Tablature vs standard musical notation for lap steel

[Julie Faust]

What is best to learn when it comes tablature vs standard musical notation? I am somewhat new to learning tab but should I learn to read sheet music instead?

[Fred Treece]

You don’t necessarily need to learn standard notation to play lap steel music, but I believe it is a good skill to have in order to understand ALL music and develop an appreciation for it

Proper tab should show note duration. Scratched tab only shows the location of the notes to be played, maybe separated by vague measure lines, and with no indication of rhythm.

Some people eschew tablature as if it were poison for your musical skill set. I’m not one of those, especially for someone new to steel guitar. It can help you get right to playing music in a way like no other.

A good tablature program, like Power Tab or TablEdit shows standard notation in one staff and the tablature in another on the same page.

I would not skip the process of learning note durations - how the timing works for whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, etc. I skipped this important step when I first started playing guitar, and it led to developing a weak sense of rhythm. I had to go back later and learn it for real. Now, if I don’t quite remember how to play something, or want to learn a piece note for note when my ear can’t quite figure it out, I just get the sheet music for it.

There are websites that cover the basic concepts of standard notation very well, but a good teacher could probably get the job done quicker and more comprehensively.

[Julie Faust]

Great advise, well said. Thank you, I was on the fence till this. I can see the benefit of both but one over the other is clear. Thank you so much.

[Bill McCloskey]

If you only learn by tab, you will always be limited to tablature written for your specific tuning. If you learn notation the world opens up. Tablature is great for learning a specific lick assuming you can find one. But everyone writes tab differently so you need to relearn each person’s method.

However the advantage of tab is that steel provides a multitude of places to play the same notes. Which makes it trickier to translate from notes on the paper to positions on the neck. Learning both is probably the correct answer

[Tom Troughton]

What Bill said.

To explain, I am new to PSG, but I believe I am finding it easier than most because I understand music theory. The instrument, and the functions of the pedals and levers isn't mysterious. The reason we tune some bent notes to e.g. A436 instead of A440 is understandable. You won't get this from learning tab.

But reading sheet music needs to be combined with an understanding of harmonic theory. Learning the notes on the staff isn't good enough. Take a class on harmony at a community college.

However tab really helps with fingering - sheet music won't deal with that. So both is best.

[Erv Niehaus]

If you play tab that includes the notation, after a while you can see the coordination.
Erv