Learning how to read and write tablature has forever changed the way guitarists notate their music thanks to Guitar Pro.
I think of it like the missing link between standard notation and playing them on guitar.
Because what standard notation usually NOT does, is telling the guitarist:
WHERE TO PLAY ANY NOTE ON THE FRETBOARD
On guitar you almost always have several options where to play any note on the fretboard.
Unlike piano or any woodwind and brass instruments.
That means guitarists now have a way to notate music for guitar that can tell the reader directly where to play something.
On one hand this makes things easier, on the other hand it brings with it a higher demand on your own transcribing skills because simply finding the right pitch does not cut it anymore.
The writer has to find the right fingering that makes his notation the easiest to read.
If he does not do that, it is the job of the reader to find the most efficient fingering.
For a rookie that is not an easy thing to get over.
It also encourages less experienced players to think about their own fingering of notes and if what they read in a tablature file is the best way to play the song.
I have had many cases where I had to adjust the fingering and fretboard positions to make it fit better to my style.
In tablature software like Guitar Pro 8*, this is pretty easy to do.
You have a function for probably everything that you can think of.
For example moving one note from one string to the next without changing the pitch.
What helped me most in understanding rhythm is how Guitar Pro colours bars that are uneven in red.
You really have to do the math now and count all your 8th note triplets and dotted quarter notes and make them line up together.
If you understand how keys are built and what all the sharps (#) and flats (b) mean, you can even see in the standard notation line when you are writing notes that are out of key because they will appear with a sharp or flat symbol (usually sharp symbol) in the standard notation.
Once you figured out how to show TWO guitar tracks (or more) at the same time, writing two guitars becomes super simple from the technical perspective at least.
You see which notes align and when they could create undesired dissonance because you haven’t paid attention at some point.
I personally use Guitar Pro for 4 main things:
Transcribing songs
Learning songs that other people transcribed
Writing music
Teaching
After more than a decade of experience with this program I can say:
This is one of the best investments one can make for his musicianship.
