Hey everyone

I have a tab from a japanese band in japanese xD (not the chords), but I don't understand at what refer all those chords

http://www.tfm.co.jp/lock/asian/img/kiminomachimade.gif

Thanks for helping ^^

No one can help me ?

OK the big boxed letters on the far left hand side are telling you what section is what. For example section A comprises of:

|Db(on F)|Db(on F)|Gb|Gb|Eb(on G)|Eb(on G)|Ab|Ab|

I believe that the (on F) and (on G) refer to the note that the bassist is playing against the chord. So in bars one and two, you would be playing a D flat chord while the bassist is playing an F note.

Thank you

Well... since I don't understand anything, I think with the song and a tab (not completely right), you could explain me ^^

The tab : http://ajikan.24ji.net/tab/click.php?id=23
The song : http://overhighwill.free.fr/uploads/03%20-%20Kimi%20no%20Machi%20made.mp3

Ha m'kay, so those chords are the fundamental (or something) ?

Cuz' yup', those chords fit with the music.
The "(onF)" seems to be the base of the chord. In guitar pro, I can choose a chord, and then choose its base.

Now as I'm *NOT* (forgot this word ) particularly good at theory, I don't really know what changes^^ Would this be helpful mostly for composing ? For instance if you want to add a solo or melody, you'll start from a note existing in the chord ?

For a melody line of any sort over anything you would begin by finding out every note in the chord you will be playing over. List them all and then find out what scale that is in that key contains all of those notes.

Say, for example, you are playing over a Dm7. The chord D minor seventh contains the notes D F A C. As the chord is a D chord, you will look at D scales and as it is a minor chord you will look at minor scales...

So going from the eight standard modes, your choices will be to use a D Aeolian/Natural minor or a D Dorian mode.

D Aeolian contains the following notes: D E F G A Bb C

D Dorian contains the following notes: D E F G A B C

So you could choose either scale, depending on what sort of sound you were going for. If there is an added bass note on the chord, you would take that into consideration. For example, if the chord was Dm and the bass was playing a B, you would go with the Dorian mode.

The choice of scales may also depend on what chord precedes or follows the chord you are on, but that is getting to deeper water so I'll leave it there.

Thanks for your answer Greg^^

As I'm not that good (experienced) at guitar, I'm still faaar from composing anything, so all the theory is still a big mistery to me.
The way I see it now, I would just write by ear, but theory may be a great help, and in the end, theory is just another reflex.

Aeolian, Dorian... For some reason I find those words utterly poetic, makes me smile everytime I see those modes names, it looks like a world full of wonder but only after a long road of learning^^

Here's another question
I'm trying to learn the basic chords finally, well in the end I know them but I never really played them as there are not many classic songs to my knowledge that I want to play. I'm always more into the electric sound...
Anyway, here's the site I started with :
http://www.cyberfret.com/techniques/str ... /page5.php
This particular page is about strumming pattern.
Though I still suck at guitar, I've always tried to play alternate when required, and strumming down as much as possible (for palm mutting, crunch of the notes, etc etc...)
But as I'm looking at those "classic" strumming pattern, the guy says to ALWAYS strum with the right hand, and miss the strings when required.
This is not a problem when it fits with down strumming, but for this pattern :

|--0-------0----0--0--0--||
|--0-------0----0--0--0--||
|--0-------0----0--0--0--||
|--2-------2----2--2--2--||
|--2-------2----2--2--2--||
|--0-------0----0--0--0--||
---^-v-^-v-^-v--^--v--
---1-2-3--4-5-6--7--8--

You have to strum 8 times and miss the strings in strums 2, 3 & 5, while I would've strum 5 times (down, down, down-up-down).
Of course with only 5 strums, the strumming direction of the 1st time changes after one bar (up, down, down-up-down).
Or maybe I would keep my hand down after the 2nd chord (down, down (keep), up-down-up, then down again for the next bar).

So should I learn as the site says ? By playing ALL the times and miss the strings when a chord is longer than one 8th ?
It looks quite awkward at first (particularly when thinking about doing the same thing with an electric sound), missing the strings one time is ok, but 2 times is really weird.

It just makes a different rhythm if you miss those particulal strums. I think you should do that excercise as they have notated it because they worked it and tabulated it to se must asume that they wrote it how they thought it should be.

You can practise doing it as many different ways as you want though, the more different ways you practise it (missing strums in certain points) then the better you'll get at strumming in general.

Remember to still make the motion of strumming up or down but just don't let your pick from touching the strings. That way when you come back up for beat 4 for example you are strumming upwards rather than going down as you have suggested.