2 pulses as in an actual triplet.
Could also be a true triplet, as one would play in a blues rhythm.
The musical context will provide clues -- we hope. I gave up long ago of trying to play tablature without a recorded source. Rhythmic notation of tablature writers is all over the map.
There is a note included with the tablature which indicates this section is originally played by bagpipes.
"There is a note included with the tablature which indicates this section is originally played by bagpipes."
Useful to know. So it's an "ornamentation" on the first note of the three notes. A very short "trill." You've heard this a million times in Celtic music.
The first note (B at 9th fret) is plucked, then the next two notes are sounded very quickly, and the last sound heard from the pull off is also the B. So: B and an immediate quick up and down.
I just noticed this post.
In Copperhead Road it is called a Mordent...It's often used in Celtic, Irish and other forms of music...It's often written as a Triplet in similar songs. A mordent is just a little different in timing...Copperhead Road uses a Mordent trill...Where did you get your tabbed example from? The song does not use a Triplet but uses a Mordent...
Triplet
Mordent
Originally posted by jimbowilly1960Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
I am unfamiliar with the tablature starting out the 2nd measure of Copperhead Road? I'm not sure what this tablature is instructing me to do?
And I do not seem to be able to find this exact tablature in any of my books or online.
Please help.
Thank you,
Jim W.
Edited by - Jack Baker on 11/28/2020 08:04:24
Is this the version you're talking about? If it is then yes, it's a Mordent...
Copperhead Road
Originally posted by Jack BakerI just noticed this post.In Copperhead Road it is called a Mordent...It's often used in Celtic, Irish and other forms of music...It's often written as a Triplet in similar songs. A mordent is just a little different in timing...Copperhead Road uses a Mordent trill...Where did you get your tabbed example from? The song does not use a Triplet but uses a Mordent...There are slightly different ways of indicating a Mordent so it gets a bit tricky...TripletMordent
Originally posted by jimbowilly1960
Edited by - Jack Baker on 11/28/2020 08:21:26
Thank you for the explanation and tutorial.
Copperhead Road (Steve Earle) found within tablature search results here at Banjo Hangout.
Ok,
Found it. It looks like Happy Banjo Dude tabbed it as a Triplet. I hear a Mordent but either way is close enough...Jack p.s. Just listen to the versions I posted and you'll hear what a Triplet or Mordent sounds like...It's used all the time in all music...
Edited by - Jack Baker on 11/28/2020 10:06:03
