Originally Posted By: Notes Norton


<... snip ...>

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.

<... end snip ...>




I agree. Invest your time in learning to read music. The benefits are worth the effort.

Even just a basic reading skill (I can read it, but I can't read and play at the same time) is worth having and really not all that hard to pick up. It opens so many possibilities that simply don't exist otherwise.

TAB is limiting in that basically its just "this string, this fret". If you don't know what the tune actually sounds like, the TAB is kind of useless.

Years ago (decades ago really) I decided to learn a few fiddle tunes on guitar. All I found (and I admit I didn't look very hard) was TAB. I had no clue what the tunes actually sounded like but they were fiddle tunes so what the heck, learn the TAB. Play the right notes in the right order real fast and that's that, right?

I learned the TAB of some tune played it for a guy who really did play fiddle tunes... on a fiddle no less. I played all the right notes in the right order and everything. He said "What the heck was that?" I told him. He picked up his fiddle and played something that sounded totally completely different and said "That's how that tune goes. Don't know what you played but you played it really well."

So TAB is useless? No. It is really useful doing what it actually does. It shows fingering position. If you want to learn an alternate chord voicing or a particular finger-picking pattern its great. The what string what fret is what you need. Understand though what you are learning....you are learning fingering position... which is technique (gotta have it so that's not all bad).