For the majority of guitar beginners, once they pick up their instrument, they will instantly refer to tabs and chord chords to learn the songs they like the most. It’s a way to jump right in and start playing real songs.
However, whenever I would scroll on Facebook groups and someone asked about tabs or advice reading tabs, a lot will get snarky comments telling the to ditch the ads and work on their listening skills. They clearly forgot what it was like being a beginner and not knowing anything the guitar, let alone how to create music. How could you when you don’t know where anything is?
For me, while I am a guitar beginner, I did take music all through school. I played other instruments casually, and also learned to read sheet music then. However, they didn’t really teach the theory behind scales and chords, so I only felt confident covering and learning songs. I could figure out melodies by ear, and find basic matching chords on keyboard, but that was about it.
Thus, when I did pick up guitar, I was focused mostly on creation and improvising. I didn’t want to be in that box again. I wanted to be able to play something random on the spot or accompany a singer who wants to write songs. So for my first year, I didn’t really learn any songs. Sure, I could kinda create songs and solos, but they were missing that spice that comes from learning songs.
When I started learning songs via tabs, my playing skills greatly improved. I got to practice many strumming patterns, work on difficult chord changes, and adopt some cool licks. Because I have theory behind me, I get the extra benefit of understanding what I’m playing.
Even if you don’t dive into theory, I think learning from tabs in the beginning is just as beneficial. Everyone learns an instrument by learning songs, and how else would you learn most songs on guitar if you didn’t have tabs? That’s why I’m here to defend against those who discourage newbs like me and you from using them.
1. Tabs Introduce You To New Chords and Licks
When you first pick up guitar, it’s tempting to stick to the same basic open chords and scales. Even if you could somehow learn songs by ear, you’re going to replace those extended or complex chords with the same basic chords. And even if you did learn complex chords on your own, you may not know when or how to apply them. If you’re using tabs, chances are, you’re learning songs, and songs are an amazing way to learn these new chords in a practical setting and know how to use it in creative situations later.
2. They Teach You New Strumming Patterns
When learning a song by ear, it can be hard to really figure the strumming pattern, and that may cause you to fall back on the 3 or 4 basic strumming patterns you’ve used many times before. Tabs, at least complex tabs, will show you the exact strumming pattern along with when the chord changes happen. This means you get to learn a new strumming pattern and practice it with a full song. You can then use that pattern for future songs.
3. No Excuse To Be Sloppy or Lazy
If you’re a beginner and you’re learning by ear, you’re not going to be able to pick out every single detail of a song. Or sometimes, the song is a bit too hard to figure out, so you get kind of lazy and play something that sounds close enough.
If so, you’re missing out on an opportunity to practice new details and techniques like slides, hammer-ons, muting, and so on. If the tabs are in front of you, you will feel more compelled to play the song properly and gain experience.
4. Great Reference When Learning By Ear
If you are working on your listening skills (which I definitely recommend when you feel ready for it), that doesn’t mean you can’t use tabs as a reference. Learn a section, then use tabs to see how close you were, or if there is a better way to play something.
The thing about guitar is that there is rarely ever just one way to play something, so if the tabs say something different, that doesn’t mean you’re wrong! Perhaps your version is actually more correct, which would help build confidence. You can also learn different ways or places to play the same piece thus widening your horizon.
You can also analyze the tabs and figure out why they chose to play it in a certain position, such as utilizing open strings or making use of the smaller frets to play faster. Maybe you’ll realize that the sound was a bend and not a slide like you thought. If the tabs are in a drop tuning, you may realize it doesn’t even need to be dropped. It’s a good way to work on your analytical skills.
5. Patterns Are More Obvious
If you’re strictly learning by ear and sounding things out, you may be working a lot on your memory which is great, but some things will be hard to spot if not written out. When I look at a lead part on tabs, I will spend time figuring out what scale or box pattern they are using, and where the root note is.
Or if I’m learning a power chord songs, it’s easier to see the progression and pattern of the song and compare it to another song I played. Sometimes, it’s easier to see the common tone notes in the chords used which could help you decide how to play a song or chord change.
6. You Can Build A Setlist Faster
As I said in my Capo article, what matters most when playing an instrument is the output, not how you got there. Nothing wrong with being lazy now and then, as long as you’re not using a tool as a crutch. I mean, yeah, sure, you could spend a few weeks or a month trying to figure out a song by ear…or you can look up the tabs and learn it in 2 days. And then #4 takes place as you get another song as reference.
But ontop of that, if you’re main goal is to cover songs and to start uploading videos or playing gigs, then, does it really matter how you learned the song? You think the audience cares? The point is, you can play the song.
Every classical pianist uses sheets to learn songs, there’s probably very few who take the time to learn them by ear, because it takes a lot of time just to get through the song and play it accurately. So unless your main goal is to write and transcribe music, or the songs you want to play don’t usually have tabs, then why neglect the valuable free tabs available? Why make your life harder than it has to be?
7. You Learn To Read Tabs
Last, but definitely not least, is that you gain the skill to learn tabs. Just like how learning to read sheets is necessary if you plan to be a classical or professional musician, being able to read tabs may be necessary if you plan to cover songs or session work as a guitarist.
The majority of guitarists do not know how to read sheet music or much about music theory, so tabs is a way to write down their songs and share ideas with other guitarists. And because the same notes can be played on different strings of the guitar, tabs take away the guess work.
Point is, you never know when someone may hand you tabs and expect you to know how to read them. You also never know when you may need to write tabs for someone else because they aren’t capable of learning your parts by ear.
Tabs are a part of the trade! The majority of players will know and understand them, so there’s really no harm in learning to read them too, even if you personally don’t plan to use them.
Conclusion
I definitely agree that guitarists should not use tabs as a crutch or avoid practicing other skills like playing by ear or improvisation, but we must all remember that tabs were made for a reason, and that they remain relevant for a reason.
Guitar is a very versatile instrument that can play melodies, chords, and both at the same time. It can also do things most other instruments can’t like, slides, bends, and harmonics. There are things that would be hard to express or understand via sheet music, and I’m saying that as someone who learned to read sheets from a very young age.
On top of that, tabs avoid confusion and time waste. While someone who has been playing clarinet for a week can open up a beginner book and know what button to press everytime they see a certain note, guitar doesn’t have that luxury. There are many possibilities, many positions one can play in, and many versions of the same chord.
While I definitely encourage learners to take the time to look into music theory, and perhaps learn to read sheet music so they can communicate with other musicians, if someone is a beginner, let them use tabs. They will learn to play with ear and apply other techniques with time 🙂