The two most common forms of guitar music notation available to either the aspiring or master guitarist are what are referred to as guitar tablature (tabs) or traditional sheet music. Depending on what you want to accomplish, you can use either to great effectiveness.
First off, it is not necessary to learn about musical notation to play an instrument such as the guitar. A quick search on the Internet for guitar tablature will result in a wealth of information for many popular songs for the guitar. Think about it: as opposed to being able to comprehend and use musical notation (where all of the notes have been documented EXACTLY as the composer intended) you can be able to play and be able to enjoy a song or two with as few complications as possible.
Guitar tablature (also known as "tabs") is breaking down musical notation into finger positions on your guitar's fretboard and strings. As a beginner on the guitar, or even a veteran, guitar tablature gives you a great shortcut to musical enjoyment. However, it can make you more prone to error if you have not heard a particular piece of music before. Tablature gets a beginner playing quickly without getting involved with sometimes boring (but valuable) musical notation knowledge. As a beginner you will likely want to see results right away - guitar tablature is excellent for being able to play songs with a minimal time investment. Descriptions of tablature are easier to understand if you have the original song to listen to; you can make a better distinction what particular tab notations mean with the original material. Tabs are available all over the place. Just do a search on the Internet for a song that you'd like to learn, more often than not you find it!
Musical notation on the other hand gives a more theoretical understanding as to what actually goes into the construction of a song. Rather than just a surface understanding that one might get with guitar tablature, you can see the underlying construction of a piece of music. Musical notation is also much more accurate than tablature, as you are playing the actual notes that a composer wrote. Ever wonder why a lot of people playing Beethoven or Bach all sound the same? More than likely they are using sheet music with musical notation as their playing source material. In saying this, sheet music notation is the traditional form of writing music. Most instructors may even consider this the "correct" way. If you understand musical notation, you do not have to have even heard a piece of music to play it and have it sound right. Notation can also shorten practice periods; if you know where all the notes are and know how to play them, then it's basically all you need as opposed to remembering sometimes complicated finger positions.
From a beginner's standpoint, you can see the value in being able to play and enjoy songs very quickly. It keeps you interested; without interest the desire to learn can fade or die off completely. Guitar tablature can keep the interest strong in the beginning. Who knows - you may use tablature as a stepping stone to being able to read sheet music. If you learn by hearing and being able to duplicate a sound, perhaps this is best for you. If however, you would like to learn musical theory and how to properly play any song regardless of whether you have heard it or not, musical notation is your best bet. Whichever you feel is best for you, know that you are enriching your life through the sounds of music.
David Korasa writes mainly about guitar and other music related articles on his blog, GuitarMusicSpot http://guitarmusicspot.blogspot.com/
Source: www.articlesbase.com
