Reading music sheets

[Ascended Mermaid]

This surprises me, actually. I'd thought that all the greats had sheet music. So when I practiced the keyboard without sheet music all this time, it was the normal thing to do?

The only thing that I'm really missing is the proper fingering (I hate this word, but it's good for musical jokes -- "breaking a G string while fingering a minor", when someone's actually talking about playing the guitar, for instance) of the keys. I don't aspire to be anything great, but it's sortof a hobby of mine and I'd like to play better. I also need to learn my chords.

[Justin]

There is no "normal" way to to play music. It doesn't matter how you play, its that you can. Find what makes you happy, and run with it. And you can tell the time signature, and speed with tab. It all depends on if the person places "note speed" at the top. All professional Tab books, have them, and they are really only the speed you place your metronome. Like previously mentioned though, if you know the song, it doesn't matter. Youtube has most of the stuff I have always wanted to learn.