Review by: Chris Sarvak
Date: September, 2008
Talking Tabs
The Dick Grayson of Guitar lessons
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah bar the nerdy comic references aside, Talking Tabs is the perfect sidekick on one's journey learning guitar.
The Cut and Dry
Talking Tabs is an audio cd structure that not only teaches you a song on guitar, but also instills technical and basic understanding of the instrument. The lesson I chose was “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds. The lesson was graded a skill level of 2 which is moderately hard based on Talking Tabs' system. After the introduction, the whole song is played in its entirety, which was nice because it provided encouragement and an understanding of what the song should sound like. A tuning section comes next. The method is also established early on and it is really thorough. This section is the cd's legend of sorts, letting you know their designation for each finger and how to reference the fret board as they teach you chords and runs which is really important. What's more every time the cd instructs you where to play a note, chord, or run it will play it back so you know what it sounds like. From there the lesson plan effectively builds from simple rhythm sections concentrating on chords, first working to the harder guitar riffs or melody lines. At the conclusion of the lesson a track is provided without the guitar parts for you to play with it. This is where you get to apply your learning and either sink or swim. Overall the structure is very effective, and offers a very complete lesson.
The Overall
While Talking Tabs does hit on the essentials, it would probably be best to work in conjunction with a guitar teacher for beginners. If I had Talking Tabs when I first started, I would have had a substantial head start. One of the most important aspects you learn from Talking Tabs is song writing. An important skill I feel is ignored in regular guitar lessons. The way the lesson is structured is an excellent way to get a basic understanding of how a song works. Each section is broken up then applied back into the whole. It's a really nice dissected way to understanding song structure. Talking Tabs also provides a great start to basic ear training, which I feel is also ignored in traditional lessons.
Some "Good to knows..."
There are 10 genres to choose from on their website (http://www.playitnowtunes.com/), and there are some great selections like “Comfortably Numb” and “Help”. The song selection is a bit limited, but they are adding more all the time. Price ranges from $13-15 per cd and they have a special 10 cd pack deal saving you more in the bulk purchase. You can preview a bit of the song and lesson before you buy. The website itself has a lot of perks on it as well.
For example, be sure to check out their "player's workshop" page for some free guitar references like: pull-off, hammer-on, slide, power chord, rake, trill, etc. This page is a really nice reference point to have for a beginner. The website also has a section for forums and blog that can really help. Heck, they even have a help desk telephone number and e-mail for questions!