Playing Guitar 5 - Standard Notation Vs Tablature
Bertha Russell
notation, and tablature. Both of these forms have their advantages and
disadvantages, and experience teaches that we should use both forms to
become the best guitarists we can. Tablature
Guitarists should start out with tablature ("tab") first because it's
easier to learn and will have you playing things you like faster. The
tab staff has six lines, each representing a string:
Hi E (thinnest) --------------------------------------
B -------------------------------------------------------
G -------------------------------------------------------
D -------------------------------------------------------
A -------------------------------------------------------
Lo E (thickest) --------------------------------------
The strings are in order from thinnest to thickest on the neck, as
shown above. Numbers are placed on specific lines (strings) that tell
you which fret is played on that string. Tab is easy because it tells
you exactly where your fingers are placed. There are a few simple
things to remember with guitar tablature:
A string is only played if there is a number on its line. Open strings
are shown with a "0" on the line. No number means don't play that
string at that time.
The number on a line is the fret number of the note that is played.
When two numbers on different strings are directly lined up
vertically, they are played at the same time - just like two
vertically aligned notes in standard notation. Basically, people use
tab when they know what the song sounds like and want to know where to
put their fingers so that they can play the piece. Tablature's
downfall is that the rhythmic and harmonic information about a piece
of music isn't shared, so the system is incomplete.
Standard Notation
The standard musical staff is also known as the treble clef, or "G"
clef. It's so named because the symbol looks like the letter "G" and
it curls around the line second from the bottom, which is where the
note "G" is placed on the Treble Clef. The notes on the treble clef
are placed in the following manner:
There are five lines and four spaces on the standard staff; each line
and space representing a specific pitch:
-------F---------------------------------------------------------
E -------D---------------------------------------------------------
C -------B---------------------------------------------------------
A
-------G---------------------------------------------------------
F -------E---------------------------------------------------------
To help remember the order of the notes on the treble clef, students
can memorize the following phrase for the name of the notes on the
lines starting from lowest and going to highest:
Every Good Band Does Fine
It's even easier with the spaces between the lines. From bottom to
top, remember the word:
F A C E
Notes are also written above and below the staff in alphabetical
order, using of ledger lines (tiny segments of staff lines only used
for that one note).
The notes are placed on the staff according to their respective
pitches, and that is how one can determine which notes are played in
what order. Another thing that is given is the duration of these notes
relative to one another. In standard notation, notes have different
values, or durations. The most common values are whole (4 beats), half
(2 beats), quarter (1 beat), eighth (half of a beat) and sixteenth
(quarter of a beat).
Besides notes, you must know when not to make a sound. Silence is an
important part of music. These periods of silence are written with
rests. The rests correlate to the notes. For example, a whole rest has
the same duration as a whole note; a half rest has the same duration
as a half note; etc.
The only downfall to standard notation for guitarists is that we must
decide where to play the notes. Some of these notes can be played in
SIX different places; it's not just recognizing the note, it's
deciding where to play it.
Finally, I believe that we should use both systems so we can have the
benefit of knowing the right fingering as well as the rhythmic and
harmonic information. With all the possible information literally at
your fingertips, how can you possibly lose?
Good luck to you and your future guitar adventures!