Practice Makes Perfect
by Phil Leadbetter

Well, here is it August and summer is winding down. It's been a busy year here on my end. Seems like during the summer people spend most of their time outdoors. They might be going to the lake or a picnic, or just working around the yard. Anyway, it's during these times that we sometimes get pre-occupied with the nice weather and warm days that we neglect to pick up that guitar and practice for a few minutes (or hours) during the week.

I can't stress enough how important it is to practice on a regular basis. Practice is so important! It helps to keep your playing up to par. Playing requires lots of memory when it comes to rendering licks, breaks, chord progressions, etc. If we don't keep these things fresh in our minds, we tend to forget them. Practicing on a regular basis helps to keep these things almost automatic. The more you do it, the less you will have to think about it while you are playing. This helps your playing to become seamless and actually opens you up to more ideas.

One of the most important goals in practice is to "learn the neck" of the guitar. This means knowing where to find certain notes or certain sounds. With string instruments, it also involves learning how to find these elements in several different places up and down the neck. Practice and repetition are the only ways to accomplish this goal. It's true that more people take up music lessons during the winter months because they have more time to devote to practice. If you want to be good at it, however, practice has to be an ongoing thing.

Tab Basics

This month we are going to learn to read basic tablature for the resonator guitar. Tablature (or "tab" as many call it) is fairly easy to read. With practice (there is that "P" word again ), you will become quite proficient at it. Tab basically consists of a few symbols that denote certain actions. Numbers are used to identify the frets on the guitar. The lines in tab denote the strings.

The top line represents the 1st or smallest string while the bottom line represents the largest string or 6th string. The lines and strings are numbered from top to bottom (high to low). The strings in between are numbered as well. Just remember, the 6th string is the closest string to you. The 1st string is the furthest away.

1_________________________________________
2_________________________________________
3_________________________________________
4_________________________________________
5_________________________________________
6_________________________________________

Now, here are the symbols in tab that denote which right-hand finger you will use:

T    (Thumb)
I     (Index)
M   (Middle)

Here are the symbols that denote what you will do with your bar (or "slide")

/…… Means to slide UP. If you see this as " 2/3", it means slide up from 2nd fret to 3rd fret.

\…… Means to slide BACK. If you see this as "3\2" it means slide back from 3rd to 2nd fret.

h…… Means HAMMER ON. A "hammer-on" is done by picking the string in an open position, and then placing the bar on a string at a specified fret after the string sounds. Tab will show you exactly where to place the bar. Example: 0h2 means that you pick the string open, then immediately place the bar at the 2nd fret.

p…… Means PULL-OFF. A "pull-off" is done by picking a string that already has the bar on the string. Once the string is picked, the bar is then pulled off the string (i.e., pull away, toward your body). You just want to make the string "pop" as you pull the bar (or "slide") away from the string.

For example: "2p0" means to pick the string WITH the bar placed on the 2nd fret, then pull the bar off the string as soon as it is picked.

These are just a few examples to get us started. Learning tab is very important in learning the resonator guitar. I will frequently use tab in this column. Once you are familiar with it, it will become automatic. It will be as easy as riding a bicycle. Just remember, it takes PRACTICE!!

Next month we will begin learning to play tab. Hope you're having a great summer, and look forward to visiting with you again next month.

Phil