Which is better? tab or raading music

Kentl · 06-09-2009, 06:03 PM

I think they both have there ups and downs but I want to hear what you think

**thesteve** · 06-09-2009, 06:10 PM

Reading music is better. If I could read music well, I'd be able to take music from any published source and play it. Instead I am limited to chord sheets and tabs made by people who have a tendency to be no better than 75% right.

**Sean.thomson** · 06-09-2009, 06:10 PM

Dose "raading" music mean thinking music is rad?

Kentl · 06-09-2009, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesteve

Reading music is better. If I could read music well, I'd be able to take music from any published source and play it. Instead I am limited to chord sheets and tabs made by people who have a tendency to be no better than 75% right.

But with music sheets you need to be abele to see it closer t
And music sheets can be wrong to
and tabs do get it worng a lot
but do you noitce you have to buy music sheats a lot?

**Rainer.** · 06-09-2009, 06:33 PM

Standard notation is the historical and professional standard for all instruments.

Kentl · 06-09-2009, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Standard notation is the historical and professional standard for all instruments.

Yes but also tabs are easier to learn and there are tabs for drums guitars bass
And a lot more I am sure
But they don’t have stuff to like I said they both have their up and downs

**thesteve** · 06-09-2009, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kentl

But with music sheets you need to be abele to see it closer t
And music sheets can be wrong to
and tabs do get it worng a lot
but do you noitce you have to buy music sheats a lot?

It depends on the size of the music sheet. The music sheets I receive at church are quite readable at the distance I would read tabs at.

You are correct that someone has to pay for music sheets. In the case of the music I play at church, the church is paying for that music. The sites that sell the music do not offer any sort of tab option because tab is very limited. From a single lead sheet in standard notation I can derive a part for a guitar solo, a vocal melody and even a walking bass line if needed. On the flip side, because music sheets are generally paid for, they are held to a higher standard and are not wrong nearly as often as online tab and chord sheets are.

Kentl · 06-09-2009, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesteve

It depends on the size of the music sheet. The music sheets I receive at church are quite readable at the distance I would read tabs at.

You are correct that someone has to pay for music sheets. In the case of the music I play at church, the church is paying for that music. The sites that sell the music do not offer any sort of tab option because tab is very limited. From a lead sheet in standard notation I can derive a part for a guitar solo, a vocal melody and even a walking bass line if needed. On the flip side, because music sheets are generally paid for, they are held to a higher standard and are not wrong nearly as often as online tab and chord sheets are.

yes but someone like me my parents wont let my buy them because they should not cost anything
that is the down side why pay for it?
and your churchs pays for it
do you any time?
i bet you go for tab most of the time
Also the reason they are most of the time right because not every one and his brother writes them

Butterfly16 · 06-09-2009, 06:42 PM

I think reading music is a lot better.
Tab is ok too but I like reading music more. I find it a lot easier.

**thesteve** · 06-09-2009, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kentl

yes but someone like me my parents wont let my buy them because they should not cost anything
that is the down side why pay for it?
and your churchs pays for it
do you any time?
i bet you go for tab most of the time

You can check out books on music theory and learning notation from the library for free.

Also, why should sheet music be free? Artists have the right to be paid for their published works don't they?

I have paid for sheet music for pieces in the past, however because I do not know standard notation, it would be fruitless for me to do so. Most of the time when I am playing bass or guitar I just need to know what the chords are and I derive anything else I need on my own.

and finally, I do go for chord sheets more often than tabs or plain sheet music, however I do recognize that my choices are not necessarily the best choices.

**Rainer.** · 06-09-2009, 06:47 PM

Tab was useful when I started out, yes, but I've since outgrown it. Reading and writing standard notation has much more use and meaning for musicians than tab has. Standard notation is much more universal and complex. Yes, people make drum tabs and bass tabs, but standard notation for those instruments is better than tabs, too. Tab books you buy at the store usually contain both standard notation and tab notation, because tabs just can't show everything that standard notation can in a way that all musicians can understand.

There is a reason all professional guitar music is written in standard. In fact there are a darn lot of reasons.

Kentl · 06-09-2009, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Tab was useful when I started out, yes, but I've since outgrown it. Reading and writing standard notation has much more use and meaning for musicians than tab has. Standard notation is much more universal and complex. Yes, people make drum tabs and bass tabs, but standard notation for those instruments is better than tabs, too. Tab books you buy at the store usually contain both standard notation and tab notation, because tabs just can't show everything that standard notation can in a way that all musicians can understand.

Some true but like me I cant pay for it so I am stuck as a lot are

Not true I cant understand music notation (lord knows ive tried) so I am not a musicians?

**Rainer.** · 06-09-2009, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kentl

Not true I cant understand music notation (lord knows ive tried) so I am not a musicians?

In terms of music, you can speak, but you can't read and write.

**scared2mosh** · 06-14-2009, 07:14 PM

Reading music hands down is better than tabs.

clap · 06-19-2009, 08:21 PM

which is better? tab or notation?
that is the question. Depends alot on what u r playing. Notation shows u the rhythm
where tab does not. On the other hand most contemporary guitar music is in tab.
and tab shows u the fingerings. I have studied classical guitar and found it takes alot
of discipline to focus on playing just the notes on the page. I like to improvise. I like
blues leads.