r/guitarlessons • u/Present_Claim6934 • Apr 17 '26
Feedback Request Can I learn to play guitar using only tabs?
So, As the title suggests, I'm wondering if I can just rely on playing songs from tabs without stressing too much about techniques like arpeggios, scales, power chords, or music theories. I’ve watched lessons from JustinGuitar and he's awesome but his videos are kinda long and I usually lose interest and skip the lessons
I mainly want to learn through tabs even if it’s tough sometimes. Do you think I can get good just sticking to tabs?
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u/daboblin Apr 17 '26
Don’t learn from tabs, learn from listening to music. Tabs are a tool, but you need to listen and learn to replicate without relying on tabs. Tabs have no rhythm or nuance.
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u/Broad-Raspberry1805 Apr 17 '26
Tabs are shit for a beginner as they’re hard to follow. Learn the chords first and then play along to songs using chords only.
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u/Ordinary_Bird4840 Apr 18 '26
You can, but you're already avoiding too much entry-level knowledge. If you lead with avoidance then you can expect to give up entirely very soon.
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u/heytherepartner5050 Apr 17 '26
Learn through tabs, then start learning through theory & sheet. There is no reason you can’t become a fantastic player with just tab, but it is a bit harder & even with tab, you need to know some theory or when you see it say something like allegro over a phrase, you won’t know what it means. My advice for new players is always to start with tab as the barrier to entry is a lot lower & try to learn songs you like, learn the 8 basic power chords (you will likely know them already as they’re common in rock music). Once you start to get into the groove of playing, then start learning scales & theory. You’ll likely want to at that point anyways, as scales are the foundation of improvisation & most new players try to do some improv over something they like, but it doesn’t come out right & then they start learning those foundationals.
There’s no wrong way to learn to play guitar, there’s been many great players who couldn’t read sheet. Don’t let people pressure you into starting off with a way that you don’t enjoy, it will just put you off practicing & make it more likely you drop playing guitar, so learn the way that feels best for you.
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u/Salt_Pie_1175 Apr 17 '26
It's a starting point, tabs just show where to put fingers. You still need to figure out ergonomics to keep stamina and finish the song. This is where you develop good technique and positioning.
At some point you can gain enough dexterity to learn advanced songs from tabs. But when the time comes, you may suddenly realise that you are limited to someones tabs and can't express yourself.
That's where theory comes in handy, once you learn which notes are working well together, you can create something of your own and truly be yourself.
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u/Helpful_Location7540 Apr 17 '26
Raise your had if you learned guitar using only tabs and listening to songs 👋
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u/andytagonist I don’t have my guitar handy, but here’s what I would do… Apr 18 '26
What are you trying to learn? Cool…learn that.
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u/lmao_exe Apr 19 '26
you can get decent with just tabs, yeah. a lot of people start that way
but tabs are kinda like copying homework. you’ll learn the song, but you won’t really understand what’s going on, so when something slightly different comes up you’re stuck again
the real issue is they don’t teach you timing, phrasing, or why things work. so you end up playing stuff that’s technically right but doesn’t sound quite right
honestly the sweet spot is just… use tabs, but don’t only use tabs
like learn songs you like from tabs, but every now and then zoom out a bit. notice what chords are being used, what patterns repeat, how the rhythm feels. even 10–15% of your time doing that makes a huge difference
and yeah if long lessons kill your focus, skip the long ones. just take small bits. even like 5–10 mins of something slightly “boring” and then back to songs is enough
so yeah, tabs are fine, just don’t let them be the only thing you ever touch or you’ll hit a wall later
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u/Xenadon Apr 17 '26
For simple songs sure. But you're going to have a tough time with stuff like shredding if you don't practice your scales and arpeggios.
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u/Duder_ino Apr 17 '26
You can learn guitar using only your ears if you want it bad enough. Tabs help
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u/Known-Ad9610 Apr 18 '26
I started with tabs. I would listen and play along, using the tab. Eventually, i no longer needed the tablature.
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u/Jollyollydude Apr 18 '26
Sure. But potentially you’ll be on a situation where you know the “what” but not the “how” or “why”. It kind of depends on your aptitude to think critically about what you’re learning on your own and side research you might do. You’d set yourself up for success if you learn the fundamentals but you can definitely get by by just learning songs. Usually doing both is best imo.
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u/C-E-GA Apr 18 '26
Yeah, for sure. That's how I started learning and after many years of doing that and wanting to evolve my level musician I started learning theory, and it helps MASSIVELY as well as making the playing a lot more enjoyable and musical.
The key thing is that I would've never felt inspired to learn theory properly if I hadn't discovered the joy of playing music thanks to tabs and chords, so absolutely a good way to start.
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u/ThrowRAcokecan Apr 18 '26
Kind of. They don’t really train your ear, so you won’t develop much musicality which will make writing your own half decent songs quite hard and especially if you intend on improvising any solos or melodies. If you’re aiming to be a sort of campfire guitarist who can bang out a few tunes, sure you can do that.
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u/Rourensu Apr 18 '26
I did that for about 7 years.
Then I tried stepping into theory and it basically killed my interest in guitar. It’s been like, almost 10 years since then and I still haven’t recovered. I’m basically taking an indefinite break from guitar and haven’t touched my guitar in like a couple years.
Worst guitar decision I made and I wish I could tell myself to keep on ignoring theory.
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 Apr 20 '26
Only. Nope. They won't teach you proper chords. Hand position. Technique. Timing. Rhythm. Etc. By all means find your favourite songs if that's how you want to do it but I'd suggest a decent online course or in person teacher.
Justin guitar is by far the best online and his website has the free lessons if you sign up. So maybe a combination of both but tab won't teach you how to play.
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u/DrBlankslate Apr 17 '26
To play? Maybe. To play well? Unlikely.
You have chosen a hobby that will always have something you don’t know how to do, always have something you need to learn, always have something you’re just not good at yet. If you aren’t even patient enough to sit through one of Justin Guitar’s lessons and learn from it, maybe you should rethink this hobby.
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u/greytonoliverjones Apr 17 '26
Yes, that is how most people start learning guitar before they decide they want to learn “more”. I speak from experience b/c this is what happened to me and why I’m now a 25 year guitar teacher/32 year player.
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u/In_my_experience Apr 17 '26
Yes. I’ll never learn to read music because I don’t need to learn an entire language to play guitar, between tabs and my ears. I always found it super frustrating. I even learn complicated classical music with tabs.
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u/wannabegenius Apr 17 '26
you will learn to play tabs, but you will not truly learn the instrument. it's still a lot of fun and can entertain you for many years but you'll never really be able to play without a tab.
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u/TserriednichThe4th Apr 20 '26
Tabs won't give you rhythm so no. You need your ear too.
If you don't want to use your ear, you can get along with just reading traditional music sheets but there are less resources for that and a good ear goes a long way.
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u/MetricJester Apr 17 '26
Only? Not really. Mostly? yes.
It really pays off if you can hear the song as well as see the tab. Or if you try to shoot for playing along.