Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
Which D# should I play here?Nov 12, 2003 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Tablature is an excellent tool if you're just starting out on guitar - and can still be useful later on.
Guitar tablature (TAB) is a shorthand form of music notation specifically designed for stringed (and fretted) instruments, such as guitars and bass guitars. It's actually a fairly simple system - 6 (or 4) lines, corresponding to a string on the instrument. For a standard guitar, a C major chord tabbed out would look like this: ---0--- 1 (High E) ---1--- 2 (B) ---0--- 3 (G) ---2--- 4 (D) ---3--- 5 (A) ---X--- 6 (Low E) Each number is the fret where you should place your finger. In this case, 3rd fret on the A, 2nd fret on the D, and 1st fret on the B string. A '0' means you play that string open, without fretting any notes. An 'X' means that you don't hit that string. As you can see, these notes are all lined up, which means you play them all simultaneously (i.e. as a chord.) If you wanted to play this C chord arpeggiated, it would look like this: ---------0-(E) -------1---(B) -----0-----(G) ---2-------(D) -3---------(A) ------------(E) TAB vs. Sheet Music: The guitar is a very versatile instrument. You can play the same note at up to 5 (or even 6, on a 24 fret instrument) places on the neck. Here's an example: -0--------------(E) ---5------------(B) -----9----------(G) -------14-------(D) ----------19----(A) -------------24-(E) Admittedly, you *probably* won't be playing the same note all the way up on the 5th or 6th string, but it's certainly possible that you'll have up to 4 different places where you can hit that E. If you're only looking at sheet music, you have to basically guess which string to play, based on the area where your hand will be (i.e. for the average chord strumming song, you probably won't move your hand much outside a certain area of the neck.) Obviously then, if you have the TAB, you'll know exactly where the original artist played it, and you can then be more correct when you play the song. TAB vs. Music Theory: First of all, let's get a well-used argument out of the way. You do not need to be able to read sheet music to be a great guitar player. Example: James Hetfield of Metallica - As recently as the S&M album, he commented in the interview that he doesn't know any music theory (able to read sheet music, know notes and time values, etc.) I have a feeling that he hasn't been too hampered by his lack of formal music training. Because I learned music initially on piano, I had to learn standard music notation. But as I mentioned above, that doesn't help me when it comes to guitar, because of how many note choices are available. I prefer the combination of standard notation (to get the rhythm of the piece), and the TAB to know where my fingers should go. Others seem to imply that TAB comes alone, and never has standard notation with it. That is true (for the most part) with TABs you can get online, but in all the major music magazines, they give you both TAB and standard notation in their transcriptions. Online TAB: TAB as it appears online, looks very much like my examples above. There are extra guitar notations you can add to the TAB to have a better playing experience, however: Vibrato Pull-off -------------|-5P3------|------------- ---15~~~|-------------|------------- -------------|-------------|--5/7------- < Slide up -------------|-------------|------------- -------------|-------------|------10\8--- < Slide down --3H5-----|-------------|------------- ^^^ Hammer-on Some people have been able to TAB out pretty complete online TABs, because they do add the note values. Here's a simple open E eighth note bassline: |-----------------------|(G) |-----------------------|(D) |-----------------------|(A) |-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|(E) e e e e e e e e The trick here is to try to evenly space out the numbers, while adding the appropriate note value below. These are typical values: s = sixteenth note e = eighth note q = quarter note h = half note w = whole note I think you can do the same for rests by placing an R in the tab, and putting the appropriate note value below it. TAB which is computer based (online) has come a long way from just simple numbers on lines. Pros: As I mentioned, TAB is an excellent form of shorthand which accurately tells the player exactly which notes (string and fret) to play, without the confusion that standard notation alone can cause. Cons: TAB is shorthand, and is just another tool to help you play the guitar. Advanced TABs, which give the note values as well are certainly helpful, but a combination of standard notation and TAB is best. Also, TAB can be considered a crutch, but it all boils down to your wants and needs. If you enjoy playing for the fun of it, like I do, then TAB is fine. If you intend to be a session player, where you may have to read chord charts or the like, you may want to consider more advanced music training. Thanks for reading!  |
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