What’s your opinion on this type of handwritten tab?

[Archeonn]

Personally, I have no problem paying for the work someone else has put in to create a tab.

It’s brilliant how much free stuff there is available online, but when did we start thinking we were somehow entitled to the fruits of other people’s labour free of charge? That’s one of the things that’s so good about Patreon IMO, you can contribute a few quid a month and get access to some amazing content. I say, go for it, Smitty!

I wouldn't call it being entitled to the fruits of other's labor for free. Youtube content creators get paid through ads and sponsors. The platform's payment system is already in place, it's not pay-per-view. If the video doesn't have what I want, then there are plenty of other videos that DO have it, for the same trade-off, which is viewing ads or buying things through their links. A guitar channel recently said they sold 18 million dollars of product with Sweetwater links.

I could also ask, why would a creator go on Youtube which is a free ad-supported platform, and then expect people to pay extra for tabs that they're withholding through Patreon? They're allowed to do that, just as anybody should be allowed to not view their channel when there are so many others available. A lot of the channels I sub to, do have their own paid lesson packages, but they also provide useful content in their Youtube videos without paying extra. I understand supporting a Patreon if it's a creator you really support and consistently get content from, but to get the tab for 1 song, definitely not for me. I will gladly pay for a tab book (and have done so many times) provided it has enough songs that I want to learn.

 

[TBB]

I wouldn't call it being entitled to the fruits of other's labor for free. Youtube content creators get paid through ads and sponsors. The platform's payment system is already in place, it's not pay-per-view. If the video doesn't have what I want, then there are plenty of other videos that DO have it, for the same trade-off, which is viewing ads or buying things through their links. A guitar channel recently said they sold 18 million dollars of product with Sweetwater links.

I could also ask, why would a creator go on Youtube which is a free ad-supported platform, and then expect people to pay extra for tabs that they're withholding through Patreon? They're allowed to do that, just as anybody should be allowed to not view their channel when there are so many others available. A lot of the channels I sub to, do have their own paid lesson packages, but they also provide useful content in their Youtube videos without paying extra. I understand supporting a Patreon if it's a creator you really support and consistently get content from, but to get the tab for 1 song, definitely not for me. I will gladly pay for a tab book (and have done so many times) provided it has enough songs that I want to learn.

Well it obviously depends on how many subscribers the people you’re watching on YouTube have. I’m not really talking about huge channels, but people like the OP, who I’m pretty sure will not be making a fortune from YouTube.

I could also ask, why would a creator go on Youtube which is a free ad-supported platform, and then expect people to pay extra for tabs that they're withholding through Patreon? They're allowed to do that, just as anybody should be allowed to not view their channel when there are so many others available.

As a viewer I “pay” YouTube by sitting through the ads. That’s how advertising supported content has always worked. If I then pay the content creator for tab, that’s a completely separate transaction. And obviously you’re “allowed” to view, or not view, whatever you like.

FWIW, the bit in my post about people expecting something for nothing wasn’t aimed directly at you, I put a gap between it and the section above in an attempt to separate the two points.

 

[Canada Jim]

My preference is for standard notation above the tab, but as others have pointed out it’s not really necessary as long as the timing is clearly marked. I’d have no problem with your handwritten tab @Uke with Smitty. And as TaoCat says, in Aaron Keim’s books all the tab is in a handwritten form.


Personally, I have no problem paying for the work someone else has put in to create a tab.

It’s brilliant how much free stuff there is available online, but when did we start thinking we were somehow entitled to the fruits of other people’s labour free of charge? That’s one of the things that’s so good about Patreon IMO, you can contribute a few quid a month and get access to some amazing content. I say, go for it, Smitty!

It's also amazing how much inaccuracy is posted online.

 

[TBB]

It's also amazing how much inaccuracy is posted online.

Yes, it’s a free-for-all!

 

[Kenn2018]

I do not like hand written TABS. However, If I really like a song, and want the TAB, I'll take whatever I can and then if I don't like the way it's presented, I'll redo it in my handwriting. But it's a PIA and I have to REALLY like the song. Of course, if it includes the full score with the TAB, I'm sunk.

I have tried hard to like Aaron Keim's Fingerstyle Ukulele and other books, but his wife's handwritten TABS drive me crazy. To me, her numbers are difficult to easily and quickly read. (Kind of like the difference between reading analog vs. digital information.) I find that when there are several shapes for the same number it slows down my recognition considerably. But then my eyes and brain are old. The text is a different matter.

It also irritates me when I see a TAB in an instruction book and the numbers are a in a regular thickness font instead of a Bold which makes them stand out from the lines of the staff (stave). [I'm lookin' at you KEV (Kevin Rones). Or his publisher.]

As far as someone on YouTube of FaceBook using a handwritten TAB as a handout or example on a video, if they are providing it free, then they are doing me favor by providing it, and I thank them and use what they post as best I can. If I'm paying to download something, then it should definitely be typeset from a program.

I know it can be a cost to buy a good app and put in the time and effort to learn it. But IMHO, if you are looking to make money from instructional videos and the materials, they should have good quality production values. Not look like you jotted them down in a notebook and made copies.

 

[Altrove]

I know it can be a cost to buy a good app and put in the time and effort to learn it. But IMHO, if you are looking to make money from instructional videos and the materials, they should have good quality production values. Not look like you jotted them down in a notebook and made copies.

Same, I'm honest to admit that I wouldn't buy a handwritten TAB. I don't even buy books with poorly edited TABS or TABS missing the score over it, and it's a pity because for sure the author put many effort for that work. Of course a bad work is a bad work and a good one is good no matter the way it is presented. But I think that if someone wants to earn money from tabbing and instructional videos should at least give them a more professional look. I'm sure that there are people that don't care if TABS are handwritten or not, but not everyone, and the rule of the market is to reach as many potential customers as possible.

 

[UkeStuff]

I'm teaching an easy chord melody class in a few months, and I use handwritten tab sheets. No one has ever complained. I probably should learn to use a program like MuseScore, but I'm kind of computer averse. Does MuseScore work well on a Mac?

MuseScore works with Mac or Windows.

If you have an iPad, Dorico or Notion are excellent options (particularly with one part).

As for the other issues, I prefer TAB with both TAB and traditional notation, as I read music and any ambiguity created by TAB is quickly eliminated with traditional notation.

Samantha Muir wrote a rather long and excellent article on her blog about teaching students without TAB (only traditional notation), but I still prefer and would teach with both—and make my resources that way.

 

[Uke with Smitty]

Thanks for all your comments and thoughts on this, everyone. As an update, I re-downloaded muse score and decided dang it, I’m going to suck it up and put in the time to learn how to notate out some songs. Here’s my first real “arrangement” on there. It’s a LOT more work than writing it out by hand, but it sure does look better

 

[Uke with Smitty]

I wouldn't call it being entitled to the fruits of other's labor for free. Youtube content creators get paid through ads and sponsors. The platform's payment system is already in place, it's not pay-per-view. If the video doesn't have what I want, then there are plenty of other videos that DO have it, for the same trade-off, which is viewing ads or buying things through their links. A guitar channel recently said they sold 18 million dollars of product with Sweetwater links.

I could also ask, why would a creator go on Youtube which is a free ad-supported platform, and then expect people to pay extra for tabs that they're withholding through Patreon? They're allowed to do that, just as anybody should be allowed to not view their channel when there are so many others available. A lot of the channels I sub to, do have their own paid lesson packages, but they also provide useful content in their Youtube videos without paying extra. I understand supporting a Patreon if it's a creator you really support and consistently get content from, but to get the tab for 1 song, definitely not for me. I will gladly pay for a tab book (and have done so many times) provided it has enough songs that I want to learn.

Just to throw this out there…the average YouTuber isn’t making a dime. Sure, there are a few people at the top who are making an insane amount, but just to give you an example, I have over 3,000 subscribers, have posted 113 videos throughout a timespan of 4 years, and have 185,643 views at the time of writing this. I haven’t made one cent from YouTube.

Back in the day it used to be that you could monetize your channel once you hit 1,000 subscribers. In the last few years the rules changed and you need 3,000 watch hours in a 365 day period and even after people monetize the ad revenue payout has completely tanked.

Now, the point of this is most definitely not boo hoo, poor me. The main reason I have a YT channel is because I enjoy it and it pushes me to improve my playing and teaching. But, when people instantly scoff that music creators charge for their arrangements/instructionals it always throws me off a bit. I guess because there are just SO many people doing it for free, it becomes expected. I’m considering doing a Patreon with the thought that I might make a few side bucks to compensate a tiny bit for the amount of hours I’ve put into the channel and instructionals through the years. For the amount of times I’ve explained things to new people on Reddit or wrote out a tab for free because people asked (and I’m also doing it with the pipe dream that I might create a little community of people around my stuff as well). It just always kind of surprises me when people are like, “You want me to pay for this material? It’s on YouTube so it should be free!” I might be wrong, but I assume that the overwhelming majority of YouTubers people learn uke from wouldn’t make a dime if it wasn’t for their Patreon, other courses/teaching materials they offer, or merch they might sell. Just my 2 cents as a small time hobby YT creator!

 

[UkeStuff]

I’ll add to Smitty’s YouTube post. I made around $360 from my channel last year (just over 6000 subscribers) but my main play along channel, with over 100K subscribers, is considered duplication and cannot earn revenue.

And if I sing any part of a song on my tutorials, the tune is immediately matched, and revenue sharing is REQUIRED for my tutorials.

You can make money off YouTube, but earning a living would be nearly impossible. And I am positive that no one in the ukulele community is earning a living direct from YouTube. They would need to be using Patreon and then doing other things to stay alive. And YouTube determines how much it pays you, and it feels as if that formula is constantly decreasing.

With 25K followers, Barry Maz may be bringing in four times the income I am, but even then I would be shocked if he is bringing in more than $3000 a year, which, of course, he puts right back into buying other instruments to review (and loses money selling them). It is NOT a lucrative world—particularly in ukulele. We don’t have any “Mr. Beast” or “Mark Rober” that I am aware of. But YouTube does provide streaming resources for free to its users…whereas that web storage would be expensive elsewhere.

I have “Buy Me a Coffee” because I couldn’t spend the time to continually churn out resources for patrons. Last year, mainly selling my chord melody collection and ukulele method to teachers, I also made about $360.

So…my ukulele income was less than $800 for hundreds of hours of work.

I worked two weeks at a fireworks store near the Fourth of July and made $1800…and that’s at $16 an hour.

If you do the YouTube route, you’re doing it for the love of the work—and not for any other reason.

 

[UkeStuff]

Thanks for all your comments and thoughts on this, everyone. As an update, I re-downloaded muse score and decided dang it, I’m going to suck it up and put in the time to learn how to notate out some songs. Here’s my first real “arrangement” on there. It’s a LOT more work than writing it out by hand, but it sure does look betterView attachment 169330

If I may make one suggestion: the traditional notation should go above the TAB. And you can always start a new document and copy and paste what you have if you can’t figure out how to switch.

I have also googled every question that I have with MuseScore (I mainly use Notion Mobile…also free) and the answers always pop up that way, immediately.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Uke with Smitty]

I’ll add to Smitty’s YouTube post. I made around $360 from my channel last year (just over 6000 subscribers) but my main play along channel, with over 100K subscribers, is considered duplication and cannot earn revenue.

And if I sing any part of a song on my tutorials, the tune is immediately matched, and revenue sharing is REQUIRED for my tutorials.

You can make money off YouTube, but earning a living would be nearly impossible. And I am positive that no one in the ukulele community is earning a living direct from YouTube. They would need to be using Patreon and then doing other things to stay alive. And YouTube determines how much it pays you, and it feels as if that formula is constantly decreasing.

With 25K followers, Barry Maz may be bringing in four times the income I am, but even then I would be shocked if he is bringing in more than $3000 a year, which, of course, he puts right back into buying other instruments to review (and loses money selling them). It is NOT a lucrative world—particularly in ukulele. We don’t have any “Mr. Beast” or “Mark Rober” that I am aware of. But YouTube does provide streaming resources for free to its users…whereas that web storage would be expensive elsewhere.

I have “Buy Me a Coffee” because I couldn’t spend the time to continually churn out resources for patrons. Last year, mainly selling my chord melody collection and ukulele method to teachers, I also made about $360.

So…my ukulele income was less than $800 for hundreds of hours of work.

I worked two weeks at a fireworks store near the Fourth of July and made $1800…and that’s at $16 an hour.

If you do the YouTube route, you’re doing it for the love of the work—and not for any other reason.

If I may make one suggestion: the traditional notation should go above the TAB. And you can always start a new document and copy and paste what you have if you can’t figure out how to switch.

I have also googled every question that I have with MuseScore (I mainly use Notion Mobile…also free) and the answers always pop up that way, immediately.

Keep up the good work!

Appreciate the responses on both of these! There’s a lot I could say, and I don’t know where to start. But your example of a channel with over $100,000 subscribers that can’t make any money excellently illustrates the point that the average YouTuber certainly ain’t rolling in money!

And good catch on the tab being under the notation in my little arrangement. I guess because my emphasis is always on the tab, I subconsciously flipped them bc I never teach people in standard notation.

 

[keenonuke]

Like others handwritten is definitely OK. For me, I also appreciate the actual notes. But perhaps that a conversation for another day.

 

[yolandamusic]

Great conversation and shows the variety of preferences we all have. I guess it depends on how you have learnt music and what looks and feels right to you personally. If a person can handwrite the tab neatly enough, that's great.
I learnt piano as a child, so I'm used to notation to get the rhythm right. I prefer just the tab numbers underneath the notation for ukulele music.
Attached is an example of the kind of music I write on Sibelius. I started with Note flight, a free programme, but then when I decided to self-publish my book of ukulele instrumentals, I was advised that I needed to use the professional programme Sibelius. Luckily, I found a great tutor who also edited the book for me. So grateful to her. My site gives more info if you are interested. www.yolandamusic.net
Keep up the ukulele playing everyone, it's such a joy.

 

[Daiseman]

Hey everyone, I’m curious if people are fine with handwritten tabs or it seems unprofessional/sloppy. I’ve had free instructionals and tabs on YouTube for a while now but am really mulling over doing a Patreon again. Back when I did it for a bit a couple years ago the thing that drove me nuts and ultimately made me stop was trying to make tabs on the computer. I tried several different programs, but just writing them out on a printed sheet of paper is so much easier for me and saves a lot of time that I can put into making videos, figuring out new songs, etc. I find inputting them into musescore or whatever other program to be so tedious and unenjoyable and I have no delusions of making a bunch of money; the biggest reason I have a YT channel and teach things is I find it fun.

So here’s the question: would it turn you off from learning from an instructor if their “arrangements” were simple handwritten tabs like what I’ve shown here and the majority of instruction went into teaching how to play the song (and ways to improvise over it by ear)? I’ve never been a classically trained, huge sheet music reader. I can but the vast majority of what I do is by ear. If I’m trying to teach that to others, are nice looking digital pdf arrangements still necessary?

Edit: I forgot to mention that a big focus of what I end up teaching is usually old time, folk, bluegrass, Americana style music and much of that is taught through the aural tradition. It’s how I learned growing u around my mom playing music as a kid, so it’s what I automatically do- emphasize listening, playing along, and using a tab as a starting point but internalizing the song to make it your own as soon as possible.

It looks good and neat, so I would use it. I'm sure if I dig around, I still have notebooks somewhere with my first notes, where a friend taught me, and they looked much worse but got the job done, lol