I don't use tab for myself, but when I write some, it serves as a tool when teaching my students.

For instance, I was asked what I did on banjo in the ending of this piece of my own

(you're hearing my -now- fiddle teacher on fiddle)

Here's the tab I wrote:

Too bad you had to buy the paper.

I made my own with 4, 5 and 6 line staff bars (writing my tabs in the computer anyway).

But when I need some for quickly scribbling down an idea, I'd print some empty one on paper.

Nice work. I'm sure it's very helpful to your students. It's always a good thing to help people get to the point where they can enjoy playing music on their own and I admire anyone who does that.

Well I have put a few numbers on there...lol...as I've said before...not much time for it. We had a squirrel get killed this morning that we tried our best to help, all the while another squirrel watching us and coming around. Upset me really, really bad.

Ok well, back to the drama of life and music...lol...the deep depressive state I've found myself in and the only way I can cope might be music and so...last night I stayed up too late with my little guitar...finding time to figure out Scott Joplin. So...I was putting some numbers here and there on my tab paper...just not helpful for me...so then I realized mainly if I can find the chords to a tune, the notes are somewhere in those chords to be found...so I've worked out the chord progression, with bleary eyes and sleepy head...all but that third part of The Entertainer...there's some places where I can put a iv chord in but I know there's substitutions that fit better for some of that type of stuff...for some reason, I haven't found the right chord for those places in part 3. I just stuck with the iv chord there to keep going with a reasonable chord progression just to fumble my way through. I was getting some of the notes when I was jotting them down on the paper...some of them just started coming back to me from many years ago...so that's helpful. I think if I can get a few hours with my little happy Taylor guitar, I jmight just get the Scott Joplin back again. For some reason...it now seems like it would be a very helpful thing to play that...just coping with everything that I have no resources or knowledge of how to cope with...I think Scott Joplin is the magic potion I'm seeking...lol. Seriously...and I think I'm on the edge of success with finding it again.  Now all I need to do is figure out how to accomplish this and also get enough sleep...lol.  I did get really upset with the squirrel issue yesterday.  To me, our dearest neighbors have become the birds and squirrels...I know...they are good eatin'...yeah, yeah, yeah...I grew up eating fried squirrel with fried taters, everything Kentucky fried with a biscuit...and it was one of my favorite things...but now I love them like brothers.  So...it's horrible to see anything bad happen to them.  I will play Scott Joplin on the porch for the others once I learn it.  I'm sure they'll like it.  But they will always like the peanuts better...lol.

Peggy, I looked at the original sheet music for "The Entertainer," (which is in C) and about 2/3 of the way through it does modulate to F for a short section. The chords are pretty straighforward, with maybe a minor substituted for the relative major. If that's the part you mean, I can probably post the chords.

Thanks, Doug...yeah I know it does go to the IV chord for that whole section...I believe maybe all of Scott Joplin rags do that...I knew little bit and pieces of another one I liked really well and I think it did that same thing ... it's some of the chords inside of that 3rd section that I can't figure out...I know the IV chord has a substitute...2 minor...but it's something else...like something maybe diminished or some kinda chord like that. I don't really know.

I was thinking maybe to go ahead and write my little numbers on the tab lines and have it tabbed out my way of playin', which of course is always not quite right...lol...but doable. Then I thought I could share it with people...sometimes on YouTube they ask for tabs of what I play and of course I never have any...but then again, IF somebody ever did ask for tabs...and I have it...I don't know how I could share it anyway. But maybe for my own purposes...if I let another two decades to drift by without playing this one...I could remember it by the tab...so...like...in my mid-90s...lol...I could wobble over with my walker and pick up that guitar and put my binoculars on to try to decipher the tab notes...lol...maybe that ain't really such a good idea.

Uh, but yeah it's the chord progression going on in that 3rd part...not the key but the actual chord progression...there's a couple of spot I've got the wrong sound going on in there.

I wrote a jig and played it in a session. My friend said I should write it out and he would distribute it to the group. So I thought I would have to make a road trip to buy some music paper. But then I correctly guessed that I could go into google images and find a page of music lined paper. I printed a copy, and the rest, as they say, is rock and roll.

Peggy, here are the chords I find for the section of "The Entertainer" where it changes key. That was a pretty common device in that era. Its was often called the "Trio," and if its a song there's often a choral arrangement written out. This is from the original sheet music, which is in C, so you'll have to transpose. If you're playing in E that would be up a major third. Its written in 2/4, so two beats per measure (the bass is playing bass/chord, in eighth notes) A chord followed by a slash means the whole measure, otherwise each chord is one beat. After the key changes back to C there's a little section that leads into the last part. Here goes:

The Entertainer chords, trio section:

F/|Bb/|Dmin/|Gmin/|Gmin/|FDmin|E7/|AminC7|
F/|Bb/|Dmin/|Gmin/|Gmin/|FDb7|FC7|F/|| Repeat

Key change back to C:
FF#dim7|C/|D7G7|C/||

In the second measure of Gmin, both times through, the bass is G# for the second beat, and a G#dim chord (not dim7) might work.

Thanks, Doug. I just go by the interval number of the chords...so...iv dim, or whatever. So thanks, that should be very helpful to me if I can ever get back to it. It's really hard to get any time to do stuff I like to do anymore...but...thanks for the chord progressions there...that'll help!

Well, I read both sheet music and tab for guitar, so for sure I will be checking out your tab if you ever figure it out Peggy, because your version is quite lovely. :-). I don’t think I’ll be able to play as well as you …but will be fun to try.

No hurry, of course!!!!!

And sorry about the squirrel.
We had a couple of barred owls move in, and our squirrels pretty much disappeared. I like to think they are being careful/hiding and not all eaten…

Well if I ever do get the tab written out...which isn't looking like much of a possibility in this decade at the moment...lol...I mean, maybe I can get to that...anyway, anybody have any idea how I could share it? No web site. I could just put pictures of it on YouTube...or take pictures of the tab and stick it up here on FHO for guitar playin' fiddlers'...lol. Anyway, no progress at the moment.

We've had a lot of wildlife emergencies and unpleasant surprises here lately...like, every day a wild animal needing help seems to show up...we have few resources and we don't live close to any rescues...what rescues there are, kinda far away, are filled up to capacity. So...it's been tough. Then, everyday there seems to be a new thing in our house that is busted, suddenly...and we have to deal with that kinda stuff...like...everyday. So...just a lot going on besides the regular stuff that goes on. None of it conducive to playing music. Hopeful...but getting nowhere so far.

Well I managed to scribble out part one of Scott Joplin's The Entertainer...don't ask me how...lol...constant interruptions in everything I do. Not sure how accurate it is.

I use tab for banjo. I use both tab and notation for guitar. For fiddle, I use notation.
After using notation I eventually could look at the music and "hear" the music in my head. Not the whole tunes, just a measure or two. I am reading the music "ahead" of what I am playing. And like everything else, the more I do it, the better I get. I play 2 or 3 hours of fiddle music every evening.