My Relationship With Tab – the good, the bad, the ugly!

Hey Everyone!

As I type this in June of 2023, I felt it necessary to update you on my ever changing relationship with tab. Haha.

This will be informational and I do hope you’ll take a few moments to read it. If you read any of it please take the time to read all of it.

First, let me say that tab is almost essential. I say this because there is no other tool that can within 10 minutes get someone playing something (on most instruments) that sounds like a song. It is a FACT and it works.

Second, let me say I have a love/hate/hate/sorta like relationship with tab overall.

The hate part (it’s not hate, more an aggravation) is that students tend to get “locked into” tab. What do I mean by that you ask?

Ever hear the phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees”? It’s like they “can’t see the music, for the tab”.

So some will get so locked into tab that they literally cannot play another note that differs from what is written. OR – they will get it in their head that the song “must be played exactly as written” OR – similar things to that.

That is just flat wrong! Beyond the basic melody of the song there is a TON TON TON that you can do.

And even beginner students somehow get this (I hate to say attitude, but rather the way they think about it) that if the tab differs in any way from what is being played, that it is somehow wrong or incorrect.

So all I mean with this post is just to remind folks somewhat to understand that music – while the melody is the same, the music around it changes all the time. The way someone (plays those melody notes) is different. It’s like going to walmart. I bet there’s about 10 different ways someone could get there right? But you end up at walmart right? It doesn’t mean that any way is incorrect. I play based on how I feel at that moment and what just comes out. So I may play a simple song 10 or more different ways (I just mean little differences here).

This is where techniques and styles of play come in big time. Sure you can play straight melody (and I want you to try and learn that way to begin with). Play the melody. Learn to hum the melody. Then you add in things around that melody to embellish it. Another words don’t ever let a piece of paper limit you on how you play a song.

I began like most playing a few tabs I had found in books. Even today I mostly play those few things I learned from tab nearly the same way every time and it’s almost a “chore” to play it differently. I find that the stuff I learned by ear (most) I am much more FREE when I play it and can do all sorts of stuff with it.

Now let me pull the reins on this back in here.

Tab is important! Yep I said it. Me, the one who talks about not liking tab. Haha 😂.

WHY???

Because no one on earth can remember thousands of songs. Sure you can remember say 50 or so, but beyond that it gets tough. If you don’t have 5 or 6 hours a day to dedicate to memorizing songs (who does??) then tab can be a great help.

I don’t really compile tabs or anything, but I do have a group of songs in an app that is called songbook – that has the lyrics and chords, so we can sing and play in church. We have a list of around 80 so far that we play through. We play 2 songs in the morning and 2 at night every Sunday, so that’s 4 per week. And we add new hymns (we aim for 1 per week most weeks) also to put in the list. That is a LOT of songs y’all. Not including the instrumental solo’s I’ll play during the offering. And that’s not counting all the fiddle tunes I know, old time, and folk stuff either. I play breaks in these songs too, and none of them are tabbed (though I do take some time to tab some out for lessons). I’m not bragging here, this is very common for musicians – we play the song, sing backup or lead, play breaks and some fills, and though our list is getting long, I can usually within a few minutes at practice (we practice once a week together) then Jon and I do a bit at home the day before church, pick out a break and remember the song. Lyrics though – oh man I have no idea how professional musicians can remember lyrics (I have a tough time with that, LOL).

So while I don’t keep tab per se, I do have helps that I use. So if you want to use tab, keep tab, etc. DO IT.

Just know that it is a tool to help you remember that song or refresh it quickly, and not the only way to play that song. And at some point if you are say playing weekly in a jam session – you SHOULD be able to play some songs without tab at all, and be working on learning and memorizing more songs. I’ve seen folks at a jam session who have been coming to the session for many years and cannot play 1 song without the book. You can always work toward learning and memorizing songs. ***see my note on this below.

And I’m not even talking about working your ear here at all either. The more you work your ear the less dependent on tabs you will be. You will “hear” chord changes and be able to play songs that you’ve never heard before just by watching and listening to others.

Ok so that about wraps up my thoughts on tab. It’s both good and not so good. Use it wisely and for good.

***note – this is if you WANT and DESIRE to do so. There is no requirement that you MUST not use a book, or have to memorize anything. I said this because I feel that it would be a natural goal to want to memorize at least some of the songs you regularly play. Once a song is memorized, then you are really free to add things to it. Additional notes in between melody notes, techniques, and more.