Sheet Music vs Tabs: Pros & Cons

The ideal route for any guitarist is to first learn tabs and then learn sheet music if the need arises.

Every guitarist has different preferences when it comes to notating their musical ideas, or learning new pieces. All too often, the preference is rooted in the guitarists' “musical ego” and is biased towards a preferred method. But this, in my opinion, is rooted in ignorance. There is no right way to play music. On the other hand, you should also have the confidence to use what works for you and don’t apologize for it.

Our inherent bias for one notation or the other seems to stem from our personal musical histories and upbringings. The self taught metalhead may favor tablature, and the high school band nerd may prefer sheet music. A Jazz musician will use lead sheet symbols. And for all you church goers, don’t even get me started on figured bass!

Related: Learn all 6 names for guitar strings

TABS

Tabs have been used for centuries, the oldest tabs were meant for the lute, and now more recently the guitar. There are Italian, French, German, and Spanish tabs. All with different ways to convey how a piece should be played, varying in detail and complexity. The tabs we use today are derived from the Spanish tabs.

The tabs we use have numbers and lines, presented in an XY axis. The tabs have 6 lines, which represent the strings on the guitar. The numbers indicate what fret should be played on what string. Movement from left to right indicates the general passing of time.
Some markings you might see on tabs are:

• Glissando or Slides /
• Hammer ons and Pull Offs (Ligado)
• Vibrato

PROS

Beginner Friendly
Guitar tabs are easy to interpret and do not require any knowledge of music theory or experience.

Easy to Learn and Use
You can teach yourself in your bedroom, without a teacher. And in less than 30 minutes!

Motivate You to Keep Going
There exists an important motivational factor, that anyone can get instant gratification by learning a song and being able to experience it quickly. This then creates a positive feedback loop, where the player is now motivated to chase the good experience by seeking more knowledge and skills.

Offer Popular Music
I always turn to tabs when I want to play and sing that song I just can’t get out of my head. This also helps for those who play for others and want to learn songs that everyone loves.

CONS

Don’t Teach Rhythm.
This is not true for all tabs, most of the ones I’ve seen just put the numbers closer together or farther apart to represent how quickly notes should be played, this in my opinion is too vague.

You Have to Know the Song Really Well
The drawback mentioned previously may not be such a huge deal, if you already know the song or can listen to it over and over to compensate for lack of detail.

Doesn’t Encourage Growth in Music Theory
Key Signatures, Time Signatures, Clefs, Accidentals, Dynamics… These are all concepts the sheet music reader is aware of, but you won’t find them on tablature. Not only that, but those numbers you're playing are musical pitches, they have names, and most people never go out into the great unknown to learn their fretboard.

Lack of Information
Some tabs are full of info, but you mostly have to pay for them. Free tab sites like Ultimate Guitar (no hate) often only have strings and numbers, and because anyone can post, you don’t know if what you're playing is the best or most accurate way, and it is not guaranteed you are playing it how the artist intended.

You Become Locked into Guitar Music
A big reason why guitarists made the leap into the realm of sheet music was because they wanted to be able to work with pianists, harpists, flutists, without having a barrier. It also became important when guitarists wanted to transpose the popular music of their time. Don’t be an island!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQC3JsbgaTw

 

SHEET MUSIC

Performing musical pieces and the sharing of knowledge from teacher to student is how music has been passed down through the generations. Musical notation plays a big part in how the tradition is carried on, after all, there weren't always musical recordings. Although standard notation has a plethora of extra details, and descriptions for how a piece should be played, the way a piece is played still varies from player to player.

Some of the extra symbols and markings you can find on guitar music written in standard notation include:

• Left hand fingerings indicated by numbers
• Strings indicated by circled letters
• Positions, or frets, indicated by roman numerals
• Dynamics
• Expressive markings to indicate intended emotional or dramatic effect

The music tells you not what fret to play, but what pitch to play. The musical staff only has 5 lines.

PROS

Encourages Creativity and Problem Solving Skills
 Because the guitar has unison notes, (pitches that are the same frequency) the note indicated on the staff paper may have multiple ways to be played on the guitar. This teaches the guitarist to troubleshoot, and decide the best way to play a motif based on his desired sonoric effect, and ease of playability.

The Gateway to Music
Although sheet music may vary in detail from instrument to instrument, a C is still a C, and an A is still an A. Compared to language acquisition, this is why it is easier to learn Latin based languages, they all have the same script! Whereas if you attempted to learn Thai, or Sanskrit, or Klingon, you would have a lot more work to do, because you need to first learn the script, before you can start studying, speaking, and learning past a beginner level. The good news is that all instruments in the western world use the same script, so by learning to read music, you are eliminating the fear factor of learning a new instrument.

It Won’t Always Be Difficult!
When I first learned to read, I couldn’t put my books down. When I learned to read music, I couldn’t put my instrument down. Learning to read music is like being shown the library as a child. That might be because reading music is a lot like reading a book, while it takes time to sound out the words, we learn to chunk word groups, and perception becomes instantaneous. It is in this way, the musician can quickly interpret musical motifs, or musical ideas, and chords, and translate them to motor responses like playing.

Work and Collab with Any Musician
Because most instrumentalists (besides drummers) use standard notation, if you want to work with a band, you might find yourself in situations where you are handed sheet music to learn and perform within a short period of time. Or, maybe you want to compose for your band, and need everyone on the same page. So I would say if you ever want to work with other musicians, or collaborate, you must speak, read, and write in the language of music. As my comedic music theory professor Dr. Gollihar always says, “If you want to write letters, Go study English!”

Cognitive Benefits
Different areas of the brain grow as we use them. This is called neuroplasticity. Reading and playing music lights up multiple areas of the brain that most daily tasks do not require, so musicians have been found to have increased neuroplasticity than non musicians. They have also seen improvements in pattern recognition, critical thinking, and attention span.

CONS

Steep Learning Curve
Learning music takes time and requires patience and mental stamina.

Mentally Exhausting
Getting tired and frustrated is very common, but if there is no struggle there is no gain.

So WHICH should I Learn?

If you are just starting out, learn tabs first and then learn to read music.

Every serious musician should learn both, because you want to be ready for any and all musical situations. When it comes to personal use, you are free to use whatever you like! Don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t a “real” musician for doing one thing or another. There is nothing that constitutes a “real” musician, and we all play music for different reasons.

So, be honest! Which do you prefer and why? If you could learn music again, is there anything you would do differently?
Comment down below!

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