TABS or SHEET MUSIC: Which is Better?

[@sebastiancastaneda8611]

I agree with what you say, when I started playing guitar I used the tablature since I did not have books or teachers to help me understand the Standard notation, now I realize that SN shows much more about the song than the tablature. Although I think tablature helps a lot for those who are self-taught

[@cougarbob1776]

Thank you. I appreciate your very honest and down to earth approach about this subject. Not to sound negative about myself, but I am 70 years old and just beginning to learn guitar. I am doing so to keep my mind and hands active and I’d like to surprise my daughter who’s a musician by being able to play a little bit when I see her next. You’re a video tells me that I perhaps aren’t to learn tab at first. I definitely would like to also learn standard notation for all of the wonderful reasons you listed. I get it. But Time is of the essence of the essence if you get my drift. One thing at a time. I will be happy to just get as far as I can. I do enjoy the process. I’ve had my guitar for about six weeks, and I am learning chords, chord, shifting, strumming patterns, and trying to sing along with those things. All in due time. Thank you very much. Good luck to you.

[@webworm13]

I have been practicing SN in first position for over a year and it is still a very difficult for me- HARD. I like to have tabs and SN available when learning a new simple type piece of music. Another advantage of SN is that I can now sight read some piano music. Thanks for the video.

[@roro54321]

Adding finger use to tabs: IMRP for index, middle, ring, pinky. Or PMRL for pointer, middle, ring, little. Just use that in place of 1-4. Not that complicated.

[@davidmalley1014]

Dude, my friend Dave just turned me onto your site. He observes me learning and growing as a guitarist. I learn through the internet. I have structured lessons but nothing "in person". Every once in a while I'll be crowing about how difficult a piece is I'd trying to learn. I have studied music theory and am slowly learning to read music. Your vid is perfect for what I need just now. learning to read music is a discipline and therefore not always as fun as just getting a licks into my hands. I was recently frustrated trying to learn a lick because it was complex and nuanced. My ear got me going and playing but it wasn't quite right. Tablature helps and gets me there incrementally but I still can't figure out some of the really cool "technique and feeling stuff" that an artist creates. Your explanation of, why and how sheet music describes music in more detail, has been a wonderful incentive and push to finish and perceiver with my music reading studies. I'm motivated now and your explanation is outstanding. Informative and detailed enough yet not boring or dry. You rock! thanks for your help as I, lift that leg and take that next step.

[@hyakushiki23]

As a beginner, this is a great video. Thank you for explaining the basics.

[@tomb374]

Bravo! Loved the explanation. It validated what I've been told by my awesome instructors and pretty much thought before getting an instructor. I believe theory and notation are ultimately the way to go but like you said, it's good to have tab to get you started so you can learn and play something if you're not an especially gifted fine motor person like you talked about. It would be easy to get discouraged and quit without something to simplify things early on. Thanks again Phil. Waiting for the next.

[@violetlight8138]

I am learning guitar with tab but I am spending time trying to learn how to read music too. I got a few great books for learning how to read and it's helpful. I'm doing okay. Really just on the C major scale at the moment.

[@b2jutsao]

I'm restarting my music journey and just found your channel! I'm really grateful for your energy and encouragement.

[@tim8602]

I've never used tab, and don't know much about it, as I started playing different instruments before guitar, so was already used to standard notation. But I wonder though, could someone look at tab and hum its melody? I doubt they could right? So I think that is a major plus for standard notation. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

[@MrSupersayian777]

So I already know how to play saxophone on sheet music have about 5 years of experience. I just bought an electric guitar, what will the hardest part be in switching over to reading guitar sheet music

[@cadecooldude199]

@@MrSupersayian777 it is the same as sheet music or do you want to try tabs? I still prefer standard notation because tab is not giving much info

[@theelodgeovkeku]

@@cadecooldude199 Traditional tablature packs quite a bit of info, including key, meter and some degree of articulation. Modern tab is the short bus version.

[@nekilikizhrvatske3336]

Theyre not meant to be hummed, its a quick way to learn songs or write guitar parts. Tabulature is perfect and only disadvantages are found when you use it on wrong stuff like humming a melody or giving it to a pianist.

[@Ayo.Ajisafe]

@@nekilikizhrvatske3336 I agree with you. I think a good complete tablature should be respected. It shouldn't be used as a crutch to not learn SN but a tool that works WITH the idiosyncrasies of our instrument. I think the problem is this vs idea. They are both tools and thus depending on the job you select the right tool.

[@rocambole93]

what a great video! this is exactly my approach except that I learnt guitar with tablatures as a teen and now that I am retired I try to use the standard notation

[@nquerosaber]

btw, standard notation on a guitar was transposed with classical guitar in mind, which only goes up to the 12th fret, from low E to 12th fret E, and not the electric guitar, so there is really only 2 C's to choose in that case the electric guitar would add an extra octave to the ledger lines

[@player1o178]

one reminds me of a map, the other of a detailed book. both are for say a country, but one gives you more information, and the other is easier to picture and figure out.

[@billa6348]

I’ve read and played music on piano using standard music notation for most of my life. I switched to guitar 12 years ago and have found a hybrid-music notation AND tab-method to work best for me. You don’t need to put a capo on a piano, nor can you easily tune it to “Drop D,” “Open C” or other altered tunings. It’s pretty straightforward. Not so for guitar and so much music written for it. . That said, I believe standard notation provides essential context-timing, dynamics, nuance-without which tab would be useless. So, for guitar, I “suggest” both have their uses regardless of skill level. Thanks for the discussion!

[@KrackDaddy]

i've been playing bass for a year and a half and now i'm really becoming interested in the theory side of things. You convinced to learn sheet music faster thanks

[@TheTektronik]

As a beginner who is used to reading tabs transitioning to reading standard notation threw me off and felt intimidating but nothing can be nailed at the first attempt in my opinion. When I started learning to read notations it was the time that I had to be serious about studying music theory yes tabs are useful but all it shows is specific fret fingerings. Thanks for the explanation I appreciate it.

[@benjaminanan8097]

Thank you chris cornell,that really helped

[@xbluemx]

I'm so excited now I know what those numbers mean on my sheet music

[@JamesSmith-ij8nj]

SN gives you the option of, hey I like that flute solo ( riff)... Find anything in treble cleft and you can play it. Or, like my teacher, transpose on the fly...

[@SiggyMe]

Tabs give the physical location of the music on the fretboard, and sheet music gives the rhythm details particularly if its tricky. Sometimes I used both for the respective strengths or if rhythm is good to go just use tab. However, I feel comfortable with with either one. One can play using the one feels right for you. Both get you where you want to go. However, there is greater adaptability strength in being versed in both

[@adon9990]

Iknow how to read sheetmusic but idont like it iam much slower in playing than tabs I prefer having tabs and sheet in same page like guitar pro system

[@kimheinlein6393]

Notation also tells you what key to play in. Good explanation. Keep the videos coming!

[@Ta21961]

I really wish there was a mix. Sometimes trying to learn from tabs especially for bass, doesn't really tell you what is going on unless you can tell that the notes are outlining particular chords but then you need to know theory. With bass, many notes could just be passing notes. I will print out the tabs and put the chords being played where the changes are occurring. This helps to show what needs to be played etc. Tabs work best when the chords are noted and if in some cases the rhythm in noted too.

[@donaldanderson6604]

Totally agree. Most British sheet music doesn't have TAB. Uses up twice as much paper so page turns are a pain. I change my fingerings all time and often repeat a phrase in a different position for tonal variety.

[@stevegarry7764]

Hi Phil thanks for opening this discussion. I would like to add a point from my own experience. You have a new piece in standard notation. You don't just start playing no. You read through it and pencil in the position fingering the phrasing barre shifts etc. So you do actually put a shorthand tab on the music. So I use both I study the standard sheet to get into the piece and I play from tab only when I have got it sorted. Worth mentioning that tab downloads are notoriously inaccurate so start with the music from a publisher that is accurate. So there is a place for both systems music for studying and familiarity and tab as a shorthand memory guide once you have the melody harmony and dynamics correct.

[@jerseyguy542]

Hi Phil, nice video, and many good points that you make here. I like to say that tab tells you what to do, standard notation tells you what to hear, and you have to figure out what to do. Also, I do get sound ideas from notation, I hear the music in my head while reading it. And one idea I also like is that notation is a graph of music in which the x axis is time and the y axis pitch.

[@శతకహేమముఆటవెలఁది]

Brilliant

[@tedmurphy710]

Very professional well executed tutorial!

[@adon9990]

Notes helps you play the same music in many different ways and "arrangements" since in most cases gives you the note without which string to play

[@tomm5023]

I also don’t understand the fuzz. I love it when both are available. Tab for position, SN for rhythm. SN only takes a lot of effort if you’re not trained from a young age. 2 months as you state is quite eufemistic. i’d say more like 2 years and practice every day. I started at age 46 with SN. Painful, but if you focus mainly on rhythm it is quite easy. I also love to see the melody movement on SN. Tabs only say where to play.

[@DarknessInferno15]

This was very helpful, thank you.

[@computernerd8157]

I get ya. I prefer music sheet I am still a music noob but I am to the point I can read music now. I use learning music sheet to learn the fret board as well. I know 90% thanks to this method of learning. Tabs are not hard but to me its too easy and made it harder to learn the fretboard so for me, tge tab held me back. Now I can play the panio as well, so I like beibg versatile.

[@meesterchreester5589]

I'm a little late but i love this video, I'm self taught and don't know how to read sheet music and have used tabs my whole life. Subscribed! And also thank you for explaining the difference between the two!

[@desportlyllc1528]

Amazing contribution! So appreciative of your video. Beautiful explanation! Thank you!

[@amigosstudios5963]

Is it just me or does he look like Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl combined?

[@AngeloComedy]

you are not alone...

[@robertsensat380]

Just u

[@panxu9503]

Thanks so much! It really makes me want to learn sN.

[@sophiesoso7892]

I've used tabs for years now and in 10 minutes you convinced me I was doing it all wrong thanks man!

[@-------7059]

Sarcasm?

[@grahamwood8085]

Hi I started guitar using cords I’m using tab now but would one day read sheet music I play ukulele and banjolale

[@guidofeliz8384]

I can read about 50 hymns easily via tablature. I recently started to get involved with music notation on the guitar. It is challenging but so rewarding. It is far better than tablature. It makes a guitar player a complete musician. It will take me years to feel comfortable reading sheet music on the guitar but well worth the trip.

[@andrewhelpdale549]

i been playin guitar bout 7 years and used tab tho whole time but now im tryna learn piano so i gotta learn to read sheet music. i mean i already know how im just not fluent and fast lol

[@dmitritelvanni4068]

All comes to fluency. Note every guitar player knows their theory, many of them are music history buffs but not composers per se in the classical sense. I hate tabs mqin,y because I'm dyscalclitic so that many numbers tend to blur for me. Band through high-school helped make me fluent in bass clef, but I still struggle reading treble for guitar.

[@yusufimmanuel5396]

Tq...i try learn standar notation

[@nquerosaber]

standard notation is like a primitive form of MP3 it worked because its was a way to store and distribuite music before the invention of recording technologies, nowdays, we have other forms of storage, when a musician had an idea for a melody, he had to write down on the notation, now you can just hum the melody onto your phone and save for later people worries too much about "communicating with other musicians", but seriously, no pianist will read classical guitar's notation and vice versa, all what people need to know these days, is in which key they are playing, and also the rhythm which is provided by their own band members, each instrument can develop its own notation, for most instruments, standard notation works just fine, but for guitar, tabs is more efficient, reading standard notation is like one of those skills that you want to have in case an armageddon happens, and we lose access to our phones and computers

[@smokeyg983]

I don't know anyone that can sight read tab and faster then standard notation, you still have to work out where you are on the fret board. Might as well learn the system that works for all musicians.

[@thelastsaxtop]

Kinda sad how much music for guitar is written without string number suggestions. Means I can't just sight read it, because I might come across a note so far away from where I have been playing that I have to leap across the fretboard mid song and find the new position. It's great to have options, but I wish I didn't always have to choose

[@maissambankasli9949]

First of all, Thanks a lot for the explanation I'm with notation system Because I've tried so hard to play with tap, i learnd a lot of using tabs , but I don't know why i feel so unconfidient somehow calling myself a guitar player, And never knew how to read sheets btw 😅😅 I've been struggling all these 3 years with playing guitar i learnd asturias but never had it 100% done.... And i got some questions how could i reach you? 😅

[@natesenft5376]

If you write your own songs it doesn’t matter

[@PhilGoldenberg]

EZW BEY0ND if you want other people to play your songs it matters!

[@joedward9]

Great video. Can anyone suggest me a good book for learning to play guitar using standard notation?

[@LouisFrayser]

I'm learning from Alfred d'Auberge & Manus's "the new electric guitar course" (book one.) They have beginner books for acoustic too. This is a fun and easy book. I have two "real" classical guitar method books--all those use standard notation. I'll study from those later. www.amazon.com/New-Electric-Guitar-Course-Country/dp/B001V3E3M6

[@LouisFrayser]

www.alfred.com/alfreds-basic-guitar-method/b/

[@bortsimpson4536]

I started out on the Hal Leonard books. These basically start you off on sheet music. Tabs just annoy me for all of the reasons mentioned and knowing the key as commented below. It's not hard to learn to read sheet music, although I would probably be a better guitarist "now" (one year in) if I had focused more on playing. I think in the long run I will be a better guitarist for improvising and composing music.

[@Vortex1988]

I tried to get into playing guitar in college, and one of the biggest things that put me off of it was when a friend of mine, who plays bass, invited me over for a jam session, despite my lack of experience at the time, and threw tabs in front of me. Both of us had played in band in middle school and high school and had spent 7+ years learning how to read and play sheet music. I get that the objective was just to get me to learn a song quickly that day, but I had never heard of tabs before, and it seemed like a glorified cheat sheet that didn't communicate a whole lot of information. After so many years of studying music, it just felt gross and lazy. That being said, if you're just starting to play and don't know how to read sheet music, then tabs may give you just enough motivation to keep playing, since you'll be able to play a song pretty quickly with it. At some point though, it would benefit you greatly to get away from tabs and learn how to play sheet music. It will give you a better understanding of your instrument, and you won't need to listen to the same song a billion times in order to play it. You'll just be able to pick up some sheet music and play without having to hit the pause button, except for maybe the parts you find to be more challenging. But at least you can focus on those parts and master them more quickly without having to stop and listen to the same part of a song over and over again. Once you master sight reading, you'll be able to play more without stopping. Your instrument will just become a extension of yourself.

[@sashabagdasarow497]

Hey man, thanks for asking. I feel like dirt, too tired of working...

[@kaitheguy6504]

Can you make a video to teach sheet? I’m brand new to music I mean straight up like I don’t know notes or sheets. I just ordered a guitar during COVID and I wanna learn.

[@bigsmoke2146]

Of course sheet music, because when you learn it you will have no problem reading music from tabs

[@mauricemagill3250]

is it essential to learn chords

[@adrianhall5881]

Well it's the difference between Spanish and Mexican languages. Spanish comes from Spain. Mexican " though they call it spanish" is like slang comes from Mexico. So sheet music is Spain and tabs are Mexican.

[@esme4587]

Tabs for acoustic

[@CristianHernandez-px9uz]

Sheet music is more professional and it tells you exactly how to play the song!!! Guitar tab doesn’t contain the rhythms… that’s why it harder for me… but they are both useful

[@ok5988]

There are tabs with rhythm and songs like paralizer by finger eleven are confusing on sheet music, but not all are made equal so both win.

[@matteuscobo4484]

Sheet music all the way for classical guitar. Tabs for electric.

[@adon9990]

Nope

[@adrdriver575]

What's difference between classical and electric neck?

[@sponkmyers7478]

@@adrdriver575 well classic guitar is more finger technique and you need to know how fast to play between each not and standard helps. Unlike electric i can learn most songs on tabs and by ear but knowing standard will improve your skill.

[@nekilikizhrvatske3336]

No, classical guitar is about figuring out the easiest way to play something. Tabs may teach you wrong, but sn woll not teach you at all and theres a good chance you will get it wrong with sn

[@MrHacienda1]

Question: When playing in the Key of "G", when I see an F note on a piece of sheet music in standard notation, should that be played as an F#?

[@tamasfoldesi2358]

If not indicated otherwise, yes. (If you are talking about G Major and not minor.) But I don't know why I'm replying, because you wrote that comment a year ago, so you probably already knew the answer by now, but nevermind. 😂

[@ma1946]

Do i really need SN, if i have the talent to hear and memorise all the music piece in my head with all it’s dynamics?

[@tamasfoldesi2358]

Yes, because it may happen that someone just gives you the sheet music, but no sound files and not every piece can be found online easily.

[@bichnga9955]

how am i supposed know what string to play a note on with sheet music

[@cadecooldude199]

memorization of which fret plays the specific note, it will be hard at first but I am 11 and I am getting the gist of standard notations. If it is too hard use tab but Sheet music tells you when to play it, the dynamics and techniques. Tabs is easier, SN is professional and accurate

[@brianbergmusic5288]

Do you think there would be any use to tablature that told you the note name and not the number (open strings in parenthesis)? (e)______(e)_____ _c_______c______ (g)______a______ _b_______e______ _C_C_C_(A)_____ ________________ This forces one to learn the note names on the fretboard. The problem is... *once again*... changing the tuning of your instrument to something other than E-standard / Drop-D. Of course, the editor of this style of tab would need to be educated on when to properly use sharps or flats due to how the circle of 5ths/key sigs is setup.

[@thegrouchonguitar3496]

4:17 when the cat Shits on your favourite guitar

[@joshuajaimes121]

But is it ok to use Sheet music alongside tabs? Is it still cheating?

[@JohnDAvery-tf4td]

I've never understood why so many guitar players are dead set against learning standard notation. I've heard or read all the excuses: • "[Insert guitar legend's name here] can't read music." So what? Guitar legends are the exception, not the rule. • "Learning to read music stifles creativity." No, it doesn't, any more than knowing how to spell stifles a writer's creativity. • "Tablature provides everything I need to know about how to play a song." Except that tablature indicates only *one* way - the tablaturist's - to play the piece and there's no guarantee that it's the best way to play it. Provided the guitarist actually knows the fretboard, standard notation leaves it up to him or her to determine how best to play a piece. • "Tablature predates standard notation." Again, so what? When things change for the better, it's because they *needed* to be changed for something better. The better forms of tablature also indicate note values, rests, rhythms, etc., using the same system of stems, flags, beams, circles (whole and half notes), dots, slurs, et al, found in standard notation. The only things they don't indicate are key signatures (not needed for tabs) and the actual pitches (notes) to be played. That being the case, if you can correctly interpret all the other information common to both forms of notation, you'll kick yourself when you find that learning where notes written in standard notation can be played on the fretboard is perhaps the *easiest* component of learning to read music. Furthermore, not every piece of music written for other instruments has been transcribed for guitar, let alone transcribed into tablature. This means that tab-dependent guitarists will never discover the simple pleasure of picking up an unfamiliar piece written for, say, solo flute and playing it on guitar. There are worlds of music out there that those who refuse to learn standard notation are denying themselves. That said, tablature is not without its benefits. It can't be beat when it comes to playing or writing pieces that are in altered tunings. But, everything else being equal, the guitarist who can't read standard notation has absolutely no advantage over the guitarist who can, and - again, everything else being equal - the guitarist who can read it still has a *huge* advantage over the guitarist who can't. Do yourself a favour. End of rant.

[@emadibrahim2592]

Main guitar problem that is hard to memorize where all the notes are on the fret, you have the same note in many different places, not like the piano, just logic ups and downs repeated all the way, that makes reading notes a little bit harder on the guitar, it is because of the guitar not the SN itself, the language is great, but the tongue is not a native speaker to it (the guitar fret). that is why tabs really helps resolve the ambiguity of many difficult pieces, especially for those having a poor memory like me. up till now not able to figure out where all the notes placed on the fret board, although having a good playing technique.

[@theloniouscoltrane3778]

...even some professional pianists and jazz players have a sheet music when they are performing. So there's nothing wrong with guitar players using tabs.

[@tamasfoldesi2358]

Actually all professional classical musicians use sheet music during performance not just pianists, because you don't have to memorize the song this way. Only exception is when they're playing solo.

[@ezioauditore6176]

but still audacity is still powerful

[@SlayPlenty]

7:10 show it bro

[@jasonclark9963]

Sheet music is more professional and usually more accurate. Anyone can read tabs

[@rjlchristie]

Well, you tried, but amongst other things you totally missed one of the most important shortcomings of Tab. - It's inability to define note duration as an intregal part of its structure. This shortcoming is much more significant than dynamics etc, as lack of this feature it makes intelligent interpretation of polyphonic writing and counterpoint hugely more difficult. Also it would help if you didn't fall into the subjective value judgement that learning to read std notation is "so much more difficult" than tab. If anything, such a viewpoint reinforces the notion that guitarists are special cases, that they are slow learners or something, that they are incapable of doing what 99% of learners of other instruments manage without much problem. I reject that and hold guitarists in a higher esteem than the Tab pushers do, and as a teacher I don't lower expectations because they choose guitar over another instrument.

[@gitarisngasal4678]

There is a way to stop guitarist playing the guitar; put notes in front of him. LOL

[@taylorxwx2367]

TL;DR: Tabs for reading, SN for writing.

[@codythedoggo7671]

Answer: your ear XD

[@steveb9325]

I have a tough enough time reading standard notation. People who use tabs are incredible to me. You all are awesome. So, if someone is giving you lip on tabs. Give them tabs to play. If they can read tab too they're just showing off. Haha