tableture

[marty bradbury]

Hello Folks. In tableture, what does a number with parenthesis around it mean? Thanks!!

[HHP]

Generally, it designates a note you hold but do not play. It might be telling you to play a G while holding down a fretted D or similar.

[marty bradbury]

Originally Posted by HHP

Generally, it designates a note you hold but do not play. It might be telling you to play a G while holding down a fretted D or similar.

Thank you!!

[DanPanther]

I don't understand, if you don't play it, why finger it ?

Dan

[HHP]

Sympathetic vibration, over-ring tones, beefs up the fundamental note you are playing.

[mc1]

i've seen notes in parenthesis indicating unintentional notes.

[JonPR]

Yes, they can mean "ghost notes". Not mistakes, exactly, but unintentional notes, that aren't necessary, but don't sound wrong if you happen to play them (as the original player probably did). Probably they sound a lot quieter than the intentional notes.

As HHP says, they might be part of a chord being held, and even if you don't need that note it may be easier to keep it in (your fretted shape) than try to leave it out.

They can also be open strings that happen to ring by mistake.

[marty bradbury]

In the tab I am playing, you play the note (tableture) 3 then in the next barre
it has the note "3" in parenthesis,

[Roselynne]

I was also told that, in a passage that repeats, the parenthesized notes are played in the second and subsequent go-'rounds.

Is this true? (Or, did my question make sense?)

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by marty bradbury

In the tab I am playing, you play the note (tableture) 3 then in the next barre it has the note "3" in parenthesis,

Maybe because it sustains? Whatever it means I'm guessing it's a non-essential note.

Can you post a pic or a link? Hard to say for certain without seeing the context - or without hearing the original track. (Have you listened to the track??)

[donh]

Parentheses in tabulature can also mean a bend, ie: 13(15)
would mean fret at the 13th, bend it up to the note of the 15th

Really need context to know.
.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by marty bradbury

In the tab I am playing, you play the note (tableture) 3 then in the next barre
it has the note "3" in parenthesis,

iirc, this is a typical way to show a tied note via tablature. as jonpr mentions, it means that the note at the thrid fret is sustained into the next bar but not picked again.

Originally Posted by Roselynne

I was also told that, in a passage that repeats, the parenthesized notes are played in the second and subsequent go-'rounds.

Is this true? (Or, did my question make sense?)

that rang a bell to me, in particular in regards to lyrics which differ from verse to verse. i dug out my handy "alfred's essentials of music notation". what it mentioned for lyrics that differ in rhythm is to use cue notes, which are notes that are somewhat smaller than typical notes. i didn't see any mention of note is parenthesis. that book doesn't cover tab, however, just standard notation.