Mindset Change: Playing a month without the use of TAB.

[Benjamin Davidson]

I appreciate the feedback, it and the lessons have been helpful in this matter. After the first week of this, well I feel I've discovered more of my shortfalls than I have identified my strong areas. This isn't a negative for me, I'm always looking for a better way to do things. Among the theory and chord development areas I need to study on, I have some techniques that can use work that I wouldn't have really noticed if I hadn't stopped staring into the TAB sheets.

I will shorten the quotes in the thread to make this a little easier to read.

. . .

After I wrote my previous message and mentioned Maurice's "Missing Link" (and I believe he did two more courses expanding on it)... and was dismayed to find that NO-one seemed to have taken up his material to continue to be available.

The Missing Link had an intervalic chart system with overlays... it was brilliant.
It "cracked the nut" for me, but sadly, most even back then, were more interested in getting their next "fix" of tabbed out "licks". But those who did The Missing Link all acclaimed it and I think only few would have gone back to TAB after it.

A key thing is also to release oneself from the urge of not only learn from the Greats but to want to SOUND like them. We move ourselves in a musical world of individualists. We are not meant to be orchestra violinists playing in "unison" along with 20 others... so the best way to "imitate" our heroes is to become individualists like the too.
Don't just listen to steel guitars, listen to Sax players, Piano players, Guitarist (just NEVER to Banjo Players, they are "impure" and never Kosher und thus not worthy! Ha! )

... J-D.

I did do a couple searches and didn't find anything readily available for "Missing Link," but I will keep an eye open. The first time I sat and wrote out the intervalic relationships for my COPENDENT in the E9th and B6th modes, is the first time I really started to realize what I was playing. I need to study that out quite a bit further, but it solidifies my confidence in the COPEDENT and ability to view it as one larger tuning.

Getting out of the mindset of trying to sound like a specific artist is something I've been working on for years. I was never set out to be another Earl Scruggs, Brent Mason, or Paul Franklin. I have been working on listening to genres that aren't my normal country/bluegrass favorites- for the purpose of musical study - and its an interesting exercise. I appreciate the point of view there.

. . .

I think what you are describing is likely a parallel to Paul Franklin's courses on intervals and the ones he does on permutations. Those are really designed to educate the student on how to get around the fret board and create his own musical ideologies and styles.

K.

. . .
Yes. Evidently VIDEO was an "option" only back then. Yet, Maurice's Courses worked on the CONCEPT in depth and then provided a few tunes to apply it on and then go on "fly alone". I think that most which feel attracted by PF's course, would benefit more and easier from it after having acquired Maurice's courses on the subject.

... J-D.

I'm going back through the intervals and permutations lessons with the PFM. Its starting to click, but its going to take some dedicated study for me to fully shift the way I play.

[David Hall]

If you have any way to record yourself, I’d recommend playing to a click track and recording some songs or licks. It’s a good way to improve precision as recording can be pretty unforgiving.

Also, if you play any other instruments you could lay down some backing tracks then play steel to those ... try writing some of your own songs too.

It’s freeing to lose the tabs.

[Tony Prior]

A teacher's perspective:

TAB is great resource as we are beginning. BUT, TAB is no different than a road map, it defines a way forward.

IF we are not recognizing what TAB is showing us then we have missed or overlooked the value. Positions, ROOT notes, string grips etc...

IF we study a piece of E9th tab for example, lay our bar on the 8th string, 3rd fret, and NOT recognize that this is the Root E string and the 3rd FRET is the ROOT G note, we are not paying attention, we are just playing the song "By Tab" Tab says do this , Ok now what ? What did I do ?

IF we are playing the basic string grips across the neck BY TAB, because thats what TAB told us to do, we have totally missed that TAB is defining each of the basic string grips in pretty much ANY position on the fretboard.

IF this is what we are doing, its time to go BACK to our first piece of TAB and study it , literally look at it like reading a book. What is it showing us ? We don't even need an instrument to do this. READ THE TAB.

I use the roadmap analogy often, we first use a roadmap to figure out where we are going than how to get back home. But after one or two trips, we don't need the roadmap anymore, or do we ? The road map taught us the route.

When we went to school they gave us a book to read to study for a test. We didn't just read the words on the pages ( well some of is did ) we read and comprehended what the book was telling us. (TAB) Then we took a test, no books allowed. We recalled what the words on the pages taught us.

I totally support TAB as an education tool but it is just that, a tool. Its a road map. Its not "Melody Bells" , play music by the color of the Bell. Literally LOOK at the TAB and correlate what it is showing us in relationship to the fretboard. Its not magic or an illusion.

Look at the tab and follow along with the performance track. Not the whole song , maybe just the first verse. You may be amazed at how much you can learn without even sitting behind the instrument. A Road Map . Then we you do sit behind the Instrument, it may just make sense because it is now familiar. "I just saw this on paper " !

LISTEN > REVIEW TAB while listening > Then go to the instrument . Something may now be familiar

GO SLOW, do not study the entire TAB at one time. Break it down into sections. REPEAT the sections until the bell goes off. When it does, you may find that the remainder of the piece you are studying, you may not need to lean on the TAB.


YES, I have tabbed material I review now and then, from the Masters . I may hear something on record that one of them does that intrigues me , it could be ONE single phrase. So I look at it to see what the heck they are doing.

Just go slow with TAB, it was never intended to teach us how to play a song, its intent is to show us where the song LAYS on the fretboard and how to go get it ! Its really not about the song, the song just comes along for the ride !

have fun !

[Thornton Lewis]

I just bought a digital interface and recorded myself playing an "overdub" on some songs I like that don't have every crevice filled up. Quite an eye opener. I was massively overplaying for one thing. My intonation needs work. My fills are hesitant. Going over parts on loop until I find something I like and refining that then getting it to lay right in the pocket sharpens everything up. Sure hurt the ego in the beginning though.

[Tony Prior]

. Sure hurt the ego in the beginning though.

Ha!, When I first started playing I got a call from a local bandleader to come play Steel for the weekend with his regular working band. He asked me if I could play and I said " I'm ok " which was probably not very accurate.

Yep, I got fired the first night ! I didn't go out and play Steel for well over another year. I studied but there were no song tabs back then. No Steel Guitar Forum.

Maybe 2 years later, he called me and we worked together on and off for the next 10 years .

[Bobby Hearn]

Tab is a weight loss secret that doesn’t work in the long run. It can be useful to learn a tricky lick or even get you started on basic licks but is useless beyond that. Backing tracks are the way to go.

[Bobby D. Jones]

I would suggest you get a Mel Bay E9th chord chart.
They are available here on Forum in the accessories section at the top of Page.
It is like a road map for the E9th neck.
If you already play another instrument it will allow you to transpose chords to the steel, And get a better understanding of the steel.

[Benjamin Davidson]

This experiment has been very revealing to me, and I'm inspired to study as much as I am inspired to play again. Took some time this week to create a spreadsheet of intervals, chord voicings, and scales. It was a good exercise in putting things together for me, and something to readily study during my downtime. At the guitar, I have things to work on, volume pedal usage (still feel like this could be smoother), vibrato (which I didn't pay attention to up to this point), and intonation (now that I found an accuracy exercise to work on this). I doubt I would have realized any of those weak areas, if I hadn't gotten my eyes off TAB.

If you have any way to record yourself, I’d recommend playing to a click track and recording some songs or licks. It’s a good way to improve precision as recording can be pretty unforgiving.

Also, if you play any other instruments you could lay down some backing tracks then play steel to those ... try writing some of your own songs too.

It’s freeing to lose the tabs.

I just bought a digital interface and recorded myself playing an "overdub" on some songs I like that don't have every crevice filled up. Quite an eye opener. I was massively overplaying for one thing. My intonation needs work. My fills are hesitant. Going over parts on loop until I find something I like and refining that then getting it to lay right in the pocket sharpens everything up. Sure hurt the ego in the beginning though.

I tried getting into recording about a year ago, and gave up on that a little too quick. However, I will be recording something here at the end of the month to see how I have progressed simply as part of this whole process.

I would suggest you get a Mel Bay E9th chord chart.
. . .

I have that book, and I have been referencing it.

A teacher's perspective:

TAB is great resource as we are beginning. BUT, TAB is no different than a road map, it defines a way forward.

IF we are not recognizing what TAB is showing us then we have missed or overlooked the value. Positions, ROOT notes, string grips etc...
. . .
Look at the tab and follow along with the performance track. Not the whole song , maybe just the first verse. You may be amazed at how much you can learn without even sitting behind the instrument. A Road Map . Then we you do sit behind the Instrument, it may just make sense because it is now familiar. "I just saw this on paper " !

LISTEN > REVIEW TAB while listening > Then go to the instrument . Something may now be familiar
. . .
Just go slow with TAB, it was never intended to teach us how to play a song, its intent is to show us where the song LAYS on the fretboard and how to go get it ! Its really not about the song, the song just comes along for the ride !

have fun !

I appreciate your thoughts here. I'll add "review TAB while listening" to my studies after the month comes to an end, I hadn't considered using TAB in an active listening role before, thank you.

[Karlis Abolins]

I'll add my two cents worth here. I view tab as having the same value as training wheels on a bike. At some point in your playing, you "get" what it is all about and no longer need the training wheels (tab). There is no magic formula. We are all different and learn things at a different rate. I commend you for taking the next step. You have reached the place where you have enough confidence to play what you hear and feel.

Karlis

[Benjamin Davidson]

The long weekend behind me, and I figured I'd keep this updated.

Two weeks of working on just focused chord changes, emotional expression of the pedals, studying the intervalic relationship of my COPEDENT (watching the lessons on the PFM, and finally starting to put these things together). This exercise has been great to see where I need to focus.

This week I will be taking the Hymn "It is Well", and devising a chord chart in the Nashville Number System, and learn to play from that. Which should help solidify if this is as helpful as I think its been, and then start playing in multiple keys and learning to improvise fills and solos.

[Benjamin Davidson]

We shall bring this month of playing to an end.

The last two weeks have been humbling, as I was not able to transcribe that Hymn and play it effectively off that chart. I need to spend a considerable more time studying to fulfill that goal. I caught myself writing a TAB out for it at one point, and decided against taking that route.

Regardless of my shortfalls, the month did show me a number of things to improve on, techniques to be refined, and music theory to study in greater detail.

Thanks for all the replies on this thred.

[Fred Treece]

Congratulations on your month of working without a net. To put your experience in perspective, I’ll relate my own. One of my first excursions from tab was to do my own arrangement of Wildwood Flower. I made it deliberately elaborate because I wanted it to present challenges in all aspects of my technique - picking/blocking/bar/pedals/levers. Two years later, I still can’t play it at tempo without a solid warmup session. It really keeps me honest about where I think I am as a player. So, regarding your effort and transcribing project, all I can say is, keep the faith 😎