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Dunno what next
Hey folks,
Just getting back to TAC after getting my guitar set up properly. Traded a Martin for a Taylor that has the bevel cut on the body which has helped tremendously with my strumming arm want to go numb. The hard edge on a traditional guitar was hitting a nerve point making playing literally a pain and then…not. Getting back into it I worked through the 30 day part and though I go back through it I wanted to try the 5 day. I feel the 5 day currently 9/25-9/30 (2023) is a huge leap. But I want to keep going on linear-esque forward movement. I am at a loss on how to move forward.
One thing I found is I am very good at watching then playing but reading and playing….nope, at least not yet. You can tab it, notate it or whatever my brain says no. I see it and the pattern comes in focus quick and I can imitate it fast. However thats imitation and not learning. Then the tinker side of my brain kicks in and wants to know how or why things “are”. A squirell that is the down fall of the last few times I’ve tried to learn. The playing part gets lost in the need to know to tie it together for me but the explanations all get thrown into a mobius ring of “wtf did I just watch that didn’t help at all”
If anyone has any helpful steps to take that may have had the same problems, I would be glad to hear what you did to break through it. Thanks!
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8 Replies
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Welcome back @Corncob18wheels , and I feel your pain. There are lots of YouTune videos on how to read tab, but here’s Tony’s lesson. I hope it helps. Just keep trying, because it opens up so many doors to understand it and play off tablature.
As for lessons, have you completed all the lessons on the How to section of the skills courses? Don’t overlook the stretching and next 6 chords lesson. They’re important, especially stretching, but they’re all important to understanding the basics of guitar and TAC. Then you can start on the daily challenges, and if you have time take any of the skill courses that interest you. This is your journey, develop it however you want. Have fun with it. The daily challenges are meant to be challenges. Take the starter course in the skills courses to learn the format for each day of the eeek and how they build upon each other.
GOOD LUCK AND HAVE SOME FUN!
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Found the skills courses…..will work through those. I forgot about the next 6 chords one also. Time signature one is where my brain gets into WTF did I just hear. To it (my brain) a 2/4 can be the same as a 4/4. I can feel a song a ride the rythm (not playing the guitar obviously) and not care timing signature is. I watched Tony’s video and obvious differences like a 4/4 versus say a waltz is in duh territory. I guess maybe there’s a correlation in bpm is where I should look to narrow it down?
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I would say to just stick with it, reading tabs will come. For me many of the daily challenges are challenging, so I just give it a good try and then move on. Over time I improve and they get less challenging. It’s a different learning style than I’m used to it but it seems to work.
As for the why, perhaps taking the Fretboard Wizard course would answer those questions for you. I’ve just started it and already some concepts are clicking into place that help me understand how everything ties together.
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Thanks will be sticking it out. It’s hit my fightin side this time to where I am determined to to try and make some progress. I just gotta decode my brain a bit better to figure out the pattern of mechanics vs “theory” foundation that my brain accepts and calms the squirrel that gets lock down with information paralysis.
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@Corncob18wheels I’m not sure why the link didn’t upload that I posted of the YouTube video of Tony explaining tablature and how to read it . I’m reattaching. If it doesn’t show up, just Google Tony Polecastro How to Read Tab, and the video link shows up.
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Thanks. Reading the tablature isn’t the problem. Seeing it and translating it into action is where my brain goes -no. I’ve known how to read tab so to speak, however turning the text into mechanical movement is what my brain misses in translation. I was the same way in my mechanical career. Most things I have to learn with the doing. Not the seeing. Luckily most of the tests there were given very shortly after the books were gone over for certifications. Where it sinks in is the doing. So say like reading a time signature doesn’t register, however seeing it strummed and knowing how a waltz-ish sounds my brain jumps in and nails it.
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Your advice is straight to the point and dead on. Thanks for the video on reading TAB. I know how to read TAB, but any reinforcement is terrific.
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@Corncob18wheels I feel ya! I’m the same way. I learn by doing, m
Not by being lectured to or necessarily by book. I need to physically do it, hear it, etc. I think that’s how the metronome helped me. But a funny story. I go to open mics, and the theme was songs in 3:4 or 6:8 time, and the majority of us were at a loss as to what that meant (which made me feel better). It was a great night of learning and practicing and playing.
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