Color Coding on the Guitar
Looking at six monochromatic strings on a similarly colored fretboard can be visually confusing. Just like using a colored paper or highlighter can make words easier to read, adding color for each fret can make the strings easier to see and the frets easier to find. Vinyl strips come in lots of different colors and don't damage the guitar neck if you eventually decide to remove them.
This curriculum uses colors associated with fret, not pitch. This can be used to reinforce fingers, or assist with reading tab. Colors can even replace numbers in tab altogether, further eliminating the need for decoding symbols or relying on working memory.
To further support literacy with adapted notation, Color Adapted Tab combines the colored fret system with a unique system aimed at supporting learnings who find standard notation systems a barrier to playing.
Find a specific outline of what colors I use for each fret here.
The Color Adapted Tab (CAT) Font
Color Adapted Tab (CAT) font was created by Sarah Fard to offer another form of music literacy for developing guitarists. For users of Finale, the CAT font is available for download so that educators can create their own handouts to use in the classroom. The CAT font was made with the help of plug in developer CJ Garcia. If you think having the font might be helpful for you, please reach out using the form below!