How exactly do you consider something "vocal tab"? Which fret and string on my vocal chords do I use do sing the harmony part to Truckin? 
I agree with the sentiment behind your post though, that music notation has existed and evolved for centuries. I believe there even was Lute tab back when Lutes were everywhere... they used to be as popular as guitars today and so they developed their own lute-specific notation just like we have for guitars today.
My main problem with tab as we currently use it is that it contains barely even a rudimentary approximation of time, and time means everything in music. The example above does contain a time component, even if none of us here are quite sure how to read it, there are clearly bar lines and things that appear to be whole, half and quarter notes, and even some dotted halves and whole notes.
I think the main reason we've dumbed down our notation is that we have wide access to recordings now so we can learn partially by ear and partially by written guidelines. Any musical learning that includes the player's ear can't be all bad... so I guess that's why I'm ambivalent about tab.
I agree with the sentiment behind your post though, that music notation has existed and evolved for centuries. I believe there even was Lute tab back when Lutes were everywhere... they used to be as popular as guitars today and so they developed their own lute-specific notation just like we have for guitars today.
My main problem with tab as we currently use it is that it contains barely even a rudimentary approximation of time, and time means everything in music. The example above does contain a time component, even if none of us here are quite sure how to read it, there are clearly bar lines and things that appear to be whole, half and quarter notes, and even some dotted halves and whole notes.
I think the main reason we've dumbed down our notation is that we have wide access to recordings now so we can learn partially by ear and partially by written guidelines. Any musical learning that includes the player's ear can't be all bad... so I guess that's why I'm ambivalent about tab.
