GUIDE TO TABS AND SHEET MUSIC
Tab tells you where. Notation tells you what is happening musically.
A good harmonica transcription should make the instrument easy to access without hiding rhythm, duration and musical function. That is why the RG system uses hole-and-air-direction tablature together with standard notation when the material benefits from it.
What a harmonica tab should tell you
It should tell you which hole to use and whether to blow or draw. When bends, overbends or special articulations appear, it should also identify the technique. But tab alone often does not describe duration, accent and form precisely enough.
Why add standard notation?
The staff shows pitch, rhythm, duration and articulation in a shared musical language. You do not need to become a sight-reader before it is useful. You can gradually learn to recognize on the page what you have already heard and played.
The most useful order: listen → play → recognize → read
Listen to the material first. Play it with the help of the tab. Recognize the rhythm, form and arrival points. Then use the score to see graphically what you already understand musically.
A transcription should not become a crutch
Once you have learned a phrase, close the page. Sing it. Play it without looking. Transpose it if possible. Change the ending or the rhythm. The move from “reproducing” to “owning” the phrase happens when it no longer depends on the sheet.
Rights and repertoire
Complete transcriptions must respect the rights attached to the repertoire. RG 2027 distinguishes between original material, public-domain works, authorized repertoire and works that require a license. When a complete transcription cannot be offered legally, the same musical ideas can be taught with original material.