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→Strumming Notation
''*so rare I don't really have a marking for it''
I believe this is the best we can do with text-based tab. In professional tablature, strumming notation resides the same way, except uses markings that resemble note markings - ovals, open or filled-in, with or without stems. However, since we know the chord voicing and there's not really a pitch to the strummed "note", all strums reside at an equal horizontal orientation. There is no staff. The markings do not indicate pitch, so only rhythm. The best part of the notatedprofessional notation is that it can easily mark a muted srum, by writing a strike-through line through the stem of the note. Internet-based tab may also resort to using slashes as such: C / / X G / / X C / / XXF//// / 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4n1n2n3 4 q q q q q q q q q q q eeeeeeq q What the first example is supposed to represent is based on the spacing, as well as the common practice of playing a new chord on the down beat of a measure. We are also assuming 4/4 time. Then you have the note values written simply by their spacing. The /'s are strums of the last named chord. The name of each chord also indicates to strum. And the X's represent muted strums. This may be a bit too ambiguous for my tastes, but in many cases it gets the job done, especially if it's just a simple quarter/eighth note strumming pattern. However, when placed over tab for a melody, lead, or fill guitar, then often spacing has to be altered to accommodate the variety of spaces needed to play the given notes. For instance, one measure may be a simple sustained whole note, while the next measure is an insane tapping, legato, bending lick with vibrato, that takes up quite some space to notate properly. It'd be nice if we didn't have to make that 1st plain measure giant size to indicate its temporal equivalence to the extremely busy 2nd measure. I like to use: C x G x C xxF q q q q q q q q q q q eeeeeeq q It takes up 2 lines vs. 1 but it's perfectly clear what is being indicated.
== Technique ==