Just curious... Can anyone here sight-read tab?

[Lenny JG]

You can't sight read tab because it doesn't express timing or rythm or cadence.

 

[brianrost]

Dowland and other early lute composers would not agree.

You might notice a major difference from present day tab...there is time information in that lute tab.

there’s a fair amount of music, particularly in the rock world, that you’re only going to find as tab because nobody has written it out yet.

Actually in any world. I had to learn the bass lines from some sample-based songs recently. How do you create notation for samples?

Not every song is available in tab, either.

frankly if you want to know how a composer intends a piece of music to sound a recording is a VASTLY SUPERIOR way than sheet music.

I'd say it shows you how a particular performer intended it to sound. There's plenty of songs where there are multiple versions that all sound quite different. I learned a song recently from the version I had heard on the radio years ago. The chord progression was I-iii-ii-IV-V. Then I heard the composer recently play it solo on guitar. He played it as I-V-IV-V!!!

 

[LBS-bass]

I honestly don't care how you learn a song, these things are tools that you use to get something done. I'm far more concerned with whether or not you can play the song fluently and well by the time a performance happens. I prefer to see people coming to a stage without notes but if you need them, use whatever works for you. Just know that much of what you pull down from the internet is not correct, and develop an ear to fix it so that everyone's on the same page.

Better than that would be if the BL gave everyone the same notation and everyone used it, but we know that hardly ever happens.

 

[LBS-bass]

How do you create notation for samples?

Same way as anything else, I would expect? Are there notes being played in the samples? Is there a reason to state that those notes were included in samples and not played by the instrumentalist at the time everything else was recorded for that song?

I would guess maybe copyright stuff makes this more complicated if you're going to publish this notation. Interesting thing to think about.

 

[lermgalieu]

You guys keep saying "tabs don't convey any information about rhythm or note duration" but they absolutely do, if done properly, as demonstrated above by @nnnnnn.

View attachment 4693875

Unpopular opinion: I find (properly written) tabs superior to standard notation and easier to sight-read, because they tell you exactly how the piece is supposed to be played, not how it should sound like.
They convey more information, because everything you have on a standard notation sheet, you can have on a tab, but definitely not the other way around.
This comes at a cost : you don't really get to choose the fingering on the spot (open string ? 5th fret of the string above?), unless you change the tab obviously, or if you're proficient enough to sight-transpose it
Hybrid notations exist, in which the tab is a suggestion of how to physically approach the piece ; these should make everyone happy.
View attachment 4693880

Maybe, but about 0% of the tabs on the internet are this detailed. Most lack any information about note duration, and most are also completely wrong in significant ways. So yeah, maybe tab CAN communicate this info, but in reality it doesn't.

 

[el murdoque]

The single one thing that a tab has that sheet music does not is that it shows you where exactly you should fret the note, since most notes can be played in more than one position.

The problem with tabs is that they basically are for the illiterate. It's a system that you instantly understand once you've mastered the basics of the instrument (which side is up, which hand goes where).
The tabs you find for any given song most certainly are not 100% right. The choices of the notes often are among the things that are wrong.

I could not imagine how one should be able to sight read a tab where most of the info that is included in sheet music is missing.

 

[J Stutheit]

And for that reason alone, I think your teacher did you and your class a major disservice. Not too late to learn it, of course, and I am sure you all did very well, but the whole point of a teacher is to teach you what is needed to hang in a pro situation, not cater to the whims of students who groan at the idea of learning how to read music.

I don't know that he did us a disservice at all. I'm a very decent guitar/bass player simply due to the technique I developed tackling difficult classical pieces as a 15 year old when otherwise without that class/group I would have been playing power chords in my free time.

Not knowing notation hasn't prevented me from learning anything I've attempted to learn, and I my technical skills that I developed from my years in the ensemble keep music fun for me as I can generally learn just about anything I want.

The other thing I reflect on that was cool about that group was the kids it brought to the class. We had everything from classically trained kids to metal heads, and we were all playing together because the music was accessible for everyone. Pretty awesome thing.

I may try to learn notation at some point, but at the moment I spend a lot more time working on theory as it seems to serve my playing more -

 

[JimmyM]

The single one thing that a tab has that sheet music does not is that it shows you where exactly you should fret the note, since most notes can be played in more than one position.

The problem with tabs is that they basically are for the illiterate. It's a system that you instantly understand once you've mastered the basics of the instrument (which side is up, which hand goes where).
The tabs you find for any given song most certainly are not 100% right. The choices of the notes often are among the things that are wrong.

I could not imagine how one should be able to sight read a tab where most of the info that is included in sheet music is missing.

Plus when you can read notation, you don’t need to be told where to put your fingers.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't know that he did us a disservice at all. I'm a very decent guitar/bass player simply due to the technique I developed tackling difficult classical pieces as a 15 year old when otherwise without that class/group I would have been playing power chords in my free time.

Not knowing notation hasn't prevented me from learning anything I've attempted to learn, and I my technical skills that I developed from my years in the ensemble keep music fun for me as I can generally learn just about anything I want.

The other thing I reflect on that was cool about that group was the kids it brought to the class. We had everything from classically trained kids to metal heads, and we were all playing together because the music was accessible for everyone. Pretty awesome thing.

I may try to learn notation at some point, but at the moment I spend a lot more time working on theory as it seems to serve my playing more -

Well that’s how you turned out, but what about the others? Sorry but I stand behind my original statement. Reading music just isn’t that hard, and since you had to learn note duration markings anyway, it would have been so easy to teach the notes, which was apparently the only thing missing from the tabs your teacher made for you

 

[LBS-bass]

Plus when you can read notation, you don’t need to be told where to put your fingers.

This is the issue for me. I view those fingerings as suggestions and what works for one person may not work best for the next person. Classical positioning is taught a certain way, of course, and when I was a kid learning violin there were strict rules about how things should be played and the various positions you could play them in. Those rules caused a lot of wrist pain for many of us.

But I think many of us in rock are more self-taught and I, with my small hands, am going to want to play things a bit differently than someone whose hands are larger (which would be most of you reading).

That said, tabs and videos can give me an idea of alternates I've not considered, confirm the validity of what I'm doing, or show me how the original player did something, which can help (or not), but I believe that not being tied to specific positioning helps one learn to think on their feet as they play, which in turn helps one become a more fluid player.

 

[Manticore]

..."proper" modern tab notates rhythm (including note length and rests) using exactly the same conventions as standard notation, and I find it pretty easy to sight read, assuming the piece is within my technical capabilities.

My apologies. Tab seems to have evolved slightly moving it toward standard notation. Which begs the question: why not just learn standard notation? It isn't difficult, and opens the door to hundreds of years worth of music. Or, if one prefers to limit themselves to pre-recorded interpretations, develop your ears to the point of making tab superfluous. Tab really is a solution looking for a problem, a problem thoroughly solved long ago by standard notation.

 

[LBS-bass]

My apologies. Tab seems to have evolved slightly moving it toward standard notation.

I think someone else noted that the vast majority of tab is not notated like this; you have to know a little standard notation in order to write it this way, and most transcribers of tab don't know this or don't bother. So it's great to say "oh, yeah, it's evolved" but in a practical sense it's not easy to find this information in most tab.

 

[J Stutheit]

Well that’s how you turned out, but what about the others? Sorry but I stand behind my original statement. Reading music just isn’t that hard, and since you had to learn note duration markings anyway, it would have been so easy to teach the notes, which was apparently the only thing missing from the tabs your teacher made for you

I don't disagree that notation is valuable. There is a reason it has never been replaced and never will. I am grateful for my experience and for the music I was able to access as a kid who didn't learn notation. Had we learned notation we would have been playing Twinkle Twinkle instead of Concertos.

I know 9 or 10 kids who had little experience heading into that class who are professional musicians now. I think being able to learn, play and participate in music is more important than how you read the notes.

 

[InhumanResource]

You guys keep saying "tabs don't convey any information about rhythm or note duration" but they absolutely do, if done properly, as demonstrated above by @nnnnnn.

View attachment 4693875

Unpopular opinion: I find (properly written) tabs superior to standard notation and easier to sight-read, because they tell you exactly how the piece is supposed to be played, not how it should sound like.
They convey more information, because everything you have on a standard notation sheet, you can have on a tab, but definitely not the other way around.
This comes at a cost : you don't really get to choose the fingering on the spot (open string ? 5th fret of the string above?), unless you change the tab obviously, or if you're proficient enough to sight-transpose it
Hybrid notations exist, in which the tab is a suggestion of how to physically approach the piece ; these should make everyone happy.
View attachment 4693880

So I have to count the number of inputs on a measure and then make assumptions to maybe get the rhythm? What if the notes are tied or dotted? There’s too many opportunities for error unless we are talking about a very simple piece.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Thanks for your reply. I can look at standard notation and pretty much know what the music is going to sound like. In fact, if you play a brass instrument you better darn well know what it's going to sound like because you only have 3 (or 4) buttons and 7 or 10 combinations (plus alternative fingerings).

I wish I could adopt tab and even work things out at less than a snail's pace. With an eye disorder and ADD, again it is SOOOO painful, especially knowing that there is a better way that's been around for 100s of years. Also, for some it seems like a crutch because they can play positions but have no idea of what notes they're playing. I dunno... Just lamenting a bit.

Same.

I think ‘TAB’ is one of the worst possible “tools” to use with regard to playing electric bass.

 

[aprod]

I don't disagree that notation is valuable. There is a reason it has never been replaced and never will. I am grateful for my experience and for the music I was able to access as a kid who didn't learn notation. Had we learned notation we would have been playing Twinkle Twinkle instead of Concertos.

I know 9 or 10 kids who had little experience heading into that class who are professional musicians now. I think being able to learn, play and participate in music is more important than how you read the notes.

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[J Stutheit]

Ignorance is bliss.

Are you under the impression that every professional bassist is reading notation?

 

[2F/2F]

I pretty much can't even read it in any way, by sight or by study. It's way more confusing than sheet music to me, and I have never found a benefit in being told exactly where to put my fingers.

I can laboriously suffer through a piece of tablature, but it takes me waaaay, waaaay longer than just figuring out a piece of sheet music. I just don't see how tab could be easier or quicker, unless you just plain don't know the notes on the board/instrument.

I am not a great sight reader of sheet music, but I can at least get through most things. Throw a piece of never-before-seen tablature in front of me, and I'd just throw up my arms.

 

[MDBass]

I was born in the 50's was a teen in the 60's and grew up reading standard notation. Took formal guitar lessons until I went to college. Got a music degree, played semi-professionally (mostly trumpet) for a lot of years. I could read standard notation to the point where I could do a (not too complicated) legit gig with my trumpet and read it cold and play the concert without rehearsal (lovingly called a "show and blow"). I get hired on occasion to play bass (typically musical theater) because I can read standard notation. Other gigs come because I have enough theory and musical experience that I can do something with lead sheets.

Tab??? PAINFUL to try to read. When I need a bass chart I try to find ones that have standard notation while I do appreciate those that have tab attached for helpful position hints. With tab I see no relation between what's on the tab and what it's all supposed to sound like. Sometimes the tab notator tries to help with the rhythm and sometimes that complicates things further. Lately the charts I'm finding are tab only and take a ton of effort to decipher.

I have to imagine that some here. can sight read tab, but personally don't know anyone that can. If you're here raise your hand, and if you can give me any tips on how to "here" the music from tabs and learn to be more proficient with it, I'm listening.

It’s literally impossible to sight read tablature without rhythm notation.

 

[JRA]

if you want to know how a composer intends a piece of music to sound a recording is a VASTLY SUPERIOR way than sheet music.

can you give an example? on the face of it: "composers" who use standard notation do so for a reason. and some modern recordings are best described as an "arrangement." also, there weren't any reference recordings for those who wanted to learn the latest mozart 'hit' in 1780.

Are you under the impression that every professional bassist is reading notation?

i'm assuming that we'd define "professional bassist" differently: most pros can read, and many are excellent sight-readers. the few who can do neither are exceptions, not the rule.

per the OP: no, i can't sightread tab --- IME/IMO: no money in it!