cho-mel guitar doc method - 08/27/10 05:29 PM
FWIW - my simple cho-mel arranging and documenting system.
I like to arrange and play cho-mel on guitar. I used to tab it all out, underneath the treble staff. But I have trouble recognizing chords from tab numbers, and it took a long time. I can understand a chord much better from a fret-string grid diagram. Plus sometimes I change my mind about where to play the notes, then I'd have to change the tab and erase a bunch of numbers. And, it often took many pages of tab sheets. I tried printing lead sheets very large and writing the chord grid above the notes, but that took a lot of pages.
Now I use a lead sheet, and a sheet of guitar neck grids. The sheet has 4 x 4 grids of 5 frets each. ( make them with Excel but you do it however.) I work through the lead sheet, deciding where to play chords. I put a number above each note for the chord. The number corresponds to a grid on the other sheet, where I put dots to form the chord. Sometimes it takes a second sheet of grids.
It's an iterative process for me. Sometimes I paint myself into a corner (no good chord within reach) and have to revise the positions of the melody. But with this method I don't have to erase bunches of numbers off the tab sheet. Maybe just some chord grids.
I try to memorize every song but sometimes get rusty on them if not played for a while and these sheets help get me back up to speed.
I like to arrange and play cho-mel on guitar. I used to tab it all out, underneath the treble staff. But I have trouble recognizing chords from tab numbers, and it took a long time. I can understand a chord much better from a fret-string grid diagram. Plus sometimes I change my mind about where to play the notes, then I'd have to change the tab and erase a bunch of numbers. And, it often took many pages of tab sheets. I tried printing lead sheets very large and writing the chord grid above the notes, but that took a lot of pages.
Now I use a lead sheet, and a sheet of guitar neck grids. The sheet has 4 x 4 grids of 5 frets each. ( make them with Excel but you do it however.) I work through the lead sheet, deciding where to play chords. I put a number above each note for the chord. The number corresponds to a grid on the other sheet, where I put dots to form the chord. Sometimes it takes a second sheet of grids.
It's an iterative process for me. Sometimes I paint myself into a corner (no good chord within reach) and have to revise the positions of the melody. But with this method I don't have to erase bunches of numbers off the tab sheet. Maybe just some chord grids.
I try to memorize every song but sometimes get rusty on them if not played for a while and these sheets help get me back up to speed.