# Music Notation Or Tab?



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Are you able to read musical notation or do use tab? If you use tab are you trying to learn to read music notation or would you like to?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Music notation, though I can read both. I hear music in my head better when I read standard notation than with tab.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Mooh said:


> Music notation, though I can read both. I hear music in my head better when I read standard notation than with tab.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


I understand what you mean, the notation has so much more there to hear.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

FlipFlopFly said:


> I understand what you mean, the notation has so much more there to hear.


Yeah...When you can combine what you see, what you feel (in your heart and under your fingers), and what you hear, to make something else that can be heard, then the language and essence of music is complete and understood, and has gone full circle. The more senses that are involved in the process of learning, the better we learn. Sometimes I think that if music had scent and taste too, it would be even easier to learn.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Mooh said:


> Yeah...When you can combine what you see, what you feel (in your heart and under your fingers), and what you hear, to make something else that can be heard, then the language and essence of music is complete and understood, and has gone full circle. The more senses that are involved in the process of learning, the better we learn. Sometimes I think that if music had scent and taste too, it would be even easier to learn.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


Except if it had taste, there is a lot we would never want in our mouth.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Musical notation. Tab is handy for instructional purposes, but can't convey all of the information that standard notation does. I play professionally, and really good music reading skills are a must.

Frankly, if more musicians working in popular music could read, they'd waste far less time in rehearsals.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Merlin said:


> Musical notation. Tab is handy for instructional purposes, but can't convey all of the information that standard notation does. I play professionally, and really good music reading skills are a must.
> 
> Frankly, if more musicians working in popular music could read, they'd waste far less time in rehearsals.


Very well said.:thanks5qx:


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I say, why limit yourself?
Music notation & tab both have their uses & values.

Still my vote is for notation.

I took a couple of years of classical lessons as an adult while I was teaching guitar.
I started to transcribe one of the pieces I was learning that was played higher on the neck in the hopes of helping me to memorize it.
I found it easier to play with notation than with tab, so I quit tabbing it, and learned it from notation.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

If I can only have one, I'll take standard notation for all of the reasons stated above. Though, in combination, TAB complements standard notation very nicely (when its right!).


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## GuyB (May 2, 2008)

Standard notation also for the same reasons mentioned above and, espacially, because there's no "rythm" with tabs (or at least very incompletely).
But tabs can come in handy in particular whith some chord voicings. Unlike piano and other instruments, on guitar, the same note can be found at least at 4 different places on the neck. Having tabs speeds up the process. But even for a particular voicing, I still prefer to read it in standard notation where there's an indication added for the first fret of the chord.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I tried to learn how to read music, does not work, must be some sort of mental block that it just does not click. So I am stuck with tab, and a bad ear too...lol.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Jim DaddyO said:


> I tried to learn how to read music, does not work, must be some sort of mental block that it just does not click. So I am stuck with tab, and a bad ear too...lol.


You are by no means stuck, but you may need the help of a good teacher. If you can read, write and use punctuation in your spoken language, you can learn to read and write musical notation.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Merlin said:


> You are by no means stuck, but you may need the help of a good teacher. If you can read, write and use punctuation in your spoken language, you can learn to read and write musical notation.


Merlin might well have highlighted the words "good teacher" in his post but he did hint strongly that this is often the problem. I feel that if I can learn to read music, just about anybody can.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Merlin said:


> If you can read, write and use punctuation in your spoken language, you can learn to read and write musical notation.


My nine year old son has great difficulty with reading and writing, but he can read music.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

I can't read notation.......but on the flipside - I don't really use tab either......just learn the chord progression - grab the rest by ear....play by feel


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## friedrice (Oct 3, 2010)

"Music Notation" as in reading off sheet music directly? 

Is that practical? I just started playing the guitar but I already know how sheet music works, but it's so slow when I try to do that. I assume it can be developed eventually? I still remember how slow I used to be when I first started the piano.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

It's all greek to me.


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## friedrice (Oct 3, 2010)

Jim DaddyO said:


> It's all greek to me.


I remember when I first started the piano, got confused by the sheet music and gave up. I came back a year or so later, and pushed myself into digesting it, then I wondered why I got discouraged by it before when it was actually pretty simple.

I can imagine why starting to learn sheet music on a guitar might be harder though, it's harder to visualize.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

friedrice said:


> I remember when I first started the piano, got confused by the sheet music and gave up. I came back a year or so later, and pushed myself into digesting it, then I wondered why I got discouraged by it before when it was actually pretty simple.
> 
> I can imagine why starting to learn sheet music on a guitar might be harder though, it's harder to visualize.


Well, this shows we're all different. I had a much harder time with the piano, but then I had a great guitar teacher.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

friedrice said:


> I remember when I first started the piano, got confused by the sheet music and gave up. I came back a year or so later, and pushed myself into digesting it, then I wondered why I got discouraged by it before when it was actually pretty simple.
> 
> I can imagine why starting to learn sheet music on a guitar might be harder though, it's harder to visualize.


I remember when I was really young being taught how to read sheet music in band class at school (not sure if it's the same), and could read it for a year or so... then I quit music because I liked playing hockey more hahaha. 12 years later I start playing music again and couldn't read sheet music for my life.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

How about lead sheets? How come it's never included in discussions like this. Or are lead sheets considered standard notation? For me, standard notation would be having the exact notes required to be played as opposed to the lead sheets where what you have would be the chords/harmony, melody, lyrics and sometimes the rhythm. Or are we talking of actual notes required to play a solo, etc... I just think it's easier to play music specially with a bunch of other people using lead sheets. 

I'm probably off here so please feel free to correct me.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

For me, lead sheets fall under the heading of standard notation, but, you are right, they are great for playing music with a group of people and using them does require a slightly different skill set.


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## Andy Fake (Sep 25, 2010)

I agree with bw66...

Tab should just compliment the musical notation.

But when i pick-off(figure out a song from hearing it on a CD) a song.......an Eddie, for example.....'Summer Nights', for example.....i don't go out and by the sheet music or buy the Tab of the song....

instead, i go out and buy some smoke...hit the play button....figure out the tune.

Simple.

Take That!


Fake


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Andy Fake said:


> I agree with bw66...
> 
> Tab should just compliment the musical notation.
> 
> ...


That's why I would never recommend you to teach anyone. You have no structure.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

FlipFlopFly said:


> That's why I would never recommend you to teach anyone. You have no structure.


Probably just learn it wrong anyway haha.


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## Andy Fake (Sep 25, 2010)

I smoke.

I'm constantly trying to quit though.....'been trying hard to quit for about 29 years now.

I wouldn't recommend smoking to anyone.
Bad for lungs.
Bad for memory.
Bad for money situation.
Bad for smelling up the house.
Bad for maintaining a reality.
Bad when you don't have any.
Bad when you have.
Bad today.
Bad tomorrow.
Bad bad bad bad bad.
Absolutely bad.
Definitely don't smoke then go teach'n any student scales and stuff.



O! Yes!
We're all on the same side here.

I smoke.
But at least i wished that i didn't smoke. Ha. Imagine this.


How does that sound?



Fake of Smokey Places


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