Learning to read tablature will allow you to learn basic songs. It will also enable you to communicate basic concepts with other guitarists. David Anthony introduces basic tablature features and describes how they work.
Taught by David Anthony in Basic Guitar with David Anthony seriesLength: 31:00Difficulty: 1.5 of 5

David Anthony is an acoustic guitar aficionado. In this series you will learn basic concepts that are essential to playing any style of guitar music.
About David Anthony
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David Anthony was born on November 9th, 1982, in the small town of Mount Hope, NY. As a child he absorbed the church flavored musical environment that his parents provided. With this influence he realized at a young age that music would not simply be a passive experience for him. It was not until the age of 15 that he decided to string up his first guitar. Relying solely on his father for his foundational chord knowledge, he quickly became enamored with the possibility of endless melodic structures, and the goal of becoming a fantastic player himself.
His early shredder influences came from Kirk Hammet of Metallica. During his first few years of guitar playing, he developed a very workable knowledge of pentatonic, major and minor scales.
Over the years his musical interests swayed from rock to standards, from jazz to classical, and a strong love of the art of flamenco guitar; Spanish finger style. It was not until the age of 18
that he decided to surround himself entirely with the music of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. This influential exclusivity enabled him to learn more about thinking outside of the musical box. In
one year he had learned than in the prior 3 years. Picking up multiple ways to structure melodies, create chords and use different modes, his writing and improvisational abilities grew exponentially.
In his senior year of high school, he was responsible for the development of the first Musical Appreciation class in the schools history, and had aided the instructor in the teaching of those classes.
After high school, his focus started to rest mainly in writing. With this he realized that he would need additional, abstract influences to develop a unique style of writing. After a couple more
years of playing in a small band, and writing some decent material, he greeted 2004 with a move to Nashville, TN. There he found the exact influence that would change his opinion of the guitar forever.
Attempting to weed out a strong foundation in shredding and solo techniques, he began learning finger style guitar, and quickly realized the options that his door would open for him.
As he picked up more complex chord structures and jazz scales, his style became a passion for him that continues to drive him and push him to learn more. He feels strongly about the connection
between musical input and the music you write. He notes that his subconscious pool of influence, developed from the music he listens to, is almost directly responsible for the type of music that
he writes. He adamantly believes that in order to create a unique, soulful style, the pool must remain unpolluted by substandard music. What's that mean? As David puts it, "If you don't want to play
crap, don't listen to crap."
David currently teaches Jazz guitar in Fort Collins, Colorado, with plans to move back to Nashville in the spring to pursue a career in writing.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Hi just want to point out a typo in ch. 3, para. 3 2nd line 2nd word is "flat" and should be "sharp". I think this material also appears in the #2 Slack Key lessons by Mark Nelson. Thanks for the lesson, great job.
So, I'm learning to play a song on my acoustic(such small hands by la dispute, not that its makes a dif) And i have a hard time whenever i hold down the cords on a fret because for the the beginning of the song i hold down e---88-77-88 e---10-10-10-10-10-10 g-9-9----- and its hard to like hold them all at the same time cuz of the distance btwn them.
i meant e, b, g sowry
also i meant like 8-8 and 7-7 :p
Are there any tablature we can print out?
How do u make that "clackity" sound ur doing in middle of ur strumming? its epic
Quick question, When ur tuning ur guitar are you supposed to first tune with fifth fret tuning and then go on and tune again with 7th fret tuning?
Another question, David. Regarding Tabs: When reading them quickly, what finger do you put down first? Is it the finger(s) on the fret closest to the nut (ie 1st fretted fingers, then 2nd fretted fingers, and so on...)? When I first look at a tab I have to look at it for a few seconds (or more) before I actually figure out where to place my fingers (even if I know the chord) - The tabs don't relate to chord formation in my brain - yet! Sorry for the silly questions.
ideally how long should i take practcing a lesson before i move on, or should i stay on the lesson til i have the scale perfect
till you can't NOT play it. It helps to set up a regiment and train actively and consistently.
When I tune I will get my open strings perfect (electronic tuner) but the string pressed to the fret (i.e. holding down A on 5th and open D) my otherwise perfectly tuned open A turns into a D#, if I tune my A down, when I play it open it becomes A flat. It is the same for all of them when doing the 5th and 7th fret tunings. Open perfect, held on fret #, how am I suppose to get them perfect both ways on my tuner? If you listen to them without the tuner they sound the same. When I tuned the 5th and 7th for the first time after your first lesson I was able to hear a huge difference and made the changes. Could it just be my tuner or my guitar strings?
Hi David, You're a GREAT instructor! Referring to the Pentatonic scale: - How can I move my fingers fast and fluid (like you)? - Are there some people who NEVER are able to master/move their fingers quickly (no matter how hard and long they practice)? - Or over time - will it eventually "click"? - Do you have any additional suggestions/tricks to master finger speed and fluidity? - What is the most effective way to practice the Pentatonic scale?
I never understood tabs until YOU in particular taught them! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
sound is irregular in this video, the music is much higher...
no video??
Yeah butt, what is the right hand doing?
Daved why does the video on Lesson 2 scene 6 n 7 cuts off a couple of mins into the scene? I can't view the entire scene.
I need wome help... Which scale can you use to just play along with a chord. I've tried the diatonic and platonic sacel but i need a scale in which i can just scale the chords as they progress anyone?
What do the numbers mean in some chords? I mean like the 5 in G5 and the 7 in F#7
The numbers are just part of the chord name. For instance, on a "G5" chord, you are adding the 5th note of the "G" scale. So you are playing the "G" note and the 5th note of the scale. With an F#7 you are playing an F# and then the 7th note of the F# scale. What do the numbers mean in some chords? I mean like the 5 in G5 and the 7 in F#7
Hi David! Nice lesson... I checked it out just to get a feeling of how you teach... (btw: I like it!) ... and also because experienced players will always something interesting even in a beginner lesson... so when I have time I try and check them all... I just have one question: do you have a lesson where you teach that *awesome* percussive sound you do by slapping your right hand on the strings? (I'm referring to the piece you play at the end of the lesson) Is it pure acoustic sound or some magic of amplification? I want to do that!!!!! :D Anna Chiara