<...snip...>
That said, I'm realizing that Tab is a good jumping-in "language" that hopefully can serve as a stepping stone to sheet music.<...>
My opinion:
I wouldn't waste my time learning TAB. Tab is limiting to what you can find written in TAB.
Put that effort into learning how to read music. I did that on the guitar with Mel-Bay type beginner books. But I already knew how to read music on saxophone.
The advantage of learning to read regular notation instead of TAB is that just about every song ever published is available as regular notation.
Pick up a fake book with thousands of songs that have the melody line and chords, and you can play them.
Furthermore, when you know how, reading regular notation is actually easier than TAB. The notes on the staff give you timing and pitch, and you don't have to look at the staff AND the TAB diagram, so sight-reading becomes much easier on regular music.
Being a multi-instrumentalist, I do admit that reading music on the guitar is more difficult than reading music on the Saxophone, Flute, or Piano.
But the guitar has some other things that are easier. If you need to change the key on the woodwind, brass, or keyboard instrument, the new key involves entirely different fingerings. Where the guitarist needs to learn how to play one major scale, and can just move it up and down so many frets, the other have to learn 12 different fingerings. The same goes for pentatonic, various minors and even chords/arpeggios.
My advice is to spend 15 minutes to a half hour per day learning how to read regular notation. Get a book that shows you how, and if need be, also check explanations on-line.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Norton Music
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