You Should Stop Using Guitar TAB

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0:00 Intro

0:00 Intro
1:10 Stop Using Guitar TAB
2:57 Learn All The Notes
4:54 Learn a New Style
6:46 Learn Your Triads
8:09 Record Yourself
9:38 Outro

[GabrielBergman]

Great video, Rhett! One thing, I personally would add, to this list. Is LEARN FULL SONGS. So many of us guitar players either always noodle on the instrument or just focus on soloing and sections of songs. But if you can play a full song top to bottom and build a repertoire of your favorite songs. You will see vast improvement! It doesn't have to a virtuoso songs, but learn songs by The Beatles for example! Your harmony and chords knowledge will be much better in the long run!

[howardknytych]

Hi Rhett, great video. First a bit of background: I'm 81, and I've been playing guitar since about age 19, which makes over 60 years. Yeah, really. Most of that time I'd been playing cowboy chords on my old acoustic. Along the way I learned some good things such as Travis picking or open tunings, which are good. But most of that time was also spent woodshedding, alone. Woodshedding is useful, but the "alone" part is not necessarily so good, particularly when I developed a fear of performing in front of people. Several years ago I finally went electric, starting with an Epiphone Les Paul model and a cheap SS amp. Later I gave that to my son and bought a PRS hollow body and a serious amp after I started playing rhythm in a local big band. I love big band jazz, from the time when I was a teenager playing trumpet in my HS jazz band. Playing rhythm in a group with other musicians has been extremely challenging, and it has expanded my abilities exponentially. It also informs several comments and suggestions I'd like to offer in response to your video: First, you didn't mention the importance of PLAYING WITH OTHER PEOPLE. Just the act of making yourself vulnerable to others who often are more accomplished, and communicating musically within the group is invaluable. Next, and this is related to your comment about limiting one's use of tab notation, LEARN TO SIGHT READ STANDARD MUSICAL NOTATION. This might not be universally important, depending upon the genre of music you're playing. But for a guitar player, as with any stringed instrument, sight reading is more difficult than with other instruments because you have several choices as to where to play any given note. Mastery will include knowing the fretboard well enough to develop a sense of how best to play a set of notes within the context of the piece you're playing. That's called "voicing". Perhaps you've heard the old joke: Q: How do you make a guitarist play softly? A: Put sheet music in front of him. That was me until I realized it was up to me finally to learn how to sight read on the guitar. It's a struggle, although I'm getting better at it. And I recently realized that the tab notation I'd been using was becoming a crutch that was getting in my way of playing with fluidity. Finally, your comments about learning new things out of your comfort zone is right on. Learning guitar is a journey, not a destination. Don't sweat the rocks in the path along the way.

[Sam-]

I’m 14 and I have been playing guitar half of my life. For years all I could do was chords but since I was 11 I’ve been obsessed with everything guitar. Your videos have helped me a lot with my improvement.

[andrewclarkeguitar]

Yes! Getting off of tabs and developing your ear will completely transform your trajectory on the instrument.

[billbiddy]

Thanks for the ideas, I think after 37 years of playing I’ve learnt to just be okay with where you’re at. Sometimes just hanging out playing songs you know isn’t a bad thing. Ive definitely returned to stuff I was trying to learn regularly after putting it away for a while and it seems way easier than it did when I put it away. It’s not a race it’s just your journey and getting your head space out the way also helps.

[pmaserati]

Great advice - I also recommend playing with a metronome. Pitches / tones are only 1/2 of the equation. Playing with good timing is so important, especially if you’re hoping to play along with other musicians!

[emilemarcotte]

I feel like it's been a while since we've seen this Novo guitar on the channel. I remember your story about it, and I'm glad you still enjoy playing it :)

[carterruff]

I love the advice in this video. I have a lot of all of that I could be doing more of.
One thing I picked up from an interview with Richard Thompson many years ago was to learn from musicians who play instruments other than your own. For example, if you're a guitarist, steal from a sax player. So much of the phrasing and melodic form of an instrument comes from its native mechanics, and you can break out of old habits and clichés more easily this way.
Keep the great videos coming, Rhett!

[madazz]

Practicing to a metronome, especially scales, technique etc. And learn horizontally and diagonally, not just vertically on the neck, they're both the fastest ways to create speed and accuracy as well a linking the whole thing together.
Once you see it, you can't un-see it, and you'll see it everywhere, chords, triads, scales, arpeggio's are all linked all over the neck, everywhere.

Make yourself 5 little 3 minute exercises each week and do those daily for 15 minutes to a metronome increasing the speed each day. You'll be amazed how quickly you progress.

[DannyDKNYC]

Everything I learn I tab out. I figure the stuff out by ear and then write it down. I also use tools to slow things down, loop phrases. I watch videos and listen to live recordings. But I started writing out tab because I’m only as good as my current handful of songs I’m working on. Because I take the time to figure out the all the nuances of a classic song, I always have my notes to refresh my memory or relearn the cut. I use tabs to practice not when I play. Am I less fluent and creative because of it? Sure. But it’s my way of figuring out the riddle of a song. I’d love to be a jamming kind of player that understands all the rules of music but I’m just not. But I developed my transcribing skills along the way and it keeps me centered when I practice.

[duardaoo]

I play guitar for almost 20 years, and just now I got to study musical theory, and I've gotta say, it blown my mind when I understood and when I am improvising. It's a complete new world!

[wagonet]

This point about using ear has been incredible for me. I've recently started doing this over random songs. It has opened up my mind to the entire instrument in a way ive never seen it. 🎉

[Blue_rd]

Thanks, Rhett. Great tips! I agree with all you said.
I started playing in about 1977, all by ear, the occasional magazine article and asking friends. I still play in covers bands and can learn a new song in a few minutes, solos can take longer especially if it’s Schenker or Gary Moore :)) I use YT vids or tabs just to find the annoying elusive chord (there’s always one) or riff that I need.
Learning something new also helps to develop your playing eg. stop using a pick, try finger style, slide, open tunings etc. I’ve been in open D on my reso for a few months and now when I go back to the electric I find I play with better tone and vibrato (and faster). I wish I had had the patience when I was younger, but there you go! Cheers ✌️

[JohnDoe-xris]

When I started really getting into guitar as a teenager...in the late 70's...I learned by ear, because that's all there was.

[mikefp]

Small short practice sessions are more effective than long practice sessions. Even when you stop practicing your brain keeps working on it in the background. Then when you come back, it’s easier to play what you were practicing before.

[JoeChecketts-bixs]

Thank you, Rhett. I appreciate you posting this and sharing your knowledge.

[lenniejosephful]

Maybe for some, but I enjoy reading notation and tabs. The art of taking written music and transforming to great music is very popular with my students too.

[tobiaslejnerborn]

Great video. Lots of advice in this video I haven't followed, BUT triads is something I have learned. Has given me the biggest improvement since it also has some great side effects: makes learning all notes on the fretboard easy, much easier to understand how chords and scales fit together, improved improvisation.

[loubydal]

Very useful tips ! At some point anyone of us guitar players can find to play repetitive and feel stuck. Any or all of the 5 methods you describe are great. Just find something new to learn is always rewarding. Thanks !

[davidkeller]

I started with reading music. I had already been playing piano, trumpet and French horn so learning to read on guitar was fairly easy. Made it easier to learn theory when trying to learn jazz. Still learned some things by ear.