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Do you have to learn to read music to learn to play the guitar? Can you just learn using tabs instead of reading music?
How to learn to play guitar?
- Thread starter Grassshoppa
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You could try to learn songs note for note from tabs, but I'd just start by trying to learn 6-10 chords well and build from there. It will serve you better for transferring the knowledge between songs.
You don't really need to know how to read sheet music to get by, just which chords are used in certain songs. Then you'll probably recognize the same chords in all sorts of songs and realize that if you can play rhythm for one song you know, that those chords also work for another 10 songs you know.
You don't really need to know how to read sheet music to get by, just which chords are used in certain songs. Then you'll probably recognize the same chords in all sorts of songs and realize that if you can play rhythm for one song you know, that those chords also work for another 10 songs you know.
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Depends what you want to do. Best way to get better at jamming or playing at campfires or whatever is to play with and learn from other people.
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I taught myself through tabs. Worked for me.
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You don't have to read music. Get a Mel Bay beginning guitar book. It's all in tablature which is intuitive to read. After that, you can find resources for just about anything hint you want to do on the guitar on the internet.
Learn basic chords in C major, then
Minor scales, then
Major scales, then
Modes of major scales.
Donthat, and you should be able to handle his about anything on the guitar.
Learn basic chords in C major, then
Minor scales, then
Major scales, then
Modes of major scales.
Donthat, and you should be able to handle his about anything on the guitar.
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Lmao most wannabe guitarists don't know jack shit about classical sheet music.
They can barely read tabs.
They can barely read tabs.
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Get the game Rocksmith. I improved more in a year of playing that than a decade of playing previously, including lessons. Plus it's fun as fuck.
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repetition is the key. Also, learn D-G-Bm-A and its many iterations. You can play half the songs created by man.
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Horse with no name SON
Seriously though I'm trying to learn as well. I tried Yousician free for a month and it's really good to help learning but expensive so I didn't subscribe. There are plenty of YouTube videos that help as well as finding chords for songs (I use the Tabs app). I keep getting stuck on barre chords though. A capo helped me play some songs I like, like Jolene by Dolly Parton.
My brother plays a mean blues guitar so I ask him for help too.
Seriously though I'm trying to learn as well. I tried Yousician free for a month and it's really good to help learning but expensive so I didn't subscribe. There are plenty of YouTube videos that help as well as finding chords for songs (I use the Tabs app). I keep getting stuck on barre chords though. A capo helped me play some songs I like, like Jolene by Dolly Parton.
My brother plays a mean blues guitar so I ask him for help too.
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Barred chords have to be practiced a ton at first. You actually have to condition your hands to be able to do them. Just keep practicing though, and before you know it, they'll be second nature.
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Learn chords and scales. After you have a few fundamentals in the pocket, learn techniques like hammering-on, pulling off, bending, and sliding, and mix them into what you already know, so you can be creative and jam on the fly.
Learning songs helped me a lot. I'd choose a difficult song, and push forward at it, until I went from sucking ass to playing it along with the track. It stimulates your own creativity, too, as you can transfer chord progressions, licks, and patterns to your own freestyle.
Sheet music and advanced theory aren't necessary, but they certainly don't hurt to know about. You also don't need a really expensive guitar, just one that is set up properly, with clean frets, comfortable action, and well-maintained hardware.
The best advice I can give you, is to not give up, once you've started. At first, it's difficult to stay motivated, because your fingers hurt, you can't play barre chords cleanly, and you have no dexterity or muscle-memory in your fingers to play quickly. Don't get frustrated, you'll get there.
Learning songs helped me a lot. I'd choose a difficult song, and push forward at it, until I went from sucking ass to playing it along with the track. It stimulates your own creativity, too, as you can transfer chord progressions, licks, and patterns to your own freestyle.
Sheet music and advanced theory aren't necessary, but they certainly don't hurt to know about. You also don't need a really expensive guitar, just one that is set up properly, with clean frets, comfortable action, and well-maintained hardware.
The best advice I can give you, is to not give up, once you've started. At first, it's difficult to stay motivated, because your fingers hurt, you can't play barre chords cleanly, and you have no dexterity or muscle-memory in your fingers to play quickly. Don't get frustrated, you'll get there.
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You'll definitely need a guitar.
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You gotta go to Rosedale, Mississippi, at the intersection of Highways 1 and 8 at the stroke of midnight on a full moon...youll meet a man there
