Why Sheet Music Is Cooler Than Tabs - Guitar Lessons with Dmitry Kotleev (Dmitry Clef)

If you play guitar, chances are you mostly use tabs.
They’re convenient, fast, and everywhere.

But at some point, many guitarists ask a deeper question:
is that enough?

In this video, I share seven clear reasons why sheet music is cooler than tabs — not because tabs are bad, but because sheet music gives you more: rhythm, articulation, dynamics, understanding, flexibility, and real musical independence.

This video is not an attack on tabs.
I use tabs myself from time to time — and even write them.

This is an educational video and a personal manifesto about thinking like a musician, not just copying shapes on the fretboard.

⏱️ Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 Intro — Tabs vs Sheet Music
01:04 Reason #1: Rhythm — time itself
02:39 Reason #2: Articulation — how notes speak
03:24 Reason #3: Dynamics — shaping sound in time
03:55 Reason #4: Fingering as an art
04:54 Reason #5: Understanding why music sounds good
06:17 Reason #6: Transposition and musical flexibility
07:59 Reason #7: Musical independence

🎓 In this lesson, I talk about:
• why rhythm, timing, and note duration can’t be guessed from ASCII tabs
• how sheet music shows voices, structure, and musical time
• articulation and dynamics — written clearly, not “just listen and guess”
• fingering as an art (and why professionals edit fingerings)
• why understanding harmony explains why music feels emotional
• transposition, key awareness, and musical flexibility
• how reading notes leads to real musical independence

If you want to:
• understand what you’re playing
• read music confidently
• play pieces you’ve never heard before
• arrange music written for other instruments
• stop relying only on tabs and recordings
this video is for you.

If you strongly disagree — even better.
Tell me why in the comments 🙂

🎬 Music examples used in this video:
• Capricho Árabe — Francisco Tárrega (classical guitar performance):
   • Arab Capriccio (Capricho Árabe) – Francisc...  

• Libertango — Astor Piazzolla (classical guitar solo):
   • Libertango — Astor Piazzolla | Classical G...  

• Shchedryk / Carol of the Bells / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen:
   • Dmitry Kotleev and Natalia Melnik - Schedr...  

• Radioactive — Imagine Dragons (guitar cover, DADGAD tuning):
   • Dmitry Kotleev - Radioactive by Imagine Dr...  

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• PayPal: https://paypal.me/kotleev
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  / dmitrykotleevmusic  
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http://www.dmitrykotleev.com/lessons

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If you know a guitarist who lives only on tabs —
you know what to do 🙂

Cheers,
Dmitry Kotleev (Dmitry Clef)