The most noticeable difference between sheet music and tabs is the way they are written. Traditional sheet music is written using lines and spaces referred to as a clef. Music for the guitar is written in the treble clef. There five lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents one particular note. Tabs are written with six lines that correspond to the six strings and fretboard of the guitar.
As mentioned above, the lines and spaces in sheet music represent individual notes. The lines, starting from the bottom, represent the notes E-G-B-D-F. The four spaces represent the notes F-A-C-E. Tabs represent the individual notes by indicating exactly where the note is played on the guitar fretboard. For example, the number "5" written on the fourth line tells you to play the fifth fret of the fourth string. A musical phrase written in traditional sheet music could be played at various locations on the fretboard. The musical symbol for "C," the second space, could be played at the first fret of the second string, the fifth fret of the third string or the 10th fret of the fourth string.
Sheet music has three advantages over tabs. First, it provides a deeper understanding of the intricacies of music and harmony. It is possible to learn music proficiently without actually knowing the names of the chords and notes you are playing. You simply know where your fingers go on the fretboard. Secondly, once you learn to read sheet music, your music-reading ability is applicable to any musical instrument. Tabs are limited to the particular instrument, such as guitar, bass guitar, mandolin and so forth. Thirdly, tabs are unable to represent meter and time as accurately as sheet music.
Tabs are more accessible to the beginner guitar player because they show exactly where the fingers go on the fretboard. Tabs are also a great tool for intermediate and advanced guitarists because they make it easy to learn guitar solos note-for-note. In addition to showing which frets to play, tabs use a number of other symbols that indicate guitar techniques such as the whammy bar, hammer on and pull offs, harmonics, bending notes and so forth.