Originally Posted by
sblock
So Mark -- In fairness, I never suggested that I saw either form of notation as harmful, per se, so I was a bit baffled by your first sentence, which seems to suggest otherwise. That said, I think you and I agree that both staff notation and tablature are, in the final analysis, musical tools. They are not music itself. They represent a means to an end, and not the end itself. And, like any tool, they can be misused -- or, as you put it, they can sometimes prove "detrimental" to the free musical conversation that is most desirable when playing with others. I could not agree more with that! Other musical tools are quite useful in learning, too, but can sometimes be detrimental, in principle (depending on the context): these include playing along with MIDI lead or backup tracks, or with a metronome, for that matter. Exclusive reliance on any of these tools, however helpful in the learning process, can (sometimes) lead to the neglect of what ultimately matters in actual musical performance, which is something not easily conveyed on paper, and includes the musical "ebb and flow" and "give and take" that occurs during human performance. This includes (but is not restricted to) stylistic features that we tend to associate with certain genres, like "swing" and "lilt" and "bounce" and "drive" and so on. It includes subtle variations in tone production, volume, tempo, ornamentation, improvisation, etc. And a whole lot more.
I am all for using musical tools, and for learning musical skills! We just need to make sure these are best used in service of musical performance. Any tool -- and I include both staff notation and tab in this -- can be "detrimental" if it somehow detracts from the ultimate goal. So I agree with you when you wrote "It still seems to me that the OP needs look elsewhere besides the form of notation he uses to get a handle on the issue." The fault, it would appear, lies not with the notation, but with how it's being used.
I realize that staff notation has its passionate advocates (but seemingly, not very broad-minded ones) in this thread. No question, staff notation is powerful. But tablature is exceedingly useful, too, and a large number of musicians, particularly North American folk/roots musicians -- including their instructors and top music publishers and yes, even some studio professionals -- use it. It has a firmly established place in our musical world. It's ironic to me that we don't seen to have any folks who use tab dismissing the folks who prefer staff notation. The sense of superiority seems to be exclusively directed in the other direction! To me, that says a lot.
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