There Is No Tab Inside Groove School

But theres a good reason why... at least in my very strong opinion (wait before you click away)

TAB works and has worked for some people. I don't know any of them personally.

One of the first teachers I had told my mother "never let him use TAB" and I never did. Never tried. As I learned more and learned to read standard notation I realized that learning to read TAB was like learning to read hieroglyphics and why would I expend so much time learning how to read in a format that few people (noone) in the real (professional) world communicates in?

Besides - and I'm not trying to be a jerk - how many hours have you spent looking for TAB online? How many PDF's have become digital dust on your hard drive? Coooome on, be honest.

"Monkey See, Monkey Do"

Nobody learns to speak by reading first. Think about it. You hear words for years, thousands of hours, before you ever see one written down. Or, at least understand that what you're seeing is a visual representation of those sounds. You copy sounds. You get it wrong. You get closer. Eventually you speak. Nobody taught you grammar first and then let you talk.

Music is the same, bass is the same....in my very strong opinion (and experience) You hear it. You copy it. You get it wrong. You get closer. Eventually you play it.

Have you ever seen someone playing their instrument online and you can tell that they are looking at something? Either a chart or tab or notes. They can't look away. They can't keep their place unless that's in front of them. Could you imagine not being able to hold a conversation unless you had a script?

Church

You ever wonder why church musicians are often the most natural and seemingly the most gifted musicians? I grew up in the South.I went to church. Eventually, I played in church.I also was lucky enough to grow up in a very musical city, New Orleans.And what I saw and what I experienced was immersion.I remember watching a young father play drums at a church.And I wish that the technology was around then to have taken a picture.So I'll use AI to create what I remember.This young father was playing drums, and he had his son on his lap.He was holding his son's hands as he played the drums.So this kid was developing these skills.Before he could barely do anything else. And there were other kids always watching.Some kid watching the guitar player, some kid watching the keyboard player, some kid watching the bass player. Watching and observing and eventually mimicking. And then eventually getting an academic education.

Blues players are often like this as well.Don't get me wrong, I totally understand that everyone does not have that ability.The ability to be in an environment where they can be immersed in that way.

However, we live in an age where we have software like Song Master. We can play and observe our favorite players.But that too can get overwhelming if you don't have a system.And that's what I do at Groove School.

Where standard notation fits

Now, to be fair and honest, I read standard notation, and it is one of the most valuable skills that I acquired as a musician.However, that is not where I started.And I don't know a musician who is worse off for knowing how to read standard notation. I simply don't believe that you need to start there. And honestly, depending on your goals, you don't need to end up there either.

But that's a different conversation than tab. A completely different conversation. Standard notation and tab are not the same thing, and I don't want you lumping them together.

Everything has a purpose

I have rarely, if ever, done a technical drill that didn't have a purpose. Rarely. Every exercise has to point toward a musical end. No drilling for the sake of drilling.

Same thing I do with fitness. Same exact thing.

Take the farmer's carry. You hold a prescribed amount of weight for a prescribed number of steps, or a set amount of time. That builds grip strength. Builds the muscles you actually use in everyday life, whether you notice it or not.

Overhead press is the same. It lets you lift things over your head. Keeps your shoulders mobile, keeps them working the way they're supposed to work. Aesthetically pleasing shoulders? Byproduct. Not the primary goal. Never was.

Technique on the bass works the exact same way. If a drill doesn't point toward something musical, I don't teach it. Doesn't matter how impressive it looks.

What's one technique drill you were taught that never actually pointed toward anything musical? Drop it below.

Be patient with yourself

Everybody's bad at this before they're good at it. Everybody. No exceptions, no shortcuts around that stage, no skipping to the end.

Your first best teacher? Your influences. The players already in your ears, already in your bones. Start there. Listen. That's the work.

If you want technique built this way, every drill tied to something real, that's what we do inside Groove School. Try it: https://www.tedtalksbass.com/groove-school