Understanding The Piano Tab
Learning to play music with the piano tab is an alternative approach to learning via traditional sheet music. Whereas sheet music indicates pitch, chords, and time with musical symbols, piano tabs indicate the same with chord symbols and note names. The general idea behind this approach is to visually show which finger should hit a piano key. Also known as "tablature," the simplicity within this type of notation often leaves much to interpretation -- but what makes tablature so appealing is how easy it is to comprehend.
What You See Is What You Get:
One of the things that makes tablature so attractive is its design. What you see in tablature literally looks like the instrument that you're playing -- making interpretation a simple matter of matching fingers to the fingers in the notation. There are no notes to decipher nor sharps, flats, or keys to decode. What you see in tablature is what you get!
No Fancy Word Processor Or Font Needed:
Another appealing aspect of tablature is its portability. Anyone can write tablature without the need for a fancy word processor or font. This type of notation is easily expressed with plain ol' ASCII text and that's why you'll find so much of it freely available on the Internet. Just remember that each piece of tablature you find is unique to the instrument it was written for.
A Few Warnings:
Piano tablature for example, is for piano music only -- just as guitar tablature is for guitar music only. This reason alone is enough to turn some people away from it and prefer sheet music -- a platform that can be shared across many instruments instead of just one. But there's another problem. Tablature in general, doesn't provide enough information to indicate advanced techniques such as harmony or note duration. It doesn't accurately portray the true rhythm or timing of a song either.
These limitations don't render piano tabs useless however since they're a wonderful introduction into the world of sheet music.
What It Looks Like:
If you're wondering what piano tablature looks like, picture a graphical representation of the keyboard where each key is represented by a dash, "-". The keys of a chord are represented by their corresponding letters. So the letters F-D-F represent the F, D, and F keys of the D chord while the letters G-D-G represent the letters of the G-Major chord.
The letters RH together represent notes that are played with the right hand, while the letters LH together represent notes played with the left hand. And the "greater than" symbol represents a note that's sustained. Natural (white) piano keys are represented by lower case letters, and sharps are represented by uppercase letters. Flats however, aren't represented by any special character. They're instead represented by their equivalent sharps. A D flat for example, is the C sharp in piano tabs. Pretty simple, huh?
Different Notes For Different Folks:
As you peruse through the large collection of available piano tabs, you'll come across different styles. Some people for instance prefer to indicate a sharp note with the pound sign (#) instead of with a capital letter. For the most part, you'll find that they all tend to conform to an identifiable standard readily understood by almost anyone.
Get your free Free Online Piano Lessons eBook entitled, "Who Else Wants To Play Piano in the Next 30 Days" plus our jam-packed eZine filled with tips to help you reach your piano greatness!
NFE/1.0 piano - Google News en news-feedback@google.com ©2008 Google Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:58:35 GMT Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:58:35 GMT piano - Google News http://news.google.com/intl/en_us/images/news_res.gif Kimbell Art Museum: Renzo Piano's Designs For Major New Building ... - TAXI Design Network tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.designtaxi.com/news.jsp?id=22231&monthview=0&month=11&year=2008 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:59:06 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.designtaxi.com/news.jsp%3Fid%3D22231%26monthview%3D0%26month%3D11%26year%3D2008&cid=1272537911&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNENuFJZwsr31OwhYwlR03RWQdXk1A">Kimbell Art Museum: Renzo <b>Piano's</b> Designs For Major New Building <b>...</b></a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>TAXI Design Network, NY -</font> <nobr>9 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>Renzo <b>Piano</b>, the architect of the new building, joined Museum officials in one of Kahn’s vaulted galleries for the announcement. Located to the west of the <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table> Mates of State: Losing an organ, gaining a piano - PopMatters tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/65967-mates-of-state-losing-an-organ-gaining-a-piano/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:24:22 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/1-0&fd=R&url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/65967-mates-of-state-losing-an-organ-gaining-a-piano/&cid=1272576538&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNGbGCEQzp2x_d5wC9yeHzRdRL8aKA">Mates of State: Losing an organ, gaining a <b>piano</b></a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>PopMatters, IL -</font> <nobr>7 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>That explains why the first thing you hear as “Re-Arrange Us” comes to life isn’t organ but a gentle, solitary hammering of <b>piano</b>. <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table> ETBU to host piano recital - Marshall News Messenger tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/featr/content/features/stories/2008/112008_web_etbu.html Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:16:02 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/2-0&fd=R&url=http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/featr/content/features/stories/2008/112008_web_etbu.html&cid=1272457248&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNFMJxkX_zjDQSlegQmk5UvdjW5kQg">ETBU to host <b>piano</b> recital</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Marshall News Messenger, TX -</font> <nobr>17 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>Ms. Conway earned a bachelor of music degree from Stephen F. Austin State University, double majoring in <b>piano</b> and organ performance. <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table> The Piano Baschet-Malbos: has it just exploded? - Times Online tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5198855.ece Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:40:38 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td width=80 align=center valign=top><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/3i-0&fd=R&url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5198855.ece&cid=0&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNHZsUGsZEZKvP88iTL2mZA10Xc0sQ"><img src=http://news.google.ru/news?imgefp=VraNlYPsWV8J&imgurl=entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00436/malboslatchoumia_38_436810a.jpg width=80 height=38 alt="" border=1><br><font size=-2>Times Online</font></a></font></td><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/3-0&fd=R&url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5198855.ece&cid=0&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNHZsUGsZEZKvP88iTL2mZA10Xc0sQ">The <b>Piano</b> Baschet-Malbos: has it just exploded?</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Times Online, UK -</font> <nobr>1 hour ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>It is the <b>Piano</b> Baschet-Malbos: sound sculpture, installation, heavenly body, floral tribute and the world’s newest instrument. Probably the only instrument <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table> Architect Renzo Piano returns to his inspiration - Fort Worth Star Telegram tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.star-telegram.com/900/story/1046737.html Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:16:32 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td width=80 align=center valign=top><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4i-0&fd=R&url=http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/081118piano.asp&cid=1271783751&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNEdwTUaSjdSCzZx5jjuuGLKKUlMtA"><img src=http://news.google.ru/news?imgefp=B_MKzmXstV4J&imgurl=archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/081118piano/headshot.jpg width=69 height=80 alt="" border=1><br><font size=-2>Architectural Record</font></a></font></td><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-0&fd=R&url=http://www.star-telegram.com/900/story/1046737.html&cid=1271783751&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNHEiX2KlY5nYoaKaxi21lFaaSIrdA">Architect Renzo <b>Piano</b> returns to his inspiration</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX -</font> <nobr>Nov 19, 2008</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>BY GAILE ROBINSON Renzo <b>Piano</b>’s designs for the Kimbell Art Museum expansion will have the new building "talking" with the existing one. <b>...</b></font><br><font size=-1><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-1&fd=R&url=http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/081118piano.asp&cid=1271783751&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNEdwTUaSjdSCzZx5jjuuGLKKUlMtA"><b>Piano</b>’s Design for Kimbell Museum Revealed</a> <font size=-1 color=#6f6f6f><nobr>Architectural Record</nobr></font></font><br><font size=-1><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-2&fd=R&url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/arts/design/18arts-ARTMUSEUMUNV_BRF.html%3Fref%3Darts&cid=1271783751&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNEWlCOAA4QOadMARnqWsMF7M0Ui1w">Art Museum Unveils Expansion</a> <font size=-1 color=#6f6f6f><nobr>New York Times</nobr></font></font><br><font size=-1><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-3&fd=R&url=http://www.kdbc.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D9372283%26nav%3Dmenu608_2_4&cid=1271783751&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNGgrVA5r6X1QjF77O1hGoNixdR0OA">Kimbell museum doubling exhibit space with project</a> <font size=-1 color=#6f6f6f><nobr>KDBC</nobr></font></font><br><font size=-1 class=p><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-4&fd=R&url=http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/29482/kimbell-art-museum-unveils-expansion-plans/&cid=1271783751&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNESPdxRdsNAXP-U2pb2JBwYLyYVSw"><nobr>ARTINFO</nobr></a> - <a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/4-5&fd=R&url=http://www.star-telegram.com/855/story/1044688.html&cid=1271783751&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNGccwDvha5oWhVmbhgdwM7dDd8xlg"><nobr>Fort Worth Star Telegram</nobr></a></font><br/><font class=p size=-1><a class=p href=http://news.google.ru/news?hl=en&ned=en_en&ie=ISO-8859-1&ncl=1271783751><nobr>all 33 news articles</nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table> Guest pianist returns for concert - Adrian Daily Telegram tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x1720661647/Guest-pianist-returns-for-concert Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:28:06 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/5-0&fd=R&url=http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x1720661647/Guest-pianist-returns-for-concert&cid=1272656995&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNE_DZzCzdjWiFlouIT2fJ4c6AeJfA">Guest pianist returns for concert</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Adrian Daily Telegram, MI -</font> <nobr>1 hour ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>This time around, she joins the ASO for Schumann’s <b>Piano</b> Concerto in A minor. 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The result was a delicate, sometimes haunting form of experimental <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table> Linda Gentille American Piano Show - EmeraldCoast.com tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.emeraldcoast.com/articles/american_6621___article.html/linda_gentille.html Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:27:38 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/8-0&fd=R&url=http://www.emeraldcoast.com/articles/american_6621___article.html/linda_gentille.html&cid=1272333646&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNH-PeLZ7iQtYii3uNDX4KVn2UeNEg">Linda Gentille American <b>Piano</b> Show</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>EmeraldCoast.com, FL -</font> <nobr>Nov 19, 2008</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>FORT WALTON BEACH - Linda Gentille's "American <b>Piano</b> Show is coming to town on Dec. 6 at 7:30 pm at the Fort Walton Beach Civic Auditorium under the <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table> Piano Students Fall Recital - Hoboken411.com tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://hoboken411.com/archives/15071 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:43:31 GMT <table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.ru/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/9-0&fd=R&url=http://hoboken411.com/archives/15071&cid=0&ei=it0lScf8NJ-EyQS6rsC2AQ&usg=AFQjCNHw7kGWq8YfYEnTdjw1i3z32J0xLw"><b>Piano</b> Students Fall Recital</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Hoboken411.com, NJ -</font> <nobr>5 hours ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>The concert will feature advanced <b>piano</b> students of Phillip Dieckow, Artist-In-Residence at DeBaun Center for Performing Arts and founder of the Dieckow <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table> piano - Google News Keywords:
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