FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: The Hardest Part Guitar Tab

Question:
Guitar tab is not a legitimate notation, at least the samples I've seen in various guitar magazines are not. Unlike lute and banjo tab, it lacks a crucial element, the rhythm. I realize that the rhythm can be gotten from the music above, but if you have to include the music, why have tab? The hardest part of reading music is reading the rhythm, and the most important part of performance is not knowing where to put your fingers, but understanding what the music is telling you. If you only read tab, you don't have access to the music except on the most superficial level.

Answer:
It is possible to write TAB in a way that conveys the rhythm, but I agree that most TAB I've seen doesn't seem to and that that can be a significant obstacle if one doesn't know the tune. Having said that, it seems a little harsh to just dismiss it out of hand. TAB helps some of us who can't read standard notation to learn to play (and/or write down) music, so isn't it performing a useful function? I don't think anyone would argue that it's as useful as standard notation, but does that make it worthless? I don't think so.