Tab

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1413983372' post='2584385']
Lord S +1
Why does reading or TAB need to be thought of as mutually exclusive?
Speaking for myself I like read when working from a score in a book simply because when playing TAB I get guilt trips over not knowing the notes I'm playing.

Wrt "explain that"; I'd guess your players there are employed to play what they FEEL. e.g. you wouldn't employ Victor Wooten or Gary Willis on a gig and insist he plays from a score. Or would you?
[/quote]
Ha ha If I employed them they do exactly as I'd say cos I'd be the boss. I would make them play from score. no slapping, no tapping, no going higher than the seventh fret!

When at music college we had a lecturer who was just legendary. He'd bollock people cos he hadn't bollocked them for a while etc. Tough bugger. In a band of his he didn't want the guitarist playing Barre chords as it was a big band, (lots of musicians not neccesarily jazz) and the notes on the lower strings would drop into someones register. He, like me, didn't like that. The guitar player kept doing it.....so he cut his bottom two strings off. Class!

[dannybuoy]

A few arguments have been expressed in this thread that I'd like to counter!

Jake said way back that out of his students, the worst musicians have been the ones that only knew tab, so therefore he blames the tab. This does not make any sense. It is a valid observation, but there is no direct cause and effect link here - it's like saying there are lots of inconsiderate drivers who drive BMWs, therefore there must be something wrong with BMW. Tab, and dots are just methods of representing music and have nothing to do with the skill or theory knowledge of the musician. There are people who only read tab yet have a lot of theory knowledge, and people who can read notation but that's all they can do.

Another point that is repeated is that with tab, you don't know what notes you are playing, and notation offers a much richer experience with being able to visualise harmonies and intervals etc. It's true that many players don't know what notes they are playing, but that has to do with them, not tab in itself. Both systems can easily be 'read' if the reader is used to them. Because I am used to tab, I instantly know that number 7 on the A string is an E. Whenever I see a number 2 frets higher on the next string up I immediately see that as a 5th. Looking at a solo I can visualise a box shape from the numbers and see what scale is being used. It's just a different way of writing down the music and whenever you get used to either system it is easy to extract musical information from it.

Another point is that some don't like being told how to play, and prefer to choose which string/fret to use themselves. Tab users have just as much freedom to re-interpret the notes. Whereas a notation reader would look at the position of the dot in the stave, work out it's an A, then choose where to play it; I see a 2 on the top line, work out that's an A, and instead play it as if it were a 7 on the next line down if I want to. Except I find the tab way far quicker since I don't need to convert the number to a note unless I really want to, I can just add on 5.


I have a lot of respect for people that can read proper notation (when they aren't slagging off tab that is!). But in my opinion, as a musical notation format, the only advantages it offers are:

- Rhythmic notation: Essential in a situation where you are expected to sight read having never heard the piece - which takes serious skill, so kudos to Bilbo. However the lack of rhythmic information in tab is not a problem for most, as when you are simply trying to learn a piece of music, your ears are far better at learning rhythms than your eyes.

- Easier sharing between other musicians. Although in this day an age, any musical notation software can easily convert to or from tab. Also, in a lot of the situations I've played in, if I had to share music I had written to a guitarist in the band, I would need to use tab, so it also depends on the situation.

Edited October 22, 2014 by dannybuoy

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1413988615' post='2584460']
A few arguments have been expressed in this thread that I'd like to counter!

Jake said way that out of his students, the worst musicians have been the ones that only knew tab, so therefore he blames the tab. This does not make any sense. It is a valid observation, but there is no direct cause and effect link here. Tab, and dots are just methods of representing music and have nothing to do with the skill or theory knowledge of the musician. There are people who only read tab yet have a lot of theory knowledge, and people who can read notation but that's all they can do.

Another point that is repeated is that with tab, you don't know what notes you are playing, and notation offers a much richer experience with being able to visualise harmonies and intervals etc. It's true that many players don't know what notes they are playing, but that has to do with them, not tab in itself. Both systems can easily be 'read' if the reader is used to them. Because I am used to tab, I instantly know that number 7 on the A string is an E. Whenever I see a number 2 frets higher on the next string up I immediately see that as a 5th. Looking at a solo I can visualise a box shape from the numbers and see what scale is being used. It's just a different way of writing down the music and whenever you get used to either system it is easy to extract musical information from it.

Another point is that some don't like being told how to play, and prefer to choose which string/fret to use themselves. Tab users have just as much freedom to re-interpret the notes. Whereas a notation reader would look at the position of the dot in the stave, work out it's an A, then choose where to play it; I see a 2 on the top line, work out that's an A, and instead play it as if it were a 7 on the next line down if I want to. Except I find the tab way far quicker since I don't need to convert the number to a note unless I really want to.


I have a lot of respect for people that can read proper notation (when they aren't slagging off tab that is!). But in my opinion, as a musical notation format, the only advantages it offers are:

- Rhythmic notation: Essential in a situation where you are expected to sight read having never heard the piece - which takes serious skill, so kudos to Bilbo. However the lack of rhythmic information in tab is not a problem for most, as when you are simply trying to learn a piece of music, your ears are far better at learning rhythms than your eyes.

- Easier sharing between other musicians. Although in this day an age, any musical notation software can easily convert to or from tab. Also, in a lot of the situations I've played in, if I had to share music I had written to a guitarist in the band, I would need to use tab, so it also depends on the situation.
[/quote]
Ain't that the Truth!

Awesome post, kind of ends the debate for me!

[ahpook]

After the end of the world, when all that remains are cockroaches and peavey bass amps...

...two of the cockcoaches will still be arguing about this.

Edited October 22, 2014 by ahpook