Free tabs for Cliff and The Shadows song solos

[fenderplucker]

When Gary Taylor and I decided to do a couple of Cliff’s songs as instrumentals, I was surprised to find that there didn’t seem to be any tabs available for the solos, so I have started to write my own, getting as close to the originals as possible.

We have posted the tabs for “Do you Wanna Dance” on the TVS web site (free to everyone) to see if there is much interest and have some others almost ready, including: “It’ll be Me”, “Please Don’t Tease” and “Nine Times Out of Ten”.

If there is enough interest, we may also do some “how to play” videos.

To download the PDF tabs just follow the link www.tvsspecialtyproducts.com/downloads.html and click the download button on the top right of the tab thumbnail.

Please let us know if you would like to see more.

Paul.

[Steve Reynolds]

Hi Paul

This is great! I found there was hardly any tabs for the cliff songs and picking out the solos and little fill ins is quite hard work! Thanks for sharing

[gusstrat]

Hi Paul,
I have been trying to download the tabs but it tells me it can’t connect.

Regards, Garry.

[fenderplucker]

Hi Garry,

Do get onto the TVS site at all or is it just the downloads section?

Paul.

[gruntfuttock]

Hi Paul. This is great news! I’d be very interested in any tabs or instruction videos that you might produce in the future!
Many thanks for the link.
Dave

[gusstrat]

Hi Paul,
I bring up theTVS site but when I hit backing tracks it says could not complete the requested action.

Regards, Garry.

[fenderplucker]

Gary, You don't need to hit the backing track tab!

Just hit the small download button above the top of the tab thumbnail.

Paul.

[godzilla]

Thanks Paul - it's very good of you to do this.
Cheers
Keith

[gusstrat]

Hi Paul,
Got it sorted, the page was different from when I first tried it. Thank you.

Regards, Garry.

[shadamber]

With respect Paul, your claim is misplaced. Steve Gibbs has produced tabs for the solos for many of Cliff's early hits. In fact, there are two volumes of solos, including the fills for three of the songs you mentioned.

In regard to Do You Wanna Dance?, I know that Tony Clout produced a tab for the song, including the solo, many years ago.

Perhaps your much appreciated effort, could be redirected to songs that have not been covered so far. And in the interests of a positive suggestion, I'd be interested in Havin' Fun.

Regards Michael

[fenderplucker]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the heads-up. I purchased a number of tabs from Steve some time ago but didn't pick up that he had more recently done the Cliff tunes. Nothing of his came up on my Google search for some reason. Anyway, with the tab software I am using I can now produce direct audio/midi files of the tunes and I used this to ensure their accuracy against the originals. These are also useful as a teaching aid since the tunes can be stepped through slowly while following the tabs. If I get enough energy I might do a couple of "how to play" videos.

Regards,

Paul.

[bor64]

Hi Paul,

Great those TAB's thanks.
Scrolling on the TVS pages and looking at the Hanks guitars page, I've notice you mentioned two green burst 12 strings aka Double Six.
Fact is the one with the normal 12 string gauge is a green burst one, the one with six guitar and six bass strings is 3 tone burst.
You can see the guitar on the "family picture" on the right top beside Hank were he is squatting in his garden.

Cheers Rob

[shadamber]

Hi Paul

Here is the link www.bbigmusic.com/?s=cliff There are two volumes.

I rate the tabs as being very accurate in terms of the transcription of the music, and in indicating where the music is played on the neck. There is a discussion, for example, of one of Hank's infelicities in the one of the solos.

regards

Michael

[fenderplucker]

Hi Michael,

I had already gone back to his site and found the tab catalog, but was a bit put off by the price of US$77 (around $120 Australian) for the two Cliff volumes. I recall that Goran also did tabs for a couple of the solos but they weren't very accurate. No doubt there are others lurking out there somewhere but nothing much of interest came up from my Google search.

I did my own tabs mainly as a matter of interest in finding out exactly what Hank did (warts and all) in some of the more complicated solos. Having done so I am happy to share them around the Shads community and can also provide audio/midi files done directly from the tabs, so that people can slow them down and follow the tabs note for note. But I don't have much interest in tabbing the mainstream Shadows tunes as there are already many other sources available.

If you have the Gibbs tabs, it might be interesting to compare them to mine.

Regards,

Paul.

[fenderplucker]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for picking that out, I'll make a correction on the site shortly.

Glad you liked the tabs, more to come soon,

Paul.

[garystrat]

Hi Paul,

That's very much appreciated, thank you!

The "how to play" videos you did with Gary were brilliant and I would certainly love to see some on these!

Gary

[rogercook]

Hi Paul,

I've tabbed a few things out as part of the process of learning and analysing the more complex stuff. Currently working on Hank's Nivram unplugged from the final tour. I've got all the notes but the rhythm/timing in that gypsy jazz style is challenging to notate accurately! Are you using GuitarPro for your tabs?

Roger

[shawbridge]

With tin hat on, I have never really understood the need for tabs, You just learn the part by finding the notes on the guitar but I guess it must help some people.
I have seen it as a mechanical way of learning a bit like reading music, it’s better to be free to express the music rather than learning the language and to learn we’re your notes are on the guitar, Surly this helps in the long term without being restricted to reading of a paper.
I do hope that this comes across the right way and I don’t wish to imply that anyone reading tablature are wrong but rather just as I see it.
Eeek, I’m a wanted man ha ha😂👍🎸
Happy playing

[Stu's Dad]

Dec 5, 2019 20:52:46 GMT shawbridge said:

With tin hat on, I have never really understood the need for tabs, You just learn the part by finding the notes on the guitar but I guess it must help some people.
I have seen it as a mechanical way of learning a bit like reading music, it’s better to be free to express the music rather than learning the language and to learn we’re your notes are on the guitar, Surly this helps in the long term without being restricted to reading of a paper.
I do hope that this comes across the right way and I don’t wish to imply that anyone reading tablature are wrong but rather just as I see it.
Eeek, I’m a wanted man ha ha😂👍🎸
Happy playing

I'll support you Peter and we can take the flak together. It's OK to find the odd tricky note from a tab, but if you're playing the whole thing from it then you're not learning or understanding the number. I've always learned the old way, and when I learn to play something it sticks. TAB's an aid - not a means to an end.

At the same time I've no wish to insult Paul's very kind offer to help those who want it.


Joining you in the air raid shelter,

Len

[fenderplucker]

Hi Len and Peter,

No need for a tin hat, it's horses for courses! In fact, the tabs start with figuring out how to play the pieces and then getting it down on paper. Their main use is for anyone who wants to learn the pieces and seeing how some of the tricky bits are done, saving a lot of time and effort.

I seriously doubt that anyone would play such complicated bits directly from the tabs! Having got the notes sorted, one can then concentrate on the groove and touch.

Paul.

[fenderplucker]

Hi Roger,

Yes, having tried some freebie tab programs I am now using Guitar Pro. I found that it does just about everything guitar music needs with the exception of tying chords with different durations on some of the notes, like the common instance of a chord followed by a hammer on of one of the notes to a different note. Maybe I just haven't found out how as yet?

Any sort of synchopated timing is indeed a challenge and one can really mess up a score trying to get it exactly right. I usually aim to get the timing of the notes at least to the nearest 32nd note and then leave it to the player to get the final groove. As an aid with the Shadows tunes, I first extract Hank from the mix as much as possible, then run it 50%-70% slower to sort out the notes and timing, then run off an audio or midi track from the tab (easy with Guitar Pro) and compare it directly against the original in the workstation (both still slowed down)and correct the obvious and inevitable errors. But I guess that you are probably already doing that. Good luck with Nivram!

Regards,

Paul.

[alanfgb]

Thank you, Paul, for sharing the fruits of your labor to one and all.

Alan

[shadamber]

Hi Paul

There is a difficult dilemma here. It is my understanding that some of we Shadow fans have acquired tabs from friends and acquaintences. The tab provider has to increase the unit price on the smaller number of sales, which is a poor outcome for honest consumers. Manifestly, if the providers of tab don't get a return on their effort, then tabs will only be provided by those who get an intrinsic return from publishing their effort on the net. In the absence of a pecuniary incentive there is a possibility that tabs that I am interested in may not be provided at all.

[fenderplucker]

Shadmember,

I guess that is the reality of "open source" products shared among enthusiasts. I guess the same applies to people like Goran (and probably others) who also shared their original tabs free of charge. However, I doubt that my meager effort will lead to a market collapse as I am only interested in the technically challenging solos, about 6 in total! That said I certainly don't condone breaching copyright and have always parted with my hard earned for tabs from Steve.

Paul.

[rogercook]

Like Paul, I tend to only write out tabs for complex things or tunes that I don't play often enough to reliably play from memory. I learn most things by ear and writing down what I hear comes from this. Playing what you hear by ear is a distinct skill in it's own right. My process using GuitarPro is almost identical to Paul's! I'd like to be able to read and write music more fluently and the discipline of writing it out helps. Also, I've found very few tabs that I consider correct. I wouldn't want to use tab sheets in a performance though - I'd lose my place and I think it can give an impression that you haven't learnt or rehearsed enough (unless you're a session player or in an orchestra of course)!

On the other hand I know many people who need to learn tunes from tab and I think that's fine too.

[rockinscott]

Hi Paul

This is great of you and very welcome, I'm sure anything you produce would be greatly appreciated by all, especially anyone that's having difficulty working things out.

Scott

[rogercook]

I've attempted to transcribe Hank's unplugged Nivram solo from the Final Tour. The rhythm/timing/syncopation is very tricky to notate so you'll need to listen carefully to the recording to capture this but I think the notes are pretty close.

Here's the link to my BOX folder: app.box.com/s/uyt3n9jst2srpppnznd40de72b8o0vsz

[fenderplucker]

Thanks Roger, looks good. Another one for the collection!

Regards,

Paul.

[scanners]

Thanks Paul, yeah I’ve had to try and work stuff out by ear and watch Hank play and I’m probably still wrong haha
Matthew