# Standard Notation vs. Tab-Interesting Video



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I was taught right from the beginning to read standard notation and couldn't believe how easy it was and wondered why I hadn't learner earlier in life. If you've wondered if you should learn standard music notation or tablature the video below may answer this question for you.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Standard notation vs tab- interesting vid - The Acoustic Guitar Forum

God Steady, didn't you get your fill on the acoustic forum already? ;-)


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Mooh said:


> Standard notation vs tab- interesting vid - The Acoustic Guitar Forum
> 
> God Steady, didn't you get your fill on the acoustic forum already? ;-)


Apparently not. I didn't look at the thread past the original post. I thought that was a good video so posted it here for any members who were interested, especially newer ones to the guitar.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Well that title will get backs against walls for starters.

Tab is great. Tab means people who play guitar and/or bass can learn a song they like. Then maybe they start a band and write music other people like.

Why learn sheet music? To be a damn good session and/or classical guitarist. Why use tabs? To learn.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Well, tabs helped me through my fingerstyle learnings : It is like numbered sketches for painting.
Anybody can play the guitar using tabs.
I read and share the idea it is quite convenient to make one's own interpretations using upper positions of the neck through CAGED system, for example.
It also make easy to re-write a melody starting from fake books, but I guess regular staff would help too.
I once re-wrote a melody in standard, Open D and Open G to choose one. It was quite easy.
My point is tabs do have interesting uses.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Steadfastly said:


> ....I didn't look at the thread past the original post. ......


I believe that's how spamming works. Well done


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I like both & use both---they have their strengths.
Although curiously, years ago, when I took some classical lessons as an adult (I started on classical as a kid) I tried putting one of the pieces I was learning into Tab as it had some tricky voicings.
But I found it easier to play in standard notation rather than Tab--but other stuff I do prefer in tab sometimes.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

A thorough knowledge and ability with both serves the guitarist best. We kind of live in the golden age of music resources so learning it has never been easier.

Besides the guitar-centricness, the thing that challenges me most about tab is my difficulty in hearing the music in my head when I see it on the page. I do somewhat, but not like with standard notation where it just plays in my head when I see it. I believe that comes from learning to sight sing and sight read at piano at a very early age. Everyone's brain manages this stuff differently, so results vary considerably. (I didn't discover tab until long after I'd taught myself how to read standard notation on guitar.)

I wish more tab included timing/rhythm notation, not so much for myself as I'm more SN dependent, but for the legions of students, hobbyists, and others who are more tab dependent. The music writing software I use, Finale PrintMusic, doesn't add the rhythm elements to the tab (as far as I know...I've never discovered it if it does) though I otherwise like it.

As a teacher, I prefer to teach standard notation, but the days when I could insist on it are long gone. Even so, half of my students read standard notation well, a quarter read it not so well, and a quarter are only tab readers. All of them can read tab.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Proper tab includes rhythm i think.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

There are two other areas tabs help me (as I am not reading staffs as easily as I do read tabs) : 
Making a guitar arrangement from piano staffs (and fake book as I already wrote)
Tabs writes as text files on the PC (easier to share?) : no need to get used to musical notation software.
But I definitely think we do have to learn reading both staffs and tabs.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

When I took music lessons as a kid, I was obviously taught notation, but, like a lot of others, it wasn't moving fast enough. So I dropped the lessons and moved onto Guitar World, which had tabs. Looking back, I really, really wish I stuck it out with the lessons! I can't read music now, but if I did, I'd be able to apply it to learning the other instruments I've gathered over the years. When I ditched the lessons, I only wanted to play guitar, and tabs were great! Now that I'd really like to learn piano, or violin, or mandolin, not understanding notation is holding the process back. Having said that, I have no patience for tabs anymore either! Gimme a You-Tube lesson!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

SWLABR said:


> When I took music lessons as a kid, I was obviously taught notation, but, like a lot of others, it wasn't moving fast enough. So I dropped the lessons and moved onto Guitar World, which had tabs. Looking back, I really, really wish I stuck it out with the lessons! I can't read music now, but if I did, I'd be able to apply it to learning the other instruments I've gathered over the years. When I ditched the lessons, I only wanted to play guitar, and tabs were great! Now that I'd really like to learn piano, or violin, or mandolin, not understanding notation is holding the process back. Having said that, I have no patience for tabs anymore either! Gimme a You-Tube lesson!


Learning notation is not that difficult. Take it one step at a time and you'll be surprised how quick you catch on. Learn and Master Guitar on DVD is a good way to learn quickly.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

nkjanssen said:


> OK, I watched the video. His premise makes sense in the context of sight-reading an unfamiliar piece and in pretty much no other context. Again, if you need to sight-read jazz or classical pieces, yes, understanding standard notation is essential. If you pick up a Wolf Marshall book to learn how to play that Yngwie Malmsteen song you've always loved, knowing standard notation is redundant at best. For that, tab is very useful though. Fortunately, nobody has to "learn" tab. * Everyone who has even a base level of spatial reasoning can understand how tab works in about 10 seconds.*


While that is true, once you understand notation, you can read several notes ahead as we do when reading words and you only need to read one note, not several strings and finger placements like you do in tab. With notation, it's a memorized note, pretty much essential if you are going to play lead and need to memorize songs quickly.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

nkjanssen said:


> I’m curious... what songs are you personally “playing lead” on and “memorizing quickly” by sight reading?


I don't play in a band but usually play notes when playing rather than chords and do so because I was taught to read notation. When I learn a song I can memorize the notes after a bit of practice but I can also read ahead several notes, just like reading a book. So can others who have gotten to know how to sight reading. For those who can sight read, they understand how this becomes natural. For those that only use tab, it is hard to understand because all 6 strings are involved in tab.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I play poorly, at best. I used to be able to read music way back in my choir days but I've long since lost that ability. Now I use tab and or youtube lessons to get down a songs basics. After that it's all figuring it out for myself and memory/improvisation. 

I'm having fun, that's my main goal.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

nkjanssen said:


> Chords actually are notes, but that aside, are you saying that reading music impedes your ability to play chords?
> 
> 
> 
> Again, what songs are you sight-reading? I used to be able to sight read pretty well when I was younger and played a lot of classical. My abilities have degraded since I stopped playing classical as I’ve found pretty much no other context in which I’ve found it useful. I don’t do session work or play jazz. It just seems weird to me that someone would be sight-reading guitar transcriptions of non-classical, non-jazz music.


I learn songs by using sheet music. It seems that you use a different method. Maybe that's why you find it weird. I am trying to learn to train my ear but I have only so much time. I know most here are so much better at this than me. 

As for songs I sight-read, all songs except for the ones I memorize.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

nkjanssen said:


> No, I find it weird because, again, outside of jazz and classical music, I don't know a single person who learns guitar songs by reading standard notation. You're the first. * I was curious as to what songs you were learning that way. You refuse to disclose that. That's fine, but also a little weird.*




What, do you want a list? Why is it so important to you? If that's what you want, I find that weird. I told you, that's how I learn all songs and have been doing it for years.


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

The plot thickens...


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

@Steadfastly, don't let these troublemakers get to you, keep learning that jazz and being your fine self


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

nkjanssen said:


> Just trying to gain some insight into the man; the legend. I don’t blame you for wanting to keep it a secret, though. Colonel Sanders doesn’t reveal his 11 herbs and spices in web forums either, right?


In my spare time, I'll go through every song and XpressPost it to you asap.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

nkjanssen said:


> Just trying to gain some insight into the man; the legend. I don’t blame you for wanting to keep it a secret, though. Colonel Sanders doesn’t reveal his 11 herbs and spices in web forums either, right?


Well he couldn't even if he wanted to now 

Steadly on the other ................


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## _Azrael (Nov 27, 2017)

One of my regrets is learning to rely on tab instead of actually learning about music.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)




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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

/\ this is bull. They keep the recipe locked in a secret vault. It's been sealed since the US civil war (the colonel was a rebel).


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

_Azrael said:


> One of my regrets is learning to rely on tab instead of actually learning about music.


It is never too late to start. I was in my late 40's when I was taught.


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## Pjfan12 (Dec 3, 2017)

I use rocksmith to run through new songs , and people stream it on twitch as well, when their followers request songs. The guys playing are always looking several notes past where we are using sightreading... once we get in the groove its easy to look further ahead and see whats coming... mind u , I cant memorize a song this way, unless I use riff repeater and break it into chunks.....


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## Pjfan12 (Dec 3, 2017)

Pjfan12 said:


> I use rocksmith to run through new songs , and people stream it on twitch as well, when their followers request songs. The guys playing are always looking several notes past where we are using sightreading... a lot of the time they are seeing the song for the first time ( at least my requests). once we get in the groove its easy to look further ahead and see whats coming... mind u , I cant memorize a song this way, unless I use riff repeater and break it into chunks.....


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

One thing that is disadvantageous about tab is that many of the tabs on the 'net have errors or will lead you to playing the right part but with an inefficient fingering (a big jump on the fret board to the next part as an example). I'm sure that many of the tabs on UG were put together by teenagers in the mid 2000's. Some are great, and a few I've come upon are the actual Guitar World transcriptions copied out from the back of the magazine. But many, many more are total nonsense. 

That said, they can be a good starting point. My current opinion is that for most pop/rock, it's best to just listen to the song and learn it by ear.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Steadfastly said:


> Learning notation is not that difficult. Take it one step at a time and you'll be surprised how quick you catch on. Learn and Master Guitar on DVD is a good way to learn quickly.



I have that course and really need to go through it. My problem right now is that there is a delay between my brain prepossessing what I am seeing in standard notation and where the note is on the fretboard. Plus, I don't understand keys at all.


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