Tabs - Very important if you want to learn a song quickly. Good for building up chops.

Playing by ear - Extremely important if you want to become a better guitar player, learn songs you can't find tabs for and play songs on the fly with other musicians.

Theory - Very import to understand, especially when you're writing your own songs. I know Hendrix/SRV weren't big on it, but it really helps and it's not in any way detrimental to your playing. Once you understand the basics it'll open up a whole new world to you. And it's not brain surgery either, but people tend to complicate it and think up all these way-too-hard methods for learning it. Jazz guys and classical guys have a whole language to describe things which are actually very simple concepts. I'd recommend you read a book called Chop Shop by Matt Smith. I've taken lessons from Matt and he makes things that I thought were extremely hard very simple. He was self taught himself, so he knows how to explain things in a way anyone can understand.

Sight Reading (as in reading real music) - I just started working on this myself. I played flute for three years in Jr. High as well as drums more recently so in theory I've known how to read music for a while. But I've never been able to apply it to guitar. I'm making an effort now to change that. I want to actually be able to make a living playing guitar and I figure the best way to do that is to learn as much as I possibly can to be as versatile as I possibly can. And there are gigs that you will be able to get if you can read music that you absolutely won't have a chance at if you can't. So far it's done nothing to improve my actual skills on guitar, and I still think the best way to do that would learning songs, knowing some theory and writing songs. Sight reading is a whole different skill set. But it hasn't hurt my ability to play either, so far I haven't burst into flames playing a Hendrix song because of it. I think it will help when the time comes for college or if I'm hired for a jazz gig or something, but as far as actually playing the guitar goes it hasn't made much of a difference.

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

The more you know the better! but if you're looking to get to a decent level on the minmum then learning tablature and the symbols is probably all you will need

I think!

_________________


A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski~

can you get to be decent on the guitar with minimum work?
im not so sure. besides i dont want to be know as
"eh, yeah hes decent i guess".

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Noooo that wasnt what I meant. Sorry I'll be more specific
I meant that If you want to go far with minimum study of music generally then Tablature and its signs should suffice But I definately think the more you know the better! Im going to learn sight reading when Im comfortably capable on guitar

It'll never be easy to learn guitar and you SHOULD ALWAYS give it 100% if you ever want to get anywhere with it.

_________________


A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski~

ok 92 i see where you were going. for a minute there i was
lost and confused lol.

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I learned how to play the guitar the old fashioned way. My uncle showed me some chords and then from there I just started playing. I understand tabs, but don't use them. I have no idea of how to read music. And as far as theory goes, that's kind of something I feel is different for each player.
After playing for 18 years so far (And I'm only 26 btw) I wouldn't change a thing. Not having all the guidelines and technicalities pounded into my head, I feel has made the musician I am today. I didn't follow what somebody else said would work, I just play what I feel.

_________________
Check out my new FB music page!

https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilandMe.Music

tim

ican agree with what you have said on this as i did the same.
thing is, i also agree with txguitarslinger, its a totally different language.
sure you can go to another country and get by just fine in most situations, but if you know the language you would probably have a better time and not miss out on as much.

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Tim I learnt much the same way you did. I can read tab, I can read music, though I still cant sightread at the speed I want. I understand theory pretty well.
I'd have learnt non of that if I didn't first learn to recognise what sounds good and what doesn't.

Theory for a modern guitarist is not so important. You don't need to know 7 modes and the correct application of melodic minor instead of harmonic minor. What you do need to know is chord structure for when your playing with mates and see a oddball chord come up on the chord sheet.

As Riley said, you listen to music. How something sounds is of paramount importance. Every thing else is secondary. The world is full of bad composition by people that understand theory but don't hear or think about music properly.
The kind of music you purposely can't enjoy.

_________________
No no and no

A very good point. Theory, sight reading and everything is pointless if you can't hear what works and what doesn't. But the more you play, the better your ears will get.

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

I usually play by ear...and it hurts!
Really,if you don't know some theory playing by ear will hurt you because it seems that you fall into a rut playing the same thing,you can do that even if you're well versed in theory also,but if you understand theory and you can branch out and find something else to add to your vocabulary.
Reading tabs to me is only a beginning to see what somebody has already played.
Learning jazz theory,or whatever it's called,is something I've been digging into lately and even though I learned modes long ago,it's challenging,and can get complicated.For learning new ways to approach soloing in a blues/jazz type style,it can be helpful...and tedious.

i forgot to mention, does anybody learn to play by watching live videos and trying to keep a focus off the frets and strings the guitarist is hitting? i occasionally do.

_________________
riley

For me its theory, sight reading and tabs, in that order.

When I first started playing there weren't vcr's, dvd players or youtube to help give me a head start. There weren't even tab books! I had a teacher that taught me theory, how to sight read (I've slacked off on that quite a bit, unfortunately) along with the infamous Mel Bay book and I'll be forever grateful for that. Aside from that, any songs I wanted to learn, I had to do by ear until magazines like Guitar for the Practicing Musician came along and transcribed the songs to tab.

I'm actually envious; I relish the way I learned, but I can't help but think how much better I'd be if I had all the resources at my fingertips that players have who are starting out today! Use it all, that's what its there for

_________________
The mind is like a parachute; it doesn't work unless its open-FZ

And once learned,not easily forgotten. Even after decades of little or no use, a few weeks of "refreshing" is all that's required.

Cheers,
John.E

Keep in mind that there are many factors to become a great musician. Ear Training is only a part of it. The guitar is an instrument just like the Violin, Cello etc. Playing by ear only gets you so far. It is important for you to make the decision on how far you want your playing to go. You make the call on whether or not you want to take your playing to the next level.

_________________
“The guitar is a small orchestra. It is polyphonic. Every string is a different color, a different voice.”


- Andreas Segovia

I really don't think that is a hard fast rule mate. Not one bit. Particularly with guitar the opposite seems to be true. All the greats are ear players. It's not dependant on theory learning at all but rather dedication to what they do.
I stick by what I said. You can play by ear and become a Clapton or a Beck. You can get trained and become a Malmsteen. May be a fast excellent guitarist but couldn't write a song to save his life. You see the same malaise with Satriani and Vai too. A complete inability to throw down a handfull of chords and make em work to something that people want to hear.
Who is the better musician in that instance. The Chuck Berry's, who everyone can enjoy. Or Vai/Malsteen/Satriani types that only get a audience from certain muso's?
Which one is the better entertainer, the most heard?

BTW I threw Berry in there because he is classicaly trained. Yet is a prime example of a terrible guitarist. Out of tune, out of time. But relied on a great ear to write his songs. He certainly didn't get Roll over Beethoven from studying Beethoven.

_________________
No no and no