Find out if you should learn standard notation or just tabs when learning fingerstyle guitar.
When I started taking guitar lessons, I wasn't that interested in playing pop music, so I got started learning classical guitar, using the Royal Conservatory books.
Since classical guitar methods use exclusively the treble clef, I had no idea what guitar tabs were until much later. This was when my teacher explained to me that I was one of the few students who didn't use tab.
Of course, this made me feel rather smug and I totally ignored charts which were written in tablature, and this caused some problems down the line which I'll get into shortly.
I've since become much better at reading guitar tablature and can appreciate the benefits. But before we dive into the pros and cons, let's first define what we are dealing with.
What Is Guitar Tablature?
Tablature, or tab for short, is a type of musical notation that consists of a series of horizontal lines that represent the strings of the guitar and numbers that indicate which fret to play on each string.
The lines are a visual representation of the strings, with the lowest pitched (thickest string) at the bottom and the highest pitched (thinnest) string at the top.
At first glance, it would seem that guitar tablature is far superior and much easier to understand than traditional sheet music. Unlike sheet music, tab shows you exactly where to place your fingers on the guitar, making it ideal for beginners who are just starting to learn fingerpicking.
By the way, if you are one of those beginner players and you want to kick start your learning, I recommend my online course Play Fingerstyle Guitar Now!
However, for someone who has already learned to read standard notation, reading tablature can be a little confusing, as it requires another learning curve when you are just starting out.
What is Standard Notation?
Standard notation is what other musicians usually refer to as sheet music and it's the universal way to represent musical notation.
Standard notation provides a visual representation of the notes that you need to play, such as their height (pitch) and duration. This notation lets the musician easily understand the music, such as the tune (melody) as well as separation between the melody and accompaniment.
While standard notation is a universal language for all instruments, it can be overwhelming for guitarists to learn. Tablature notation is specific to the guitar and useful only to guitarists.
Why Use Tabs With Guitar?
While tabs can be useful for learning songs quickly, they don't provide the same level of detail and nuance as standard notation. As a fingerstyle guitar player, it's helpful to be able to interpret both the bass line (lowest-pitched notes) and melody (main theme) simultaneously.
On the other hand, tabs provide a visual representation of where to place your fingers on the fretboard and which strings to play.
To indicate a finger position in standard notation, a guitarist must add two numbers beside the note: a circled number to denote the string and a separate number for the finger. Some parts even indicate the fret number in Roman numerals, such as when the notes are guitar harmonics.
I always felt this was a somewhat clunky workaround and a weak point in guitar sheet music. Using guitar tablature provides a more elegant solution to the problem of indication accurate finger placement in my opinion.
On the other hand, I exclusively use standard notation when I transcribe songs from recordings. It's far quicker for me to notate the notes being played rather than write down each individual fret number.
Plus, music notation software will often create tablature automatically and you can always go back and correct the fret numbers later.
Advantages of Guitar Tabs
One of the biggest advantages of tabs is that they allow guitarists to learn songs quickly without having to read traditional sheet music.
This is especially true for fingerstyle guitar tabs, allowing guitarists the ability to read them without having to first learn standard notation.
This is particularly useful if you are a fingerstyle guitarist who has not had much formal music training.
Disadvantages of Tabs
One of the main disadvantages of fingerstyle tabs, when compared to standard notation, is the absence of rhythmic notation. This means that, unless you're already familiar with the song, it can be challenging to understand the timing and rhythm of the piece just by looking at the tab.
This can lead to confusion and make it harder to learn new fingerpicking patterns.
Guitarists who want to take their playing to the next level should consider learning how to read sheet music in addition to tabs.
Which Is Better: Tabs or Standard Notation?
When I was learning guitar, I originally believed we could dispense with tabs altogether. However, over the years of teaching guitar and learning songs myself, I came to the realization that there is definitely a place for guitar tablature.
My preference is for a guitar part that contains both standard notation and tabs. This provides for the most accurate notation possible, indicating which notes to play as well as how to play them.
