Some guitarists decry guitar tablature as a cheat or, at best, a crutch, instead telling guitarists to learn standard notation. I can understand this position, although I don’t hold it myself. (If you don’t know what guitar tablature is, read this.)

I think guitar tablature has made the guitar a much more accessible instrument, almost a paint-by-numbers introduction to the instrument. Looking at a page of sheet music with notes seemingly randomly scattered across the page can be daunting and, I suspect, off-putting to someone new to the instrument.

There is certainly a place for standard notation for guitarists, and I highly recommend that any guitarist learn standard notation. In fact, it’s essential for many styles of music, such as jazz and classical. And, although I think teaching standard notation should be a part of any guitar instruction program, I don’t think it’s helpful to hold a dogmatic approach that only standard notation should be taught as part of guitar instruction. There are many different ways to learn the guitar.

A little background about me and why I feel the way I do. I started playing guitar at the age of 15. Like many teenagers, I didn’t have much of an attention span, and guitar tablature provided a quick approach to playing actual music. I think if I had tried to learn standard notation first, I would have been more likely to put aside the guitar and never return to it. As it turned out, I got hooked fairly early on because, thanks in large part to guitar tablature, I was able to play real music quickly. And, several years later when I started college, I decided to get a minor in music and took up classical guitar. As part of my classical guitar studies, I honed my sight-reading skills. But, as I mentioned earlier, I may have never made it to the classical guitar if I hadn’t first discovered tablature.

Of course, the flip side of the debate is that it’s easy to bypass important musical learning points by using tablature, which results in guitarists who do not have many of the basic skills that other musicians learned as a result of studying music theory. Additionally, sometimes the nuance of the music gets lost if all you’re doing is connecting numbers together. In cases like this, it does become a bit of a cheat.

I’m wondering what others think. Do you think guitar tablature is evil, great, or somewhere in between? In my opinion, I think the benefits of guitar tablature outweigh the negatives, but I think it’s important that guitarists expand beyond tablature at some point in their learning.

Earlier this week, I selected the three winners of the Jeff Beck Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s Blu-Ray discs. Congratulations to the following winners:

Denny P.
Pete G.
Jamie B.

If you didn’t win this time, enter the new contest.

I’m excited to announce another contest! This time, you have a chance to win a free vinyl copy of the “Shimmer and Shine” single, which is from Ben Harper and Relentless7’s new album White Lies for Dark Times.

I’ve been listening to the new album for the past few weeks and really like it. I think it’s one of Harper’s best albums so far. It’s got a more rock sound to it, but still easily identifiable as Ben Harper. “Shimmer and Shine” is, in my opinion, one of the standout tracks from the album.

How to Enter

To enter, send me an e-mail with the subject line “Ben Harper” using the contact form informing me that you want to enter the contest. It’s that simple! One entry per person, and entries must be received by June 7. I’ll randomly select the winner and contact them on June 8.

Here’s a video of “Shimmer and Shine”:

Ben Harper and Relentless7 - Shimmer & Shine

This is just a reminder that there are still a few more days to enter the Jeff Beck Performing This Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s Blu-Ray contest. I’ll accept contest entries through Sunday, May 17, and I’ll announce the winner on Monday, May 18. Good luck!

There’s been a pretty good response to the Jeff Beck contest I posted last week. However, you can still enter and have a pretty good chance at winning a Jeff Beck Blu-Ray. To whet your appetite, here’s a clip from the video featuring Beck playing “Big Block”:

If you’ve ever tried to lug around a bunch of pedals to a gig, you know how useful a pedalboard can be. However, pedalboards can be very expensive. If you’re adventerous and want to save some money, you might want to try building one yourself! Rob Hampton of Heartwood Guitar did just that, and he detailed the build on his blog.

All I needed was a way to transport all my pedals without having to set them up and break them down every trip. Also, I’d shelved some of my effects—a wah, a volume pedal—because I couldn’t be bothered to fool with them whenever I wanted to move my rig. The pedalboard would finally give me the excuse to dust off those really useful effects and integrate them permanently into my signal chain.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Ava at the Jemsite Blog

Forget Led Zeppelin and Metallica.  Stairway to Heaven and Enter Sandman may have been cool once, but been there, done that.  These guitar licks are hardcore and yet, somehow we’ve never thought of playing them!

Take a look at the five awesome guitar licks you only wish you had thought of when you first picked up the guitar.

Bad Boy For Life-P. Diddy

This is a simple one, and so of the moment.  Not since Slash appeared with Michael Jackson has rock and pop been fused so effortlessly.  And yes, maybe we should be calling P.Diddy hip hop and not pop, but the fact is-it doesn’t matter, this is a very cool riff, very mod and very easy to play.  Didn’t About.com’s Guitar site writer Dan Cross put it best when he said, “Good music transcends genres.” Based on the minor pentatonic, this easy riff is intentionally played behind the beat to give the song a loose sound and an interesting rhythm.  Kudos to Diddy for changing it up!

Uh Huh Her. (Sorry What?)-PJ Harvey

Perhaps the best thing about these riffs is that they’re not classic-they’re loud, they’re rough, they’re distorted.  That’s certainly the case for PJ Harvey’s “Uh Huh Her” (Sorry What?) But perhaps that’s the best way to show the world just who PJ Harvey is-her riffs are awkward and her work is personal. Bet you never thought of playing this one, before, but maybe you should.  After all, PJ Harvey is the wrong-side-of the-tracks “It” girl femme guitarist of the new millennium.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps-The Beatles

I just told the readers that we’re looking for something unique, different, of the moment. So why are The Beatles on this list? Perhaps it’s because when you think of The Beatles you think of the brash sounds of “Love Me Do” or “Help!” You don’t think of the intimate, time transcending track While My Guitar Gently Weeps, who’s sweet melody is enhanced by an acoustic guitar and an organ.  If only George Harrison (who wrote the song) could be write next to me playing this smooth lick.

Iron Man-Black Sabbath

Now we’re talking! Back to the days of hardcore Metallica and Led Zeppelin, for sure.  So then why did I put it on this list? Because as well-known as this signature lick is this is for some reason, not everyone remembers that it was Ozzy’s Black Sabbath that played it.  Perhaps they were the underdog in the times of fierce hard rock  Yet, they thrived.  Definitely a Black Sabbath trademark and one that everyone should know-it’s up there with Pink Floyd and Queen!

Dream On-Aerosmith

Classic, and more classic.  But still not a lick you’d immediately drum up in your head.  This is what started it all in Aerosmith’s rock world.  Joe Perry’s signature style of the seventies kills here. To play the intro, do the D minor chord, then slide your first finger up so it’s on the 4th fret to make an F minor.  Perhaps it’s not the strongest lick, but it’s simple with something for everyone.  No wonder Aerosmith was the first band to get a Guitar Hero game of their own.

Suhr Guitars was recently profiled by Apple because of the fact that Macs are used in almost all phases of the Suhr guitar and amp building process. 

Everyone at Suhr Guitars agrees: the Mac has enabled them to advance the business in ways they never considered in the past. “When your guitar is the best possible quality, you can play better without worrying that something’s not right,” says Suhr. “It’s the same with the Mac. When we come to work, we don’t have to worry about viruses, or whether or not our Macs will be up and running. We know we can just walk in and immediately get to work.”

(via Mark McGuigan)

John at Learning Guitar Now let me know that he’s currently celebrating the one-year anniversary of the site. To celebrate, he’s selling his Slide Guitar Method 1 videos for $14.99 (download) or $19.99 (DVD) with free shipping on all products. I reviewed Slide Guitar Method 1 a few weeks ago and recommend it. He’s also offering his Blues Guitar Method 1 for $14.99 (DVD) and $19.99 (DVD). Note that the sale prices are reflected in the shopping cart, but not on the site.

Additionally, John let me know that he has recently released his Blues Guitar Lessons DVD: Method 4 videos this week. This DVD is for the advanced player who wants to learn more about playing blues, such as soloing with intervals, improvising 7th, 9th, 13th, 7#5, and 7#9 chords, and more.

A few weeks ago, my wife saw Robert Plant in the local Whole Foods store. Yes, that Robert Plant. (Everybody’s gotta eat, right?) Since then, she’s been kicking herself for not saying anything to him. In a cruel and ironic coincidence, the Guitar World magazine that was delivered later that week featured Led Zeppelin on the cover.

This encounter has got me wondering what I would do if I ever saw someone who was a personal musical hero of mine. Would I go up and say hello, or would I leave them alone? For the most part, I think I’d leave them alone. I’m sure that famous musicians get tired of people coming up to them everywhere they go. But, at the same time, I imagine that they appreciate hearing how their music has affected people.

So, I don’t know what I’d do if I happened to see one of my musical heroes in an unlikely place. What would you do?