tab music

[robert43]

Hi I am a 45 year old learning the bass ( never learnted music / instrument before & can t read sheet music )
My question is with tab music I have a metronome but with tab how can I find out what speed & note to set it to ie 66 & 4/4
I am going to a music teacher for 2 months
Is there any tricks etc with tab
Hope some can help me thanks

[ThunderSix66]

tabs generally aren't very helpful with rhythm and timing, sometime they attempt to make it clear but usually you'll just have to listen to the song and try to see if the tab helps you with the notes, good luck and use your ears

[Grueber]

There is a program called Powertab that displays standard notation above the tab. It will show the time signature and what tempo it is being played at. It also plays a midi file while following the the music. However, you have to find tabs that are in powertab format

http://www.power-tab.net/

[Otso]

Originally Posted by robert43

Hi I am a 45 year old learning the bass ( never learnted music / instrument before & can t read sheet music )
My question is with tab music I have a metronome but with tab how can I find out what speed & note to set it to ie 66 & 4/4
I am going to a music teacher for 2 months
Is there any tricks etc with tab
Hope some can help me thanks

Don't waste your time on tab. Just learn how to read standard notation. If you can tie your shoelaces you have what it takes to be able to learn how to read notation. It is that easy, becoming really good at reading (being able to play along with notation) takes a bit of time and practice. A good way to practice is to learn songs from sheet music.

[steve66]

Originally Posted by Otso

Don't waste your time on tab. Just learn how to read standard notation. If you can tie your shoelaces you have what it takes to be able to learn how to read notation. It is that easy, becoming really good at reading (being able to play along with notation) takes a bit of time and practice. A good way to practice is to learn songs from sheet music.

I agree. Dont waste your time on tab, especially if your a beginner. Learning the fretboard using scales and modes while singing the notes and looking at the written music will speed the process. Learn the cycle of 4ths and 5ths also. Make learning to read music part of your practice. It will also teach you about theory. Its alot of fun and you will improve tremendously.

Tons of great sites on the web. Just search for it on this forum

[DeanT]

Originally Posted by Otso

Don't waste your time on tab. Just learn how to read standard notation. If you can tie your shoelaces you have what it takes to be able to learn how to read notation. It is that easy, becoming really good at reading (being able to play along with notation) takes a bit of time and practice. A good way to practice is to learn songs from sheet music.

Not very usefull advice. For some people, learning to read music is a waste of time. Tab is much easier to learn, particularly if you are just playing for fun. Sure, learning how to read is useful and ultimately will probably be more satisfying, but for some people they don't have the time and/or the inclination to learn to read music. With Tab, you can begin playing a song almost immediately.

[Otso]

Originally Posted by DeanT

With Tab, you can begin playing a song almost immediately.

With notation I can play a song through without ever even hearing it before. Also with notation you think in note names. "It's the 5th fret of the second string" means nothing to someone who doesn't play bass or guitar. Also when you read notation you really have to think about the rhythms and you develop a sense of the beat and how the notes relate to it. It will improve your musical thinking. The effort required to be able to use standard notation fluently is far lesser than the effort required to be able to play the bass even half decently. In the end notation will end up saving you time, because you can see the structure of the song clearly and you will get the rhythms down without listening to the song. The only thing you'll have to listen the song for is getting the feel down.

[DeanT]

Originally Posted by Otso

With notation I can play a song through without ever even hearing it before. Also with notation you think in note names. "It's the 5th fret of the second string" means nothing to someone who doesn't play bass or guitar. Also when you read notation you really have to think about the rhythms and you develop a sense of the beat and how the notes relate to it. It will improve your musical thinking. The effort required to be able to use standard notation fluently is far lesser than the effort required to be able to play the bass even half decently. In the end notation will end up saving you time, because you can see the structure of the song clearly and you will get the rhythms down without listening to the song. The only thing you'll have to listen the song for is getting the feel down.

It's true that learning to read music makes for a more complete education and experience. But for someone who doesn't read music, a C quarter note doesn't mean anything either.

I have no quarrel with people who read music and I am certainly not against learning to read. If you want to be a musician and want a complete musical education, you should definitely learn to read music. But I am against people who think reading music is the only way to learn to play. It is not. Tab is an alternative. It may not be as complete as learning to read, but it has its place. There is more than one way to learn to play. Besides, some very good bassists never learned to read music and they made out pretty well.

[Grueber]

Originally Posted by DeanT

It's true that learning to read music makes for a more complete education and experience. But for someone who doesn't read music, a C quarter note doesn't mean anything either.

I have no quarrel with people who read music and I am certainly not against learning to read. If you want to be a musician and want a complete musical education, you should definitely learn to read music. But I am against people who think reading music is the only way to learn to play. It is not. Tab is an alternative. It may not be as complete as learning to read, but it has its place. There is more than one way to learn to play. Besides, some very good bassists never learned to read music and they made out pretty well.

+1

learn bass the way you want to.