I don't like TAB. Probably because I learned to read standard notation first. Seems to me, having pitches and durations on the same staff is less complicated. But others like TAB, and that's OK with me.

Many classical players can only read music and cannot improvise. I remember watching a documentary where the great violinist, Itzhak Perlman was trying to play some jazz and asked Andre Previn how to improvise. Andre tried to teach him, but it wasn't something Itzhak could learn quickly, so Andre wrote an improvisation for Itzhak to read.

In the big band era of the 30s and 40s, many of the players couldn't improvise, while others could. I sat in with a 'ghost orchestra' when I was young to replace an older friend who was ill. The leader asked me, “Can you ride?” which meant “Can you ad-lib?” and I replied “Yes.” I only got one chance in the night, but the night was fun. The charts were easy to follow, and I got to stand up and improvise for 8 bars. I wouldn't want to do that for a living (I'm a solo hog) but it was fun.

Personally, I think every musician should learn to read. Not necessarily sight-read, but enough to understand it. I also think every musician and vocalist should learn at least basic music theory, as it is our common language. And one more; Every musician in a pop band should learn to play drums, and at least have a command of the first 12 rudiments. These skills will help you immensely.

But of course, everybody else has their opinion.

Notes ♫

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

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