Hi Guys. My name is Joe...New here, and new at guitar. Hope to have some fun and get help on this forum. One question I have right now is I just recently started guitar lessons, when I started my teacher asked me, "what can i do for you, what do you want to learn?" I told him I want to be able to go buy books of my favorite artists and now how to play them. Only thing is he started teaching me notes instead of tabs (most books are written in tabs). Do you have to learn notes before you learn Tabs? Is that how most of your guitar teachers showed you guys?
Thanks
:)
You don't have to learn notes before tabs. Doesn't really matter. You'll understand things better if you learn the notes though, that IS important. With tabs, there is not much to learn. I could explain how to read them to you right now in about 5 minutes, and your teacher could probably do it in 2 minutes.
With that said, I learned tabs before notes, I wouldn't say it was better or worse. Really, when you first start, the goal is to play the songs you want to play, this will keep you interested enough to learn notes. Most teachers are pretty strict about what they will teach you, they want to do their job right and make sure you learn what you need to learn, not just how to play a few songs.
An example of Tab and what it is telling you to do:
-------------------------------------8--11
-----------------------------8--11--------
----------------------8--10---------------
--------------8--10-----------------------
------8--10-------------------------------
8--11-------------------------------------
Thats a scale, but basically the bottom line is the deepest sounding string on the guitar, the E string. So what this says to do is play the 8th fret on the low E string, then the 11th fret. Then move to the next highest in pitch string, the A string, and play the 8th fret and then the 10th fret, etc.
If you need clarification, I'd be happy to clarify, this is a little general because I don't know exactly what you know or don't.
Do you know the string names? What frets are?
In my opinion (and thats al this is!) TAB is really easy to read, as it requires no real "knowledge" as such, just look at which fret to play on what string.
Your teacher is trying to teach you music via the guitar, so he/she is bound to teach you proper notation reading. I would stick with, as it is always useful to know how to read musical scores, and has no effect on your TAB reading at all.
Plus, you have the added bonus of learning what NOTE you are playing, as opposed to calling it "10th fret, A string", which is useful for improv. etc later on
Pete
ETD - Formerly "10141748 - Reincarnate"
TABS have become common place. there was an article about TABS in last sunday's New York Times.
did you know they began in the 1500's.
Pete Seager the folk banjo player resurreced them in order to spread banjo playing to everyone; not just elistist musicians.
that said. I really dislike TABS.
learning to read notation can broaden your understanding of a song. all the info is there; every nuance etc.
TABS will show you that difficult Jimmi Page lick. but never ever the feel.
whenever I try to play TABS I feel so alienated from the song.
once I found a site for blues licks; all TABS. they looked simple; most just a short phrase.
I worked them and could not understand what I was hearing.
then one day one TAB soundd right. and I discovered it was the simplest lick I had been doing for years.
only my version had soul. TABS have no soul.
my advice is to work at learning notation
and
use TABS as a guide.
my advice is to work at learning notation
and
use TABS as a guide.
Exactly.. and we all need to know the different "TYPES" of notes, whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, etc.
For me, when I use tab, I prefer to have the standard notation above the tab, that way I can gleen at least a tiny bit of that Soul dogbite is talking about.
Oh and before I forget-- Welcome YAMAHA88...welcome.
What your teacher may be teaching you now may not seem like it makes any sense and it goes in the opposite direction of what you think you may want. But remember, first we need to crawl before we can walk.. and before we crawl we need to know the difference between our left and right hands... (make sense?).
Just stick with it and I guarantee in just a few months when you look back at that first lesson, you WILL have come a long ways. :)
Cheers
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
TABS will show you that difficult Jimmi Page lick. but never ever the feel.
Notation doesn't show 'feel' either, just timing information.
TABS have become common place. there was an article about TABS in last sunday's New York Times.
did you know they began in the 1500's.
Pete Seager the folk banjo player resurreced them in order to spread banjo playing to everyone; not just elistist musicians.
that said. I really dislike TABS.
learning to read notation can broaden your understanding of a song. all the info is there; every nuance etc.
TABS will show you that difficult Jimmi Page lick. but never ever the feel.
whenever I try to play TABS I feel so alienated from the song.
once I found a site for blues licks; all TABS. they looked simple; most just a short phrase.
I worked them and could not understand what I was hearing.
then one day one TAB soundd right. and I discovered it was the simplest lick I had been doing for years.
only my version had soul. TABS have no soul.
my advice is to work at learning notation
and
use TABS as a guide.
As I am fairly new to guitar, I am curious as to how standard notation captures the feel of a Jimmy Page lick? Don't get me wrong here, I believe that knowing standard notation is important and is a valuable tool....but I also see TAB as a valuable tool as well. My reading skills are at a very novice level, but, I have yet to see the "feel" of a peice captured in standard notation.
I may grow old, but I'll never grow up.
You almost always need to hear how the TAB is played or be familiar with a song in order to use TAB. The reason is that there is little TAB can do to show you how fast, or slow or loud or soft to play notes. It only shows you what notes to play in which order. There is no 'TIMING' information in TAB. Timing is just as important as which notes to play. It is almost impossible to learn a new song or riff with only TAB if you haven't heard it played.
As I am fairly new to guitar, I am curious as to how standard notation captures the feel of a Jimmy Page lick?
You have to use it in combination with the actual song or a very well made(ie accurate) backing track.
The reason I like to have the standard notation above the tab, is:
A- I can't read standard notation completely.
B- but with the combo of Standard/Tab you can see/hear the nuances and slurs,rakes,vibratos, tied notes, bends etc that TAB can't show on its own.
With the combo of the music playing, and a good standard/tab sheet of music I can get most of it figured out a lot easier than if I was just straight tab. That's why software like Guitar Pro is such a valuable tool...at least for me. Because most of the Straight Tab(s) are just that.. raw text.. blah! Now If already sorta know the song and I just need to remeber where I'm going next then yes tab is great, but when learnign songs, nothing beats the combo of both or all three.. Standard/Tab and the song playing at the same time.
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
As I am fairly new to guitar, I am curious as to how standard notation captures the feel of a Jimmy Page lick? Don't get me wrong here, I believe that knowing standard notation is important and is a valuable tool....but I also see TAB as a valuable tool as well. My reading skills are at a very novice level, but, I have yet to see the "feel" of a peice captured in standard notation.
I'll jump on that bandwagon. I'll also add that well written tab can express everything that standard notation can. Standard notation is TERRIFIC for playing instruments like the piano because it is laid out in a way that makes it pretty easy to tell the intervals between notes. So, its doesnt take long to transfer that knowledge to moving your fingers across the keys.
Guitar on the other hand isnt laid out in such a way that it makes it easy to transfer what you see on the paper to what happens on the fretboard. Sure, with training you can learn it and I imagine those of you touting standard notion thinks that it is easy. But I want to know why notation advocates on one side tend to think their way is better? Sure, its great to know as much information as you can. Its great to learn standard notation but well written tab can be just as informational as notation. You can include timing marks, marks to show the dynamics, you can point out strumming, you can even include key signature information its just that most tabbers dont because they are looking for a quick uncomplicated way to express what is being played.
Two cents added
Jim
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Hey everyone, thanks for all the help! Now i understand that it is very important that some songs are written in tabs and notes. So i guess my question really is after i learn all the strings notes, he will start on tabs? How did all your teachers start you guys
yes. I have to agree with notation AND tabs.
my teacher started me on string names, then picking, then chords open and barre.
next came 'circle of fifths'....touching on theory.
and then , because I wanted to learn the lick to 'And My Bird Can Sing' he showed me TABS.
(I know!) :roll:
Some people insist that it is necessary to learn standard music notation. I say, "why?" If all you want to do is be able to buy a book (or get music online) and play it, and you can read TAB, you will be fine.
Besides, who says TAB isn't written music? It is just written differently from standard notation - but it is easier to read! So what if you can't read something written for piano. There is PLENTY of TAB out there.
If you feel the desire to learn standard notation, do it after you have some experience as a guitarist. I would ask your teacher to skip the standard, at least for now, and get to what YOU want to learn.
Some people insist that it is necessary to learn standard music notation. I say, "why?" If all you want to do is be able to buy a book (or get music online) and play it, and you can read TAB, you will be fine.
Besides, who says TAB isn't written music? It is just written differently from standard notation - but it is easier to read! So what if you can't read something written for piano. There is PLENTY of TAB out there.
If you feel the desire to learn standard notation, do it after you have some experience as a guitarist. I would ask your teacher to skip the standard, at least for now, and get to what YOU want to learn.
for one thing you would never know the melody of the song if you only had tabs and never heard the song.
I can only speak for my self. I believe that whatever gets you going on guitar is great.
one answer isnt the ONE answer.
You are correct Dog, but he said he wants to play songs he knows, so I wouldn't be worried about the melody - he will have heard the song. I say, whatever gets him to his goal quicker is the way to go. He can always learn the standard notation later.
I have been playing since 1981. I can barely read standard notation. I can, but I have to sit down and analyze it and convert SLOWLY in my mind to the guitar. But, I can read TAB very easily. It hasn't slowed me down.
