Abstract: Tracking control apparatus includes a magnetic recording medium (disk or tape) comprising a dedicated servo track having recorded thereon a servo signal having a fixed spatial wavelength, and magnetic playback apparatus comprising a servo tracking head having an elongated tapered transducing gap transverse to the dedicated servo track. The transducing gap has (1) a relatively small magnetic gap length, at a first end of the gap, which is less than the spatial wavelength of the recorded signal, and (2) a relatively large magnetic gap length, at a second opposing end of the gap, which is greater than the spatial wavelength of the recorded servo signal. The servo head is in a desired tracking position when the segment of the tapered gap aligned with the servo track has a magnetic gap length that is equal to the spatial wavelength of the servo signal.