Ukulele Questions: Is it cheating to use TABs?

Posted by on September 12th 2020 @ 10:28 pm

The short answer is: NO.

The ORIGINAL tablature was for Lute and it is ingenious!

Some people react to the use of tablature as if there is something morally wrong with it (i.e. cheating, lazy, shifty … not the ‘right’ way). Tablature is actually the ORIGINAL system of notation for fretted instruments and dates back to the Renaissance with the lute family of instruments. Staff notation came MUCH later to these instruments … and I suspect because of lazy composers who wanted to write for the instruments, but didn’t want to bother with learning the intricacies of playing them (I could be wrong, that’s just a wild guess).

In many ways, tablature makes a LOT more sense as a notation system for fretted instruments, as there are often 3 or more choices for where and how you can play a phrase of music on the fretboard. It is NOT like a piano (or most winds), where you only have one key on the keyboard that will play that one single note on the staff. You have choices on stringed instruments. If you’ve really thought it through and come up with the most efficient way to play a piece of music, then tablature is the clear winner for passing this information on to others.

Does this mean to say I’m against staff notation? NO, by no means. I think the ideal notation for fretted instruments is a linked staff and tab … This allows you to see how the music relates to the melody and harmony through the staff notation as well as giving the best way to play it. Pianists do a similar thing by marking up their music with fingerings to remind them the best way to play a phrase; using tablature is no different.

Ryan's favorite starter ukulele: The Enya Nova U Concert Ukulele 23” on Amazon sounds great, is easy to play, in tune and nearly indestructable. "I left it in the car through the heat of summer to see what would happen, and it still plays beautifully."

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