When did "chords" become "tabs"?

Ukulele JJ

Ukulele JJ

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Now maybe I'm an old fogey :eek:ld:, but back in the day, when we said "tabs", we meant "tablature".

That is, a written-out arrangement of a song that told you where to put your finger on what string, and when. It looked like staff paper, but it had a bunch of numbers on it instead of note heads.

A mere set of lyrics with the chords written on them was another thing entirely. But it seems like these days, the young whippersnappers are calling that "tabs". I see thread after thread where people are asking for "tabs" when they really just want the chords.

Languages do evolve, that's true. I'm still getting used to people calling any random cocktail a "martini", whether it has gin and vermouth in it or not. But that doesn't mean I still can't get all crotchety about it. :D

So what does "tabs" mean to you?

JJ
 
Same as you man, tabs are NUMBERS. Chords in tab form are fine as long as they are in a song of mostly single notes(in which you need tabs) It is confusing paradox, I agree, but you are right sir, chords are when you ask for the chords to the song and none else. A TAB is when you ask for individual notes in the song.
 
Some might call me a whippersnapper... but I was at a buddy's house one time and he offered me a martini, so I said "sure," and he handed me a mixture of vodka and some kind of apple flavored crap... it wasn't bad, but I think he was a little offended when he saw the look on my face.

...I blame MTV.
 
tabs to me are exactly what you have said jj! im only 18 and i to cant stand when people say chords with lyrics are tabs but you know what i guess thats the way its going to be! adaptation is in order I think
 
beeejums said:
Some might call me a whippersnapper... but I was at a buddy's house one time and he offered me a martini, so I said "sure," and he handed me a mixture of vodka and some kind of apple flavored crap... it wasn't bad, but I think he was a little offended when he saw the look on my face.

...I blame MTV.
Click to expand...

Oh, man, I hear ya! Like when you go to a bar and order a martini and the bartender asks what kind of vodka you want. :wtf:

I just order a ginger ale.
 
Tabs are little pieces of paper with cute pictures of things like Porky Pig on them that you place under your tongue after some nice chem. major at MIT has made them and your friends at the Belmont st. house have acquired an entire sheet of them really cheap and it's going to be one long crazy summer back there in the middle of the 80's during which at some point you're going to find yourself in a car parked at and empty Logan Airport terminal at 3am listening to Joy Division very intently and it will all make perfect sense. All of it. Everything.
 
A tab is something you run at a bar. I'm with you though...those other things are chord sheets.
 
I doubt the word is evolving to mean chords. I would hate for that to happen. They're two different things and should remain as such. I just assume they're n00bs who will someday be corrected. Sometimes, I incorporate both tabs and chords into my arrangements, but I usually say "chords/tabs" for those instead of simply "tabs."

It does bother me slightly that people ask for things they don't know the proper terms for, but I'm more bothered by the users that simply ask for tabs and chords without any other engagement in the UU community. e.g. 25 posts and 25 song requests. I almost lose it, but the UU love encourages me to keep my cool.

I tried giving you some rep JJ, but I guess I already did for some other post of yours recently.
 
Tabs are the things that make your text

--> go this way​

When I started playing the uke I used to think they were the same thing because when I looked up chords on the intarwebs the author sometimes called them tabs. I figured since they wrote it they should know, right? It didn't take me long to figure out they were wrong. So I blame bad info on the intarwebs for the misinformation.
 
I'm with the fogies on this one as well. Although I have to say that the quality and consistency of tabs on UU and on UC is streets ahead of the stuff that passes for tab on your average guitar forums. In my experience any way.
 
Lanark said:
Tabs are little pieces of paper with cute pictures of things like Porky Pig on them that you place under your tongue after some nice chem. major at MIT has made them and your friends at the Belmont st. house have acquired an entire sheet of them really cheap and it's going to be one long crazy summer back there in the middle of the 80's during which at some point you're going to find yourself in a car parked at and empty Logan Airport terminal at 3am listening to Joy Division very intently and it will all make perfect sense. All of it. Everything.
Click to expand...

lol! Not that I would know what you're talking about.
 
SuperSecretBETA said:
It does bother me slightly that people ask for things they don't know the proper terms for, but I'm more bothered by the users that simply ask for tabs and chords without any other engagement in the UU community. e.g. 25 posts and 25 song requests. I almost lose it, but the UU love encourages me to keep my cool.

I tried giving you some rep JJ, but I guess I already did for some other post of yours recently.
Click to expand...

That gets me too. It's even worse if the request is written in text style.

"wutz da chrds"

You're asking someone to write out the chords for you, and you can't even spell out the whole word "chords?" :mad:

But hey, some people are here just to figure out how to play something. You don't have to be involved in the community, but it sure goes a long way toward getting your song request filled if you are.
 
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