He received his musical education from Malcolm McKelvey at Christ's Hospital in Horsham, Sussex and at St Peter's College, Oxford.

[1] He later became the city organist and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of Glenalmond College in Perth, Scotland.

Tambling died in Somerset in 2015 and was survived by his wife and two sons, both of whom are professional musicians.

Tambling established himself as a composer and arranger of choral and organ works especially, well beyond the borders of his country.

Tambling published books for students of various instruments, including a hugely successful 4 four-volume series, The Church Organist: A New Method, which, combining technical studies, improvisation, hymn-playing and a broad purview of repertoire, offers an approachable method to mastering the organ and has been lauded as a must-have for any aspiring organist.