Tablature, whose correct name is "tablature", is a type of musical notation that uses normal text characters to represent the succession of notes and chords in a song. In the technological age, since it is simple to read and easy to share even digitally, this writing method has become a very popular alternative to sheet music, especially among amateur musicians. Each type of tablature uses different musical notations; the one for piano usually indicates the notes that the musician should play, indicating the name and the octave. Here is a guide to learning how to read piano tablature.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Playing a Tablature
Step 1. Divide the keyboard into octaves, each of which corresponds to a line of the tablature
Piano tablatures are usually represented by a series of horizontal lines, each labeled with a number on the left, like this:
5|------------------------------
4|------------------------------
3|------------------------------
2|------------------------------
Although at first glance this pattern has nothing to do with the black and white keys of the musical instrument, know that instead it is perfect for representing the various sections of the keyboard in an intelligent way. The number you see to the left of each line represents the octave in which a note is to be played. The piano tablatures define the octaves according to the major scale; starting from the left end of the keyboard, the first C (C) you meet determines the beginning of the first octave, the second C determines the beginning of the second octave and so on up to the highest C.
For example, if we consider the simple tablature proposed above, each line represents (from top to bottom) the fifth, fourth, third and second octave starting from the "leftmost" C key on the keyboard. It is not needed that the tablature schematizes all the octaves present in a piano, but only those that are played in the song.
Step 2. Find the notes on the octave lines
Most of the time, the notes are indicated with letters according to Le_note the Anglo-Saxon coding. These letters (from A to G) are positioned on the octave lines like this:
5 | -a-d-f ------------------------
4 | -a-d-f ------------------------
3 | ------- c-D-e-f-G --------------
2 | ----------------- f-e-d-c ------
The lowercase letters indicate a "natural" note (neither sharp nor flat) found on the white keys, while the capital letters indicate the sharp notes found on the black keys. For example the note "C" (C sharp) is found on the black key to the right of "c" (natural C on the white key). The notes found on the tablature line must be played in the octave corresponding to the line itself. For example, a note on line 4 must be played on the fourth octave of the instrument.
To simplify the writing and avoid confusion between the note "b" (natural B) and the symbol "♭" which indicates the flat, in piano tablature there are never notes in flat which are instead indicated with the equivalent sharp (for example the D flat - "D ♭" is indicated with a C sharp - "C")
Step 3. Read the tablature from left to right paying attention to the length of the bars (indicated with |)
Just like sheet music, tablature is also read from left to right. The notes that are "furthest to the left" must be played first, followed by those that are gradually "more to the right". If the tablature is longer than the computer screen or sheet, you can "wrap" each time you reach the edge, just like with a normal score. Often, but not always, these piano patterns include vertical lines that mark each beat. These are indicated with a capital letter "I" or a vertical bar. Here is an example:
5 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
4 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
3 | ------- c-D-e-f- | G --------------
2 | --------------- | --f-e-d-c ------
If you encounter this symbology, treat each space as a joke.
In other words, if a song is in 4/4, within each pair of bars (one measure) there are musical figures for a total duration of four quarters; for a song in 6/8 there are musical figures for a total duration of six eighths and so on
Step 4. Play the notes in sequence, like the tablature laws, from left to right
Start with the leftmost note in the pattern and play the next ones in order as you move to the right. If two or more notes are directly on top of each other, they must be played simultaneously as in a chord.
- In our example:
5 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
4 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
3 | ------- c-D-e-f- | G --------------
2 | --------------- | --f-e-d-c ------
we should first play the note A of the fifth octave and then the A of the fourth octave, then the D of the fifth octave and the D of the fourth, then the F of the fifth octave and the F of the fourth. Following the notes C, D sharp, E and F in sequence and so on.
Part 2 of 2: Reading the Special Characters
Step 1. Interpret repeating numbers above or below the tab as the rhythm
One of the weaknesses of tablature is the difficulty of expressing the rhythm. This can become quite problematic when playing sustained notes, respecting pauses or producing syncopated passages. To overcome this drawback, many tablature writers take rhythm into account by noting it above or below the chart. The final look looks like this:
5 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
4 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
3 | ------- c-D-e-f- | G --------------
2 | --------------- | --f-e-d-c ------
||1---2---3---4--|1---2---3---4--
In this case, the notes that are above the number "1" are more or less on the first beat, those next to the number "2" are on the second beat, and so on. This is not a perfect system, but it best bypasses the limitations of the tablature format.
- Some piano patterns also involve the use of upbeat signs. Mostly it is the ampersand ("&") to mimic the classic method of counting beats: "one and two and three and four and …" where the "e" counts the time of the upbeat. The final appearance of the tablature will be:
5 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
4 | -a-d-f --------- | ---------------
3 | ------- c-D-e-f- | G --------------
2 | --------------- | --f-e-d-c ------
||1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&
Step 2. Learn how rests and sustained notes are indicated
This is also a limitation of tablature because it is not easy to express the duration of some notes or rests with this notation. Some tablatures do not indicate these musical figures at all; after a held note, for example, there will only be a series of dashes that make up a line. Other notations use a series of ">" after a note to indicate that it must be sustained. Here are some examples:
5 | -adf --------- | --------------- 4 | -adf --------- | ------- -------- 3 | ------- cDef- | G -------------- 2 | ------------- - | --fedc >>>>>> || 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4- & | 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4- &
In this case, we should keep the final C note from the third bar until the end of the measure.
Step 3. Play the notes that are indicated with a dot according to the staccato style
These are the exact opposite of sustained notes: they are short and truncated. Many piano tabs use dots to indicate this kind of style. Like:
5 | -a.-d.-f.------ | ---------------
4 | -a.-d.-f.------ | ---------------
3 | -------- c-D-e-f | G --------------
2 | --------------- | --f-e-d-c >>>>>>
||1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&
In this case, we need to play the first three octave chords as staccato.
Step 4. Look for the letters "R" and "L" to the left of each chart to find out which hand to play the notes with
Usually, but not always, the highest notes of a piano piece are played with the right hand, while the lowest with the left, so you can safely follow this criterion when reading tablature. However, some tablatures specify which notes should be played with each hand. In this case you will notice, at the left end of the tablature, an "R" ("right", right in English) for the notes to be played with the right and an "L" ("left", left in English) for those to be played with the right produce with your left hand. Here is an example:
R 5 | -a.-d.-f.------ | ---------------
R 4 | -a.-d.-f.------ | ---------------
L 3 | -------- c-D-e-f | G --------------
L 2 | --------------- | --f-e-d-c >>>>>>
O || 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4- & | 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4- &
According to this scheme, the notes of the fourth and fifth octave must be played with the right, while those of the second and third octave must be played with the left.
Be aware that the letter "O" at the left end of the bar mark below the tab is used only to fill a space and has no musical meaning
Advice
- When you are learning a song that requires the use of both hands, start learning the movements of one hand first. Usually, the more complicated parts of the song are played with the right hand.
- At first it plays slowly. As you remember tablature better, you can try to increase the speed.
- Learn to read a sheet music. It can give you a broader perspective on the piece. Piano tablature cannot match sheet music in quality.
