Does nobody know what a chord is? (Page 1 of 2)

Personally I can read music, but I think that Tabs give a direct, graphical way of seeing a tune on the fretboard that can be useful to both beginners and experienced players alike.

Standard Western notation is not the only way of writing down a piece of music and never has been.

Guitar players also use many different tunings, and Tab is a very easy way to show how these work. Remember standard notation would still show the same notes with no explanation as to where to find them on the fretboard.

cheers

David

I raelly understand your OR our problem. I think that you are a lucky person to have this skill and opportunity, BUT, I am a medical Doctor, didn't have time to LEARN to read music, and I don't expect that everybody can give himself an exact diagnosis and treatment. Maybe you are on a site that is not representative for your skills. I really want to study music, that's for sure, and I also know that a lot of so called famous group have at least a member capable of reading notes.
There must be probably other sites, or maybe you can write the notes as they should be read.
Try to contact the administrator and maybe, there is a solution. But if you are really interessed in putting notes in stead of tabs, try to use a song here and try to work it out in notes, because I don't know one clue about this, but I can tell you only that I play quit good the guitar.

Did I misunderstand the original question?

I thought the complaint was that tabs were only for people who don't really understand music.

Maybe i've had one too many glasses of wine

cheers

David

Hi,
I guess this post is here to cause a stir or maybe it’s a silly point of view held by someone with a superior attitude on learning to play the guitar.

Many great guitar players (Musicians) admit to being unable to read music. Have not studied music at an academic level. To me they still can REALLY play the guitar.

Tabs and Chord charts are a basic resource for learning for those who because of various reasons do not wish to get formal guitar tuition but still feel they are REALLY learning to play the guitar.

We all learn the to play the guitar in different ways for different reasons and goals. To decry one method that is REALLY Stupid.

Ark

We all now what music is, we all play, some people play really fantastic, others are beginners.
You can be a great value for us, because there are SONGS who can be written in, what I call MUSIC LANGUAGE. I know that there are a lot of SONG BOOKS, like if you buy the book with all the songs of the Beatles. You can pick out a song in that book, sitting behind a piano, and play, you will have everything you want music written like it should be. I can only tell you, that if you go "classic", talking about Mozart, Beethoven, that in THAT case there are no chords and tabs. But here on Chordie, we are just, one person more than another, trying ON THIS FORUM, to pass our knowledge !? discussing, posting topics, to help to find decent answers, decent facts and of course THE GUITAR is central.

Mikeen Beág {Michel }

Thank you  for your reply  to that perfect person.!  Saved me loads of time to browse elsewhere!

As they say here in these parts" GO ON YA BOY YA" Must be the Gaelic in you!

Old Doll.

respect is what we have for each others ideas and passion to learn and listen when other chordians know better

Hey Old Doll .As a kid to teenager I spent summers in Lake Anslie on Cape Breton Island ,in a cottage with a farm close by and they spoke mainly Galiec. It was a great experiene to milk cows, feed chickens, do some haying, and spend time with great poeple. To hear the old poeple speak that language was real neat. I can still remember a few words.

  I know I'm a subject changer, But it's all good.

Take Care..... Badeye.

P S , Daddycool is right.

Hi Badeye me ould flower!
nice to hear from you! I thought Gem had locked you up away from me!   Never in my life time took any one elses man!   have to much respect for my  fellow sisters!  Pity one of them  never felt the same about me!.
Just all maudlin At  this hour!   Badeye! Will you make us a cup of cha? and we can talk about it? I feel in a lonely old space at the moment! . But  I still need my decking done?
Nanci Griffits was magic tonight! and of course, i continued on after the show! never know when to stop?.

Slán
Old doll.

I agree with everyone here who wrote a reaction, if you read mine, I think that I tried to be very diplomatic. It is useless to discuss with the Gods, because before you know Thor will hit you with his hammer.
SO I WILL JUST ASK ONE QUESTION : WHAT DO YOU DO FOR LIVING? welcome2myhead? I expect a sincere and honest answer, if you don't want to put it here, you're always free to mail me.
It is not difficult to give "super names"  to certain professions.
If you are responsible for cleaning toilets at a rest stop, it will be fantastic to put a tag on your
uniform:
CEO of SANITARY DEPARTMENTS

It sounds nice, and it is a respectable job. I absolutely don't blame you, maybe you were disappointed, because your expectations were to high, but I promess that I will look on the web for sites, if there are sites, where you can find WRITTEN MUSIC.
I wrote you already that there are books, and there you have a point, like I said as example the Beatles, where you can find all their songs written in that way, that you just have to place them in front of your instrument, and there you go. You can have mine, I CAN NOT READ MUSIC.
I am in fact PRO music education at school, the younger you start, the more you can do. Even a 2 year old kid, living in China for 2 years, will talk Chinese, but the older you get, the more it is difficult to learn fast, and also the more "nasty" habits you have.
You are free to join this chordian community, I can only tell you, that most of us are in love with music, and we all try to express our self by playing, or at least playing as good as we can, songs we love. I think that only MOZART, who could play already master pieces at the age of 4/5, I agree, he learned a lot from his father Leopold, I know a lot of music, was able to read all the written music.
The others (without Nicole Kidman of course) and me, we would love to have you on this site, IF you are able to switch the mentality who seems negative, into something positive. WHY? because we can always use opinions, who are  the motor, the heart of CHORDIE.

the ability to be able to play music without the benefit of lessons or musical knowledge is a gift.  and it works well if you are playing as a single, playing for your own enjoyment, or playing with small groups.    many performers i know cannot read music, and they do just fine. and if you have no further musical aspirations, that's all you need to know.

however, the ability to read music brings you to a different level.  it is a much more involved process, and can lead you to areas you cannot begin to think about if you cannot read music.   

i consider myself lucky that i can do it either way.  My grandfather taught me to strum chords when i was very young.  (i still have his 46' gibson j-45).  Afterward i took music lessons for other instruments -- piano, trombone, trumpet.  It's a litttle tougher to play piano without the ability to read music -- but it can be done.

besides guitar, i play trumpet in a rather large community band -- for fun.  i am amazed at the number of people who call us wanting to join who cannot read music.  there is no such thing as "following along" with a 50-piece band.  everyone has their own part, and it has to be played precisely..you have to read music to do this.

there's more -- composing, writing, transposing, arranging, conducting ...

but the bottom line is -- music is to be enjoyed.  you don't have to read music to enjoy it, or play.

What's that got to do with guitar? Lol