Standard MIDI File (SMF)  .MID

Today's MIDI technology represents a level of compatibility that has no peer in the world of computers. Virtually all MIDI software supports every make and model of MIDI hardware. In addition, the files created by nearly any MIDI application can be shared and swapped among most MIDI software packages on any computer system.

The standard format of computer music is the Standard MIDI File (SMF), a set of conventions adopted by the music industry in 1987 as a superset of the MIDI Standard. SMF is a file format supported by practically all MIDI software developers. Notation software, sequencers, and other music applications allow the user to save music to disk  as a SMF as an alternative to the program's native file  format. Additionally, most music software will open a SMF,  regardless of the software that was originally used to create  it. The format is quite robust: track names, patch changes,  and subtle nuances are translated without error. Thanks to  SMFs, music can be marketed to all computer musicians  regardless of hardware. Thanks to SMFs, musicians can  create music in one program and  further manipulate it in another.

 

Karaoke Files - (.Kar)

Karaoke files are simply midi files with lyrics added. If you would like to play a .kar file with your standard midi player simple change the file extension to .mid and viola it's just a regular midi file that plays the same as any midi file. As a matter of fact to might be surprised to find lyrics in some of the midi files you already have.

Star 3 Files - (.st3)

Star 3 files are a separate breed of file altogether. They contain midi, lyrics  and graphics. Although this is a fine idea, the fact that this is not a "standard" format means that it's not a preferred file format. We keep them in our archive for those people who already have the player.

Tablature - (.tab Guitar)

Tab is short for tablature.  It's a different way of reading music than you may be used to: instead of each bar representing a certain note, they each represent a string. They are arranged so that the high E is represented by the top line and low E is represented by the lowest bar.  If the strings use an unconventional tuning, the  tuning will usually be shown next to the lines so you can see how each line should be tuned.

Unlike conventional written music, time values are very rarely shown in the tab. Instead, an estimate of how long it is between every plucked note (which is represented by the distance between the numbers in the tab) is commonly shown to roughly estimate timing.

Instead of representing the time of each note on the staff, a number representing the fret on that string is shown.  So, for example:

e------------------- --- B---7--------------- --- G------------------- --- D------------------- --- A------------------- --- E------------------- --- -------------------- --- ---13--------------- --- ---13--------------- --- -------------------- --- -------------------- --- -------------------- --- ---0--------------- --- ---1------2-------- --- ---0--------4------ --- ---2-------------2- --- ---3--------------- --- ---0--------------- --- Play a note of the 7thfret of the 2nd (B) string. Play the thirteenth freton the second and third strings at the same time Play a C chord, then wait, play the 2nd fret on the B string quickly followed by the 4th fret  on the 3rd string, then   wait and play the 2nd fret on the fourth string.

   

There are many other guitar techniques we all know and love.  Usually these are explained by the author of the tablature, but here are some common ones:

----7/9------- ----7^9r7------ ----7h9p7------- Slide from 7th to 9th fret Bend from the 7th up to a 9, then release back to the 7th From the 7th fret  to 9th frets. hammer on to the 9th,  then pull off to the 7th

          

Of course there are tons of other techniques like tapping and pick  sliding and whammy bar stuff, but all of that has not been standardized in compu-tab, magazines, or books yet (though they are standardized within each magazine or book, of course).

SPECIAL NOTE

There are lots of files that have the .tab extension that are not TAB files at all, but simply lyric files with chords included. Try not to be confused by this. It seems that lots of people are. The extension for these files should probably be .crd, but the extension is already used by a program the generates lyric files with chord in it's format.

 

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