While most music educators emphasize learn the use of staff notation. But there’s a lot of debate about using tablature.
While rock and pop musicians embrace it, classical and jazz musicians avoid it. This goes for formally educated musicians too.
Is there a difference, you might ask?
Tablature is generally used for guitar music. Each line indicates a single string on a guitar. This could be the six-stringed guitar, bass, ukelele or even the banjo and the mandolin.
Apart from that, there are a number of variations. But the most simple version includes lines for strings and numerals for frets. Other symbols that might appear on tablature include chords, stems and articulation markings.
Now, there are definite benefits to using tablature. The first of them is that it is simple to use for beginners since it shows the reader the exact string and fret that needs to be used so as to sound the right note.
It’s also clear that it is pretty logical and easy since beginners will be able to play music quicker using tablature. Apart from this, it also isolates pitch and forces budding musicians to play by ear and focus on rhythm too.Also, you don’t need special software to create tablature.
Best part: you can share it easily too.
Some of the obvious advantages that come with using tablature include being universal to all musicians and instruments. The relationship between pitch and rhythm is easier to indicate using tablature. Musical patterns such as scales and arpeggios are also easily identifiable using tablature.
Finally, beginners can assign the easiest fingering to each piece of music they since tablature gives them that flexibility.