Banjo tablature — to use or not to use? In this video, ArtistWorks’ resident banjo expert Tony Trischka weighs in on the topic. 

Some pickers swear by this form of notation, while it seems others wouldn’t be caught in the same room with it. But much like other beginner topics like banjo tuning and finger pick selection, comfort with tablature can be a helpful skill in your development as a banjo player.

So what does Tony think about the topic? His stance is to use moderation. 

Tony often uses tablature in his workshops as a way to get everyone on the same page. In fact, almost all of his ArtistWorks lessons are transcribed into tablature. He’s even known to use tab himself when learning a new song.

Tony does, however, warn against becoming a “tab junkie.” One such case was an old student of his who claimed to be able to play fifty tunes, but was unable to play any of them without tabs. While he recommends getting “off-book” and learning how to play tunes through memorization, Tony does think it is a good idea to have them handy as a memory aid.

In many banjo lessons, tablature can act as a cheat sheet for the types of rolls you’ll be playing throughout a song. For example, a forward roll goes diagonally upwards ( / ), and a backward roll goes diagonally downwards ( \ ). Being able to recognize what rolls are used in a song can be a helpful way to familiarize yourself with a tune before you even pick up your banjo.

Curious to learn how to play banjo? Try out some free banjo lessons and let ArtistWorks bluegrass legend Tony Trischka be your guide.