Tablature (or tabulature, or tab for short) is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering or the location of the played notes rather than musical pitches. Tablature is common for fretted stringed instruments such as the guitar, lute or vihuela, as well as many free reed aerophones such as the harmonica. Tablature was common during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, and is commonly used today in notating many forms of music. Three types of organ tablature were used in Europe: German, Spanish and Italian.To distinguish standard musical notation from tablature, the former is usually called "staff notation" or just "notation". Etymology The word tablature originates from the Latin word tabulatura. Tabula is a table or slate, in Latin. To tabulate something means to put it into a table or chart. Origin The first known occurrence in Europe is around 1300, and was first used for notating music for the organ. Concepts While standard notation represents...