When To Take a Shortcut: a Flowchart

I love googling things.

I live in a perpetual state of awe about the fact that I can instantly get information about anything I’m even remotely interested in.

But you know what I almost never google? How to play songs. Tabs. Progressions. Chords.

Why? Because I’m in this for the long haul. Short cuts aren’t for me.

Reading tab blunts my ability to read music.

Looking up a chord progression instead of figuring it out deprives me of a chance to develop my ear.

Long-term, I want to be a solid reader with a great ear. 

Saving myself a few minutes right now isn’t a shortcut if it pushes my long-term goals farther away.

So by all means, look up how to play that song you need to know for your gig this weekend. That’s when it’s appropriate to take the shortcut.

But most of the time, the siren song of the shortcut is just the Lizard Brain whispering in your ear.