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Problems or questions relating to this site? Click on a question below! Still can't find the answer you're looking for? Email me at eric@fiddlehangout.com
- Can you answer my question about (insert fiddle-related topic here)?
- I live in (insert location here)--do you know of any good fiddle teachers in the area?
- myHangout Questions (Discussion Forum, Players Directory, Reviews, and Events)
- Viewing and Hearing Tablature Files
- Submitting Tabs, Lessons, and Links
- What about copyright issues?
Can you answer my question about (insert fiddle-related topic here)?
Chances are, I don't have the time or knowledge to give you a good answer. I'm only a young, novice fiddle player myself--so don't expect me to know much about fiddle history, construction, etc. There is a much better resource for learning that sort of thing anyway: the Fiddle Hangout Discussion Forums!
I get 100-200 emails a day from this web site. Those emails range in topic from link submissions to asking how much my grandfather's 1925 Paramount is worth to asking how to play the fiddle with no previous music experience. If there aren't lessons or links on this site to cover a topic, contacting me probably won't help--and if I'm having a really busy day, I may not even write back!
All this is to say--this web site is my service to the fiddle community. Email support is not part of that service. But there are lots of great online AND OFFLINE resources where you can get that kind of support--so take advantage of them!
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I live in (insert location here)--do you know of any good fiddle teachers in the area?
I just run the web site--I'm not the all-knowing fiddle guy! :-) Try the myHangout directory, your phone book, or your local music shop. Trust me--I'd be the last guy to know!
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How do I create a myHangout account so I can use the forum, players directory?
Having a myHangout account gives you access to post discussion forum topics, events, fiddle reviews, and to be listed in the players directory. If you'd like to create an account, go here to read the policy and sign up.
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How do I edit my myHangout profile?
Once you're logged into your myHangout account, select "Edit Your Profile" from the myHangout account pulldown in the lower-left of your screen.
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I forgot my myHangout account password. What now?
Easy! Go here to reset your password.
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What software do I need to install in order to view the various tab formats on the Fiddle Hangout web site?
- .tef (Tabledit): Tabledit's free viewer--Get it here!
- .bjo (Tabrite): TabRITE's full program is available for free from this site--Get it here!
- .gtp, gp3, gp4 (Guitar-Pro): You must purchase the Guitar-Pro software, or convert the tab to Tabledit format (which can be viewed for free)--Get it here!
- .med (Musedit): Musedit's free viewer--Get it here!
- .tab (Text): These are plain text files that can be viewed in any word processor program (Notepad, Wordpad, Word, etc)
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What's the most fail-safe way to view tablature files?
In short, the most fail-safe way to view tablature files is to actually save them onto your computer, then open them from within the tablature editor/viewer. Here's the procedure:
- Click on the file and choose "Save As" (better yet, right-click on the file and choose "save target as")
- Save the file somewhere on your computer
- Open up your tablature editor/viewer
- Open the tab file from within that viewer
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When I click on a link to a tab, a window pops up asking if I want to "Save the File" or "Open File From Current Location." Which should I choose?
If you choose to save the file, it will be downloaded onto your computer, saved in whatever location you choose. It is useful to save the file if you're going to be viewing it more than this one time. If all you want is a quick glance at the file, then choose to open it. I'd recommend using the most fail-safe method, though.
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When I try to view the tabs, I get a bunch of gibberish bunched up on the left margin. What's wrong?
Make sure you have the correct viewer installed for the type of tab you're trying to view (download free viewers here), then use the fail-safe method for viewing the files.
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I still can't get the tab file to open/display/print/work correctly. What should I do?
If you've properly installed the tablature editor/viewer, and have attempted to view the tablature files using the fail-safe method above . . . I don't know what to tell you! You're on your own at this point.
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What about copyright issues?
Please read the copyright page for information on the legality of tablature on the Internet.
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About the different sound file types
There are several different formats of sound files in wide use on the Internet. Each offers advantages and disadvantages over the others.
- MIDI: doesn't sound too amazing, but the file sizes are amazingly small, and you can slow down/speed up the songs without changing pitch
- MP3: a very popular format, because it compresses Wave files to about 1/12 of their original size. Near-CD quality, but a normal-length song will take about 2 to 4 megabytes of space--which may take 15 minuts to half and hour to download on a standard 56k modem.
- Real Audio (or "streaming audio"): streaming sounds are cool because they play while they're downloading, so you don't have to wait until they're finished. You can stream MP3s, too--but let's not get into that.
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How do I listen to the sound files on this site?
To listen to sound files, you need a player program. These are available for free download. Check out the Software Page for links to the programs.
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What file formats do you want me to use for files submitted to the tabs or lessons archives?
I'm making every attempt to comply with the best available file standards in setting the rules for file formats for this site. I've even given you some options! Here are the formats I require for files submitted to my site:
Tablature Files:
- Ascii: make sure you save it as plain text, typed in Courier font. This format can be viewed by ANYONE.
- TablEdit: a great tab program, which can export to plain text, midi, etc.
- TABRite: very popular, although no one knows why . . . (free viewer available)
- TablEdit: a great format, because it can be exported to plain text, midi, and is very readable.
- MusEdit: another great tablature editting program, where files can be exported to plain text, midi, and a free viewer is available.
- Guitar-Pro: a great tab program for guitarists, and I know some fiddle players use it as well--so I've chosen to support it.
- Gif (graphic): ideal for scanned tablatures
Tab Sound Clips:
- Wave: must be a stereo, 44 kHz, 16 bit PCM wave file (so I can convert it to MP3 before posting)
- MP3: sounds great, but requires a longer download. Use this if you need good sound quality.
- MIDI: doesn't sound as good, but downloads are very short
Lessons:
- Ascii: make sure you save it as plain text, typed in Courier font. Ascii is the most desireable format, because it can be viewed by ANYONE.
- HTML: if your lesson simply can't be represented in plain text, do it in HTML
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How do I submit tabs, lessons, or links?
To submit a tablature file, just attatch it to an email and send it to me at eric@fiddlehangout.com. You may also just send me the Internet address (URL) of the tab file(s) if they are already online. To submit a link, use the Submit button at the top of the pages in the Links area. To submit a lesson, use the Submit button at the top of the pages in the Lessons area.
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