Sheet music and tablature: what's the difference?

Music is a universal language used to express feelings, tell stories and share experiences. However, just as there are many spoken languages, there are also different ways of writing and reading music. Two such writing systems are sheet music and tablature. So, what's the difference between the two?

On the whole, while sheet music and tablature both serve to convey musical instructions, they do so in very different ways and are used in different contexts. Understanding these differences can help you choose the method that suits you best for learning and playing music. So, score or tablature? Follow the guide!

What is a score?

A score is a more traditional visual representation of music that uses musical symbols to indicate the rythm, melody, harmony and structure of a composition. This is the system most commonly used for classical music, jazz and many other musical genres. Sheet music is a form of musical writing that tells the musician which notes to play and when. They consist of five horizontal lines called a 🎼 staff, on which the notes are placed to indicate their pitch (the specific tonality ). The horizontal position of the notes indicates when they should be played. Higher notes on the staff indicate higher notes, and vice versa for lower notes. This is essentially the "blueprint" that musicians use to perform a piece of music.

In paper or digital format, the score contains written instructions on how to play a musical composition:

the notes to be played,
note duration,
the rythm,
the tempo
and sometimes indications of dynamics (volume) and expression.

Sheet music is used in many types of music. They are generally instrument-specific. A piano score, for example, may not be playable by certain instruments. You should therefore check beforehand that the score is suitable for your musical instrument. Sheet music enables the performer to execute the music indicated. They are more detailed, but offer less technical freedom than tablatures.

🎹 Worth knowing: For polyphonic instruments (those that can play several notes at the same time, such as the piano), the score is often written on two staves at the same time, one for the right hand and one for the left. For orchestras, a score can be much more complex, as it must indicate what each instrument or section of instruments is to play.

Newzik helps you read and manage your scores online with its interactive score reader ! Bring your scores to life and find them on all your devices. Annotate, share, play and progress with Newzik! 🔥 Let's play!

What is tablature?

Tablatures, also known as "tabs", are a system of notation specific to certain instruments, notably stringed instruments such as the guitar or bass. Rather than indicating the notes to be played, tablatures indicate where to place the fingers on the instrument to produce the desired sound. It's a simpler, more intuitive system for beginners, but it's less precise and less universal than sheet music.

In guitar tablature, for example, the instrument's six strings are represented by six horizontal lines. The top line corresponds to the highest string (E), and the bottom line to the lowest string (E). The numbers written on these lines indicate the fret on the neck where to press to play the note.

Here is a simple example of guitar tablature:

e|-----------------| <- La plus aigüe (mi)

B|-----------------|

G|-----------------|

D|-----2-----1-----|

A|-----2-----2-----|

E|-----0-----0-----| <- La plus grave (mi)

Sometimes additional symbols may be used in tablature to indicate special techniques such as :

slide (glissando),
bend (note that goes up or down in tonality without changing squares),
hammer-on (rapid transition from one note to a higher-pitched one by striking the string),
pull-off (reverse of hammer-on).

However, tablatures have limitations. They do not provide precise information on rythm or tempo, note duration, or articulation (how notes should be played, such as staccato or legato), information that is normally provided by a traditional score. Consequently, for more complex pieces, it may be necessary to have both a tablature and a score.

The difference between sheet music and tablature, what you need to know :

Sheet music and tablature are two notation systems used to represent music, but they differ in their approach and the information they provide. Here are the main differences between sheet music and tablature:

Rating

Sheet music	Tablatures
Use of a traditional music notation (notes, keys, accidentals, rhythms, durations, dynamics, etc.). Scores provide information on melody, harmony, rythm and musical structure.	Use of graphic symbols to represent finger positions on the instrument. Tablatures indicate the strings to be played, and the squares to be plucked or scratched. They do not provide information on note duration or rythm.

Instruments

Sheet music	Tablatures
Scores are adapted to the specificities of each instrument. They can record music for a wide variety of instruments (piano, guitar, violin, flute...).	Tablatures are mainly used for stringed instruments (guitar, bass, ukulele, etc.). They are designed to represent the positions of the fingers on the strings of these instruments.

Reading

Sheet music	Tablatures
They require knowledge of notation and music theory (reading and understanding notes, rhythms, keys, etc.).	Tablatures are more accessible to beginners. Symbols directly indicate finger positions on the instrument.

Further information

Sheet music	Tablatures
Scores can include additional information such as song lyrics , tempo indications, expression marks, tonality changes, etc.	Tablatures focus on finger positions. They generally contain no additional information.

💡 Please note: sheet music and tablature are often used together when learning music. Tablatures can be a handy tool for beginners who want to quickly play tunes on stringed instruments, while sheet music offers a deeper understanding of music and is used in more advanced contexts such as composition or orchestration, for example.

How can you tell the difference between sheet music and tablature?