What AreNuTabs?

Nu-tabs is an improved way to notate guitar and bass music. It is basically a "play by numbers" system where numbers are indicated on a fretboard graphic and the order in which they are to be played is shown beneath it.

The diagram shows you where "Where" and the order tells you "When". This is a huge improvement over the non graphical, "numbers on a line" approach of standard guitar tab.

With Nu-tabs you actually see a shape or pattern emerge on the neck. Seeing in shapes and patterns helps you to get the material on the fingerboard quicker, and cements it in memory better than either standard musical notation or standard guitar tab.

Another advantage is how compact Nu-tabs are. Most songs can be notated on a few lines to a full page. This might take 5 or 6 pages in standard tab.

Any specialty performance techniques (Like bends, hammer-ons etc.) are shown as symbols that are quickly understood. You probably know most of them already if you’ve worked with standard guitar tab or regular music notation. Even if you haven’t, they are very "common sense."

There are no specific rhythm notations (just occasional graphics) like you would find in other standard notations. The reason for this is simple. This drives you back to the original recording. There is so much about a performance that is not notate-able, so following along with Nu-tabs is like taking an open book quiz. In a way, you are copying the song by ear, except that you already have the "answers" in front of you. This will develop your ears in a way that would never happen if you were reading tab or manuscript.

Check out this brief tutorial video

Here is the Symbols page from Volume 13 - Bass Edition