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8.12pm
5 May 2014
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I used to be able to read music really well, back when I played cello. I never loved cello, so I dropped it and changed to guitar, and haven’t read music since, because I never felt like I had to. I learn most things by ear, although I occasionally use TAB when I can’t figure it out. I know some people who think that using TAB is a terrible decision, and others who are really excited that more and more guitarists are reading TAB.
So is TAB a huge mistake for guitarists to use, or do you think it’s a useful tool? Is it even worth learning to read music for guitarists who only play rock n roll (which is large percentage of guitarists)? Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this, so what do you think and why?
We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians
8.15pm
1 November 2013
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I like to use both since I can read sheet music
the problem with TAB is that it is harder to tell if something is a half note or quarter note
though it helps since I can’t sight read
8.23pm
5 May 2014
Offline @Starr Shine?
The thing with TAB, is its not universal, unlike sheet music. You can’t hand a violinist TAB and expect them to know what to do with it. Thats the argument my dad makes, who is very ant-tab
We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians
8.36pm
12 November 2013
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I think tabs are easier to read though. I can read sheet music, but it takes more time to read. That’ when I’m playing piano, I mainly watch a tutorial how tp play the sobg. Unless I make a rhythm up, I write ot so I can understand it.
If children are studying the 20th century, I'm in their text books.
- Paul McCartney
8.43pm
5 May 2014
Offline When Im 64 said
I think tabs are easier to read though. I can read sheet music, but it takes more time to read. That’ when I’m playing piano, I mainly watch a tutorial how tp play the sobg. Unless I make a rhythm up, I write ot so I can understand it.
TAB is much easier to read, but its gets weird when you try to write complicated rhythms.
We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians
9.13pm
2 April 2014
Offline Neither. I just find the chords online and play the rest by ear. I can read sheet music but I don’t much care for it.
10.02pm
5 May 2014
Offline MrMoonlight said
Neither. I just find the chords online and play the rest by ear. I can read sheet music but I don’t much care for it.
that is the best way to do it if possible
We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians
11.00pm
Reviewers
4 February 2014
Offline I can’t read sheet music (well, fluently, I can translate it slowly), and it hasn’t hindered my guitar playing. For a strictly rock/blues guitarist, tabs are definately not a bad idea. In reply to what Anna said with the quarter/half notes, tabs need to be used as a guide and if you know what the song sounds like you’ll figure it out, if you want to play having never heard the song, like you can with sheet music, it probably won’t sound accurate.
When I started playing I used tabs a lot, but when I learned chords I stopped almost completely. Now I use them for solos if I can’t find an online lesson or figure ot out be ear. Definately not bad to use though, they’re definately helpful, and once you memorize it, it doesn’t matter how you learned it.
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Mimi1.24am
12 November 2013
Offline MrMoonlight said
Neither. I just find the chords online and play the rest by ear. I can read sheet music but I don’t much care for it.
I sometimes do it by ear, but that if there is only no tab. Most of the time there is so it does not faze me.
If children are studying the 20th century, I'm in their text books.
- Paul McCartney
1.53am
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline I play bass using tabs. Sheet music isn’t generally available for free, and it’s harder to read anyways.
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2.31am
1 November 2012
Offline For the purposes of playing (acoustic) guitar, all I want is a list of the chords used — and it helps if indicated where they are used in the song as the lyrics go along.
A mere listing of chord sequence is usually enough, as I can figure out where the last chord ends and the next chord begins.
What really annoys me is when songbooks (or websites) claim to have the chords for a song, but some of the chords are obviously wrong, or they leave out several chords that my ear tells me must be there. I’m usually not good enough to figure out what chords are used if the chord changes are more complex or clever.
Also, some musicians or bands are not that sophisticated, and you can often figure out the chords if you know basic music; others are more difficult. The most difficult (in the general area of pop music) in my experience are James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. The Beatles usually threw in odd & ingenious curve balls, so they keep me on my toes!
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11.24am
18 March 2013
Offline Tab AND sheet music on one page together works really well because you can see the tab and the rhythm of the notes on the sheet music. Ugh I feel weird calling it sheet music cause thats not really what a staff is called…
And if you’re doing a face melting guitar solo above the 12th fret, there’s no way you could read anything but tab (unless you’re some musical super-genius)
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Starr Shine?, Mimi9.51pm
9 March 2017
Offline Although i recommend learning by ear over both of these options, i recommend TABs for chordophones (string instrument that’s meant to be strummed) and sheet music for everything else.
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3.29am
19 January 2017
Offline If you are a guitar player then generally you should use tab. Sheet music doesn’t lend itself to guitar very easily.
However, if you are a classical guitarist though then you should really use sheet music.
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The Hole Got Fixed, Dark Overlord, Beatlebug"And life flows on within you and without you" - George Harrison
3.40am
24 March 2014
Offline If you can read music then sheet music is the answer. It might be difficult at first but , as everything else, it just require a bit of practice.
TABS are often a mess.
Learn by ear is a good practice but shouldn’t focus on it solely. Train your ears and your reading as well and you’ll be unbeatable ; )
"I Need You by George Harrison"
3.56am
26 January 2017
Offline if I’m playing guitar then I’ll mostly use tabs, because I’m mostly a lead player and sheet music is not good at all for that. But for any other instrument I’ll use sheet music.
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I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
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4.24am
24 March 2014
Offline Sheet music is perfect for lead. Violins play lead, pianos play lead, flutes play lead… Everything you could play in the highest positions of a guitar fret board can be perfectly written in sheet music and, since there are special notation for octaves higher or lower, there’s no need of using a ton of ledger lines for it.
"I Need You by George Harrison"
6.09am
26 January 2017
Offline Believe me I’ve tried. Just becomes confusing. It’s different to a piano where there is only one key per note. On a guitar there are at least six different positions I could play a certain lick, sheet music cannot clarify that, making it extremely difficult when you’re playing faster solos or whatever.
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SgtPeppersBulldog, BeatlebugI've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
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