Can’t read notes? No problem. Lots of people who play guitar, ukulele, banjo or bass never learned to read music – and still play really well. String instruments have their own, much simpler ways of writing music down.
1. Chord symbols above the lyrics
Most song sheets only show the lyrics with letters like C, Am or G7 above them. Each letter is a chord, placed right above the syllable where you change. That’s all you need for accompaniment.
2. Chord diagrams
A chord diagram shows where your fingers go – like a little photo of the fretboard. How to read one is explained in How to read chord diagrams.
3. Tab for melodies
For single notes there’s tab: lines for the strings, numbers for the frets. You simply read off where to press. All about it in Reading tab.
4. Your ear
You already know lots of songs by heart. Hum the beginning and look for the first note on your instrument – higher or lower? Step by step you feel your way through the melody. The app’s chord or note detective tells you the name of a note or chord you’ve found.
Open the chord detective5. Rhythm without notes
Rhythm is best learned with your body: counting, clapping, speaking. In the rhythm tool each pattern comes with spoken syllables that sound just like the rhythm. How time signatures work is explained in Time signatures.
Will I need sheet music at some point?
For accompanying songs, playing with friends or in a band, you don’t need sheet music. It becomes useful if you play in an orchestra, want to learn classical pieces or write melodies down exactly. You can learn that later, step by step – note names are a good start: Notes and note names.
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