TAB vs. Standard notation

I'm a guitarist who recently started to dabble in Uke.
One of the things I love about guitar is that you have choices in how you play music that is written as standard notation.
As a guitar teacher I promote music literacy as much as I can without being a hard-ass, but all the Uke music has TAB underneath, making it too easy to sneak a peek.
The Uke has the complication of the G string being higher, which makes it slightly more confusing to read standard notation, but it also offers some very expressive options.

Are there any players here who would deride TAB as being a cop out; mere 'puppetry'?
Also, how about suggesting a book for beginners which doesn't have TAB?

When I started playing uke in December 2009, I did not know how to read tabs, but did know how to read standard music notation. What I did not know was what frets and strings went with the standard notes. Since so much uke (and guitar) music is written in tabulature, I decided to learn how to read tabs, which of course takes only about 5 minutes, and what makes tabs so popular.

Lately, I have been playing a lot from a book called, "The Daily Ukulele," which does not have tabs, but rather 365 songs in standard music notation and chords. I recommend it for players who you want to wean off tabs. You would have to augment it with most any standard book (such as the Mel Bay begginer books) and teach them to count and to associate the notation with the frets. I often record the chords from the book as a backing track, then practice sight reading and playing the melodies from the standard notation in the book. That book has reminded me why I like standard notation better than tabs. There are several reasons (for me at least):

1. Many tabbed pieces are written without timing information, although it is possible to put tails on the tabbed notes to indicate timing (whole, half, quarter notes, etc)

2. When I look at a piece of standard notation, I can immediately get a feel for the passage. Does it go up, or down the scale, how fast, the key signature, etc. I don't get that sense with tabs, but perhaps that is just me because I haven't used tabs long enough.

3. Standard notation can be used to play the piece on any instrument, as long as you know how finger the notes. I often dabble in multi-track recordings, and some involve other instruments, so its nice to be able to play the music without elaborate tab transformation.

4. I will say that due to the non-linear nature of re-entrant tuning it is still difficult for me to incorporate the High G string into melody playing when I read a piece of music in standard notation. My brain just doesn't work that way yet. That is where tabs have an advantage. if they are written by an author that incorporates the high G into his/her thought process on melodies. I usually just ignore it for all but strumming, and of course I have several ukes strung with low G tuning that are far easier to play melodies on.

My perspective is somewhat biased, since I already know how to read standard notation, but I don't think it is that much more difficult to read standard notation than tabs. I think the few extra days/hours learning it is worth it in the end.

I don't "deride" tabs, or make fun of people using them. I still use them myself. They are simply an easy way to play music if you don't know standard notation. I simply think learning standard notation is something that adds more to your ability to play music. Unfortunately many people who begin with tabs never take the extra step and learn standard notation.

oceanjaws said:

Are there any players here who would deride TAB as being a cop out; mere 'puppetry'?
Also, how about suggesting a book for beginners which doesn't have TAB?

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I have mixed feelings about tab vs. standard notation. I've never been great at reading standard notation, but have found that I've gotten better since I've started playing ukulele - but I force myself to read both when I'm looking at a piece of music that has both. I've never been one to take the easy way out The thing is, there is so much available only with standard notation that to limit oneself to just pieces with tab is way too restrictive.

As for a beginner book that doesn't have tab - most uke songbooks (e.g. the Jumpin' Jim series) have chords and standard notation only, so just about any of those should do. They don't teach how to read standard notation, but that information is widely available elsewhere. SweetWaterBlue's suggestion of the Daily Ukulele is a good one - with 365 songs, there should be something for everyone in it!

janeray1940 said:

I have mixed feelings about tab vs. standard notation. I've never been great at reading standard notation, but have found that I've gotten better since I've started playing ukulele - but I force myself to read both when I'm looking at a piece of music that has both. I've never been one to take the easy way out The thing is, there is so much available only with standard notation that to limit oneself to just pieces with tab is way too restrictive.

As for a beginner book that doesn't have tab - most uke songbooks (e.g. the Jumpin' Jim series) have chords and standard notation only, so just about any of those should do. They don't teach how to read standard notation, but that information is widely available elsewhere. SweetWaterBlue's suggestion of the Daily Ukulele is a good one - with 365 songs, there should be something for everyone in it!

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I agree with Jane. When I was a kid I played Viola and learned to read C clef, I have always struggled to read treble clef.
I look for music with both standard notation and tab. I have also used GuitarPro 5/6 to make sheets for many of the songs I play. I have found that my std. notation reading is much improved when I peek at the tab.

Simply- learning to read standard notation will enable one to read ANY music. I have seen many players, especially bass players and guitar players who are crippled when they want to play a piece because they need a version in TAB. I know that it has its place. It is great to learn how someone suggests fingering and on which strings. It is great to enable players to learn quickly.

Reading standard notation will open up many possibilities.

This has been an ongoing topic on jazzguitar.be forum. Lots of great discussion and understanding on both sides of the issue.

Personally, I feel that a well rounded uke or guitar player needs to be able to do both. My experience with playing in musicals has taught me that I will not find tablature in an ensemble such as that; only standard notation. However, my experience playing in jams or small rock/country groups makes me need to be able to read the tablature.

For me, the sources that I go to most often for music are all written in standard notation so I have to read that. Real books, most fake books, hymnals, and lead sheets are all written in standard notation. There are actually very few piano/vocal/guitar books that will include any type of tablature. So, even if you prefer using tab, you will usually have to write it out yourself from a book/resource so at least knowing how to read music notation is necessary.

In the long run, being able to read music will open up your instrument to many more possibilities. A better understanding of how your instrument works in music will make you a better player.

~DB

I agree that it's very worthwhile to learn standard notation. It will help you in so many ways in your musical journey.

That said, I don't see tabs as a cop-out at all. The notation system that is the "best" depends on the situation/application at hand. In fact, you can arrange the various methods in a continuum of specificity:


Tablature. This is the most specific. There is little room for leeway, which is great if you want to convey (or learn) and exact arrangement for a particular instrument. There's really no better way to notate a specifically-arranged ukulele part, especially one that takes advantage of that re-entrant string (such as John King's classical stuff).

Standard Notation. Less concerned with how you play the notes. but still pretty exact on what notes you are supposed to play and when. Good for when you really want an exact arrangement of pitches, but can accept leeway on the mechanical specifics. Much more transferable to different instruments, with range being the only big consideration. Among other things, that makes it ideal for dealing with music more abstractly, such as when discussing theory or specifying a melody independent from any particular instrument.

Figured Bass and Chord Charts. I'm lumping these together because they're both at about the same level of specificity. Neither are concerned much with how you play the notes, the details of the rhythm you use, or the instrument you play. They just dictate certain chords that are to be played in a certain inversion, at a certain time. The rest is up to you!

The Nashville Number System. Like figured bass and chord charts, Nashville Numbers just tell you what chord to play and when to play it. You have complete leeway in terms of style, rhythmic patterns, etc. The difference is that Nashville Number charts are not really even key-specific. There might be a key written at the top, but it can be easily changed without rewriting the notation. Perfect for songs that don't really have "official" keys, such as folks songs, and for songs that require key flexibility, such as when you don't know the range of the vocalist.


Of course, you see these in combination sometimes. Lead sheets combine chord charts with standard notation. And I guess chord diagrams are a sort of mix between tablature and chord charts.

Point being, it's all about the right tool for the job. For every bluegrasser or rocker who is flummoxed by standard notation, there's a classical player who can't play off a chord chart. A well-rounded musician will know how to read many or all of these types of notation.

JJ

Standard notation!!!

I´ve got nothing against standard notation, but I just can´t read it, and it´s not for lack of trying. I took formal music lessons in three different instruments (all overlapping) from age 6-15, and all through grade and middle school, I was in the school jazz band and orchestra. I´ve had more music teachers than I can count, and they have all tried to teach me to read standard notation, but I just can´t do it. I always struggled through the piece twice, until I memorized it, and then played by ear. I´ve long since come to the conclusion that my brain just doesn´t work that way, and given up. However, I can read tabs like a pro!

I really like having both. Standard notation with the tab underneath.

I like austin's comment. I found when playing that I tend to memorize. Really, good musicians do that regardless of what type of sheet music they are looking at. Having the music in front of them is not a necessity as much as a convenience.

What I can remember about playing concert/orchestral music (as well as singing the same) was that after about eight or so practices you spent more time looking at the conductor and paying attention to dynamics than you did to looking at notes. Maybe a hard or fast section that was tricky would get some attention, but you'd go right back to the conductor after that. Memorization is a natural byproduct of repetition.

~DB

both, - standard has time designations wich tab doesnt have -very important. Tab has fretboard location standard doesnt have.

wolfybau said:

both, - standard has time designations wich tab doesnt have -very important. Tab has fretboard location standard doesnt have.

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Actually, a lot of tab does include time durations, making it possible to sight read pieces you're unfamiliar with. I much prefer this to the standard ASCII type tab with just fret numbers.

And some classical guitar music that's written in only standard notation will include string numbers in a circle above the staff. For example, if what is normally written as a middle C (generally played on the 5th string, 3rd fret) indicates it is to be played on the sixth string, it means you'd be playing it on the 8th fret.

I like uke sheets that include both, as it's easier for me to mentally "hear" what it should sound like by looking at the standard notation, although I'm getting better at doing it strictly from the tab.

I had a young guitarist once tell me that he was leaving for Nashville to become a professional studio guitarist. During the show we were playing together, I had to transcribe all of his music from standard to tab. This kid could wail on guitar, but he could read music. He returned a month after leaving because no studio would hire him because he couldn't read.

Us amateurs have it good. We can pick and choose what we want to learn and justify it however we want. Notation, tablature, chords above lyrics... Your hobby, your choice. But, for those wanting to make the jump from amateur to professional, reading is an important part of it. You may not need to be able to sight read, but you darn sure better be able to know how to at least transcribe for yourself.

~DB

I think it is helpful to know musical notation if you are going to be a serious musician. But for a hobbyist, it becomes a lot of work, especially if you play instruments with different tunings. I learned musical notation for classical guitar, and a bit for piano, but when it came to banjo, tabs were easier to jump into, and the same with the ukulele. I just looked at the guitar part for John Kings duet for "The Entertainer" and saw that the guitar 6th string was tuned down to D. If I was trying to read notation on that, it would be a huge headache for those notes on that string. Not so big a problem using the tabs though. It just becomes very complex to have all that info for all those instruments and their different variations. I don't really want to work that hard. I see nothing wrong with tabs, and often, for many instruments, it is easier to find music in that form. It's good to have a basic knowledge of the C scale, so you know how to build chord shapes. I think that ear training can be more important, since learning intervals can help you play what's in your head, and is great for soloing and jamming.

–Lori

Everyone needs to learn to read standard notation. I need to learn to teach myself uke songs FROM standard notation. I can read it, but as of yet I've never applied it to uke. Piano I can do. Not uke. yet xD

To me, the problem with learning it is most people try and learn it by jumping into tunes. They get in over their heads and suddenly proclaim it is "too hard" to learn.

What most don't seem to do is put a lot of time in playing and reading scales. When you learn a new instrument in a classical manner, this is where you focus at first. It's a walk-before-you-run sort of thing.

~DB

Anyone here old enough to remember the Green Hornet TV show? That moire pattern they use in the opening credits is pretty much how I see standard notation. I can't keep those dots and parallel lines straight in my head. I do fine with tab though as the numbers break up the visual pattern, and as already mentioned, they provide the exact fingering intended by the author.

The times I tried to work with standard notation, I end up following the lines with my finger, and learn the line just long enough to play it from memory. After that, I can't even look at the page without losing my place.

I pretty much do the same with tab. I first listen to the song until I have it firmly embedded in my mind (youtube is great if I don't have a recording to follow) Then I examine the tab until I have the fingering patterns down, referring to standard notation or the music for timing. After that, it's all memory.

Well, after you have rehearsed a piece long enough, the notes on the page (however they are represented) are just there for reference. I don't think you are alone in music with that experience.

~DB

I have been taught to read standard notation five times
over a period of forty years,and still can't! Tab,however
I can easily read,play from and get the feel of a tune that
I am not instantly familiar with.Mind you,too many years
as a solo folkie/busker have ingrained themselves into my
consciousness,and I think I regard myself as a 'busker'
rather than any sort of high falutin' 'musician'!