Guitar: tabs or learn to read music?

United States
November 20, 2006 7:32pm CST
I've been taking guitar lessons for a year now and have learned only to read tab. Would I be better off learning to read music? BTW, I'm lazy by nature.
2 people like this
3 responses
@xphile777 (427)
• United States
22 Feb 07
I'd advise learning to read music, because tabs will only help you with the guitar, but reading music will help you if you ever want to learn any other instrument. When I was a kid, I absolutely hated learning piano and learning to read music, but my mother said I'd be thankful one day that I did, and she was right. Knowing how to read music made learning the guitar and other instruments I play a lot easier than if I'd gone in not knowing how. ironically, I have trouble reading tabs. :P
@VKXY62 (1605)
• Australia
7 Mar 07
Hi, well, not being able to read music myself, and always wanting to be able to, I think that if you start off with tabs to learn a few tunes and get them into memory and then get into learning to read music. I play an instrument quite well, but it is one of those that I don't think reading music has ever come into the calculation, but I may be very wrong in this day and age, the didgeridoo. Simple enough, the only real trick is learning how to breath in and out at the same time, but I learned that before I was ten years old, circular breathing.
• United States
28 Feb 07
I really know nothing about this subject, except that I failed at learning to read music. I can get a general idea of where the tune is going, but who couldn't? Also, what about the weird stuff they write for drums, is that tablature? Mostly I just wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation. Carry on.