At 7:43 PM +0000 03/12/10, Stewart McCoy wrote: >Matanya Ophee has argued that reading from tablature is like playing >by rote. I wouldn't quite put it that way, because playing from >staff notation can be much the same, if you are on auto-pilot. What >I think he means (please correct me if I'm wrong, Matanya) is that >it is easier to see and understand musical things like harmony and >counterpoint when reading from staff notation. I would agree with >that, but I would also say that it is often easier to see technical >things like chord shapes and finger patterns when reading from >tablature. Both systems have their strengths.
I agree with everything you say. I have been learning the Baroque lute recently. The different tuning does interesting things to my brain. Memorization and learning issues are dealt with in different ways than with Ren lute. I'm hoping not to depend too much on muscle memory. I have to use my ear more. Whereas on a more familiar instrument there is a near instant correlation between sight and sound, on B lute, I often have to stop and hear what chord I'm playing and what it's function is and check the tab and check what the notes are. This is a necessary part of learning a piece. In a complacent way, with notation or tab on Ren lute, I am often suckered into just reading and not thinking enough. cheers, -- Ed Durbrow Saitama, Japan http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ --
