Above is the type of tablature notation you see in most Native American flute books. This is a very old, traditional way of writing out a tune, and there is nothing wrong with this kind of notation. But this tablature style doesn't tell us much. It shows us where to put our fingers, but little else. There is no way to know what the rhythm of the tune might be other than some vague spacing of the images which may or may not be meaningful. Further, for those of us who want to write down a tune in tablature so we can recall and play it later, the above diagrams are clumsy to reproduce.

With the EarthFlute series of books we take a different approach as shown with the tablature illustration below.

At first glance this tablature might look a bit more intimidating. It's not. In fact, it's stupendously simple! Let's look at the features.

• The time signature fraction of 3/4 at the beginning tells us there are three beats per measure, (section).
• The colon that precedes it tells us to play to the next colon, (not shown since this a snapshot, not a complet tune), and then go back to the first colon and "repeat".
• Those squirrely little marks following the time signature are "rest" marks, meaning we don't play notes there but instead silently count there.
• The little vertical stems tell us each "rest", or each "note", has a time duration of one beat.
• The little horizontal bar that connects two stems means those notes each get half a beat.
• The little loops joining notes tells us we blow the first note once and then hold it through the next note.
• The funny little mark at the bottom of the last note tells us we cover that bottom hole only half way, which gives us a brand new note not otherwise accessible by completely closing or opening a hole.
• The little numbers at the begining of each measure gives me a convenient way of referring you to specific places in the tablature when I want to explain something.
• Those numbers (1, 2, or 3) in each note tell us which fingers go where.
• Each EarthFlute book fully explains all these features in easy to comprehend diagrams.

The traditional tablature works fine IF you know the melody of the tune beforehand. But if you want to learn something new, something you've never heard before, the improved tablature notation, TurboTABs, that we use in all the EarthFlute series of books, is the way to go. It augments traditional tablature notation with the incorporation of just a few elements of standard music notation. We have sold hundreds of of books in the EarthFlute series, and the most common complement we get from satisfied customers is how easy it is to follow the exceptionally clear tablature. Now, in case you're wondering what tune goes with the two tablature types I've shown you, wonder no more. It's the first line of Amazing Grace, the most beloved of Christian hymns. If you know this tune, the traditional tablature would work fine for you. If the tune isn't familiar, we'd be up a creek with this particular type of tablature. Not so with our improved tablature which shows you, along with the notes, the time duration of each note as well as how many beats per measure. And it does all this directly and seamlessly. If time is important to you, you want a notation that delivers at first glance. TurboTABs shows you exactly how to play the tune, whether the tune is familiar or not.

Is this newer tablature limited in any way? No. Not in any way. That's why we developed it. With it we can tab out traditional Native American tunes, pop tunes, the blues, folk tunes, music of any culture, classical tunes, children's play tunes, sacred tunes, tunes for meditation, tunes to play for your sweetie, etc., etc., etc.... In short, TurboTABs tablature will enable you to play some great tunes on any 6-hole Native American flute.

DICK CLAASSEN'S TEACHING BACKGROUND: Writing effective, easy to follow method books for folk instruments is no easy task. Many authors have attempted to make the simplest ideas clear. Some authors have succeeded, but many have not. Although it's not necessary for the user of the books in the EarthFlute series to know anything about music, the backbone of the teaching method is erected on a framework, (transparent to the user), adapted from the western tradition of music notation. Dick respects the Native American flute as an instrument with unlimited potential. With thousands of taught music lessons under his belt, along with hundreds of music students who have taken all those lessons from Dick, he early on taught whatever instrument the students were learning in a way that would make the most sense to them. Dick's approach to teaching any instrument is an intuitive one, not a formal one, and this is reflected in every music method book he writes. Just as he has tabbed out countless tunes for his 5-string banjo students who had no music background, he has tabbed out countless Native American flute tunes for all those students who have no formal backgrond in music, but want to play every imaginable tune on the flute. Dick brings solid music knowledge to the EarthFlute series of books, and any student with the desire to learn, regardless of whether s/he has a music background or not, can learn from these books. If there is a better Native American flute series out there, Dick is not aware of it. The many customer compliments Dick has received tells him he must be doing something right. :-)