Hi @2Timothy4 Robert. Ok so as I mentioned earlier TAB is just a tool to help you learn to play banjo. My experience is those that describe TAB as being a crutch just don’t see the true value of TAB and just push negative vibes out to others by suggestion it’s bad.
So I am glad to hear you are new to the banjo and you are using the TEF Files to learn and practice. Using the TEF files is going to be key to helping you learn to play banjo.
Unless you are gifted like @BanjoBen or @Michael_Mark and can play tunes on the fly then you have a lot of study and practice ahead of you and the key to you making any significant progress is TAB.
TAB will help you learn the basic fundamentals, The Rolls, Pinches the Slides, Pull-offs Tag Licks etc. that will give you the foundational skills to go on and learn more complex elements later on.
It might help you to know that almost every banjo teacher out there uses TAB as an aid to teaching so if it was such a crutch - (this negative label it seems to have earn for it’s self) - then teachers just wouldn’t use it.
So how do we make best use of TAB to help us learn to play banjo @Mark_Rocka sets out how he uses it by learning one or two measures at a time. I agree with Mark although I tend to work with musical phrases which can run to four or five measures at a time.
TAB is like an apple pie, The thing that most beginners try to do is eat the whole pie in one sitting and it all becomes too much. Instead of cutting it up and learning little sections at a time.
In time and as you gain experience you can often learn a verse or chorus in one sitting. Which is what my goal is when I sit down to learn a new tune. But if it’s an advanced lesson I tend to tackle the tough bits first and if that means spending a day or two on two measures then I am just as happy to work on this. At times you’ll hear Ben say that was a tough one to learn so even Ben finds some tunes a challenge.
The other important factor in using TAB as an aid to learning is the ability to HEAR the TAB being played (and you cant do this from a PDF file or Printed Sheet) So to do this your going to need either TefView or TablEdit. As Mark mentioned earlier there is a feature in both these applications that allow you to loop a phrase to practice. Also a feature that lets you adjust the speed of the play back to your skill level.
If you are watching @BanjoBen Video’s (which I hope you are) you will see the TAB on the screen as he is describing licks, rolls and note duration. You will hear him mention sixteenth note hammer - ons and pull offs, or eighth note slides and chokes. and with the aid of TAB you can read this on the screen.
Once you know all the elements you need to play banjo with confidence you can begin to wean yourself off TAB . That is to say stop reading it and focus your attention on listening to it as you practice . When you are able to play along with the TAB and backing tracks you’ll begin to put away the TAB till the next time you need it and begin jamming with others.
Ben has created lessons on reading TAB and on TablEdit he has also put in a lot of hard work creating all his lessons with accompanying TAB, TEF and Mp3 files to help you learn and develop your playing skills. It seems only fitting that you put in at least half as much effort to using these tools before labeling TAB a crutch.
If you have any problems reading or understanding any TAB I am always here willing to help.