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Underground > Radio & Music >

Calling fabulously musically literate acoustic guitarists.

22:41 / 16.06.03

I have a tape which was recorded in 1979 of my father playing a tune he wrote on an acoustic guitar. He played a twelve string (which I don't think he's playing on the tape) and he was brilliant at it. So, I wondered if any of you musically fabulous people could help me with the following:

a/ How the HELL do I get it off the tape and onto mp3 in order to upload it to the net?

b/ When it is on mp3 is there anyone here who can transcribe the music in guitar notation from the recording so that I have i/ the sheet music for a song that only existed in his head and ii/ a permanent written copy of a tune that the whole family loved?

The tape has already lost a generation as it was copied from a reel to reel recording.

BTW, It's really important to me to do this - I asked him to write down the tune before he died but he was too sick, so if anyone can help they'll get good karma for a longtime baby!

15:35 / 17.06.03

To convert from tape to MP3: you need to record your track onto a computer. If you have the right software you will be able to save it as an MP3. If not, you will have to save it as a sound file and convert it to an MP3 using a different bit of software.

To actually do that you need a tape player with audio outputs, a PC with a sound card (with audio inputs) and the software to record and save your track as an MP3.

If you don't have all of the above yourself, and don't know anyone who could do it for you, you're going to have to send it to someone trustworthy to do it. Can you do a copy of the cassette? Depending on the state of the copy you have, I imagine it would still be good enough for someone to transcribe the music from (if such a thing is possible), and you won't then run the risk of losing the only copy you have.

I'd be more than happy to do the converting to MP3 bit - send me a PM if you haven't already had any better offers.

17:17 / 17.06.03

Yeah, it sounds like somebody would have to get the mp3, then learn how to play it, then write down what they learned. There are computer programs that'll turn music files into sheet music, but I think that only works with MIDI stuff, not .wavs (which is what you'd have).