The Led Zeppelin: Easy Guitar Anthology from the Alfred Music Publishing Company is just about the perfect gift for the budding guitar player/ Led Zeppelin fan in your life. The Anthology contains words and music to 20 classic Zep tunes. Better than that however is the fact that besides being given in the traditional form, the songs are also broken down into the easily read diagrams called tablatures.
Standard sheet music consists of the notes of a song represented on the score - which one needs to know how to read for it to make any sense. The upside to this is that no matter what instrument you are playing - be it guitar, piano, sax, etc., the sheet music applies. All the player needs to do is transpose the notes to their particular instrument.
Guitar tablature features the notes written out in relation to their exact placement on the string and fret of the guitar. Rather than the five lines on a standard bar of music, with tablature we have six lines - one for each string. Tab also gives the chords that one is playing, which makes it even more convenient to pick the individual notes from. All the player has to do is memorize the positions, and get the rhythm down, and suddenly they are Jimmy Page.
For example, the famous opening strains of “Stairway To Heaven” are plucked to the A minor chord. This is established by placing the index finger over the first three strings on the fifth fret, and the ring finger on the fourth string, seventh fret. Once in position, the Tab diagram tells us to pluck strings four, three, two, and one in order, then switch to an E+/G# chord and continue in this fashion.
It actually sounds much more complicated than it is. When you are holding a guitar and being shown exactly where the notes are, it makes perfect sense. In fact, it is quite empowering to the new guitar player (especially) to be able to work out a classic Zeppelin melody in this way. People have varying success learning to play guitar - but nobody ever said it is a particularly easy instrument to learn. Being able to play something recognizable is a bit of a treat, and should translate into a desire for further study for anyone serious about learning to play.
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