I recently wrote a post on whether or not guitarists should learn to read music.
Just to prove my point that guitarists don’t necessarily need to learn how to read music, I wanted to put together a list of some of the greatest guitarists who couldn’t read music either.
Hopefully the list will give you some inspiration of what’s possible, even without formal musical training. Take a gander, because I bet you’ll recognize some names 🙂
How to Listen to These Guitarists for Free
If you want to listen to these famous guitarists who couldn’t read music, I recommend doing so with Amazon Music Unlimited. With Amazon Music’s free trial, you get access to over 60 million songs completely free – and you can listen anytime, anywhere. You can check it out here (link to Amazon).
Now without further ado, let’s discover these 11 famous guitarists who couldn’t read music.
1. Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson was one of the earliest innovators of blues guitar, going on to influence everyone from Eric Clapton to B.B. King. It’s worth noting that many guitarists (I’m talking the vast majority) in the blues tradition could not read music. BB, Buddy Guy, Guitar Slim, etc.
2. Elvis Presley
The King himself was no aficionado when it came to music theory, and yet it’s clear he didn’t let that limit his success.
3. The Beatles (yes – all of them)
We all know the Beatles, but few people new that none of the band members knew how to read music. Even with this supposed roadblock, the became the most famous band in history, writing songs that are still legendary to this day
4. Eric Clapton
The mighty “slow hand” himself never did learn to read music, and yet he’s one of the greatest guitarists to have ever lived.
5. Stevie Ray Vaughn
SRV is another guitarist in the blues tradition who couldn’t read music. It didn’t seem to hinder his guitar solos… Just give them a listen if you don’t believe me.
6. Eddie Van Halen
Although he couldn’t read music, Eddie Van Halen would notoriously practice his guitar technique alone in his room for hours on end. This kind of dedication is what made him one of the greatest electric guitarists of his generation.
7. Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel is perhaps the most accomplished acoustic guitarists in the world, playing across a variety of genres and styles, all without the ability to read music.
8. Slash
Slash of Guns N Roses fame is one of the most celebrated electric guitarists in the Rock N Roll world.
9. Jimi Hendrix
Hendrix was known for being a bit outside of the box, (playing a right handed guitar even though he was left handed, for example).
10. Bob Dylan
Yes, the greatest song writer of the 20th century couldn’t read music.
11. Bob Weir
Weir is most famous for his time in the Grateful Dead, and is an amazing rhythm guitarist. Weir is dyslexic, and thus never learned to read music.
Learn Guitar Without Reading Music
Wondering how to get started learning the guitar without being able to read music? Don’t worry, I have a ton of resources for you!
The fastest way to make progress is with guitar courses taught by expert players. I reveal all my favorite ones here.
However, I understand that not everyone can afford a paid premium course or membership. When I was first starting out, I learned as much as I could for free. To share exactly how I did so, I wrote up a guide to my favorite YouTube channels where I learned a ton of free information about playing guitar.
Check out my guide to the best youtube channels to learn acoustic guitar for free.
PS: Another tip for you – one of the fastest ways to progress on the guitar is by learning as many of your favorite songs as possible. That’s why I wrote up a resource on FIFTY acoustic songs that are perfect for beginners. You can check it out here to start learning. Have fun!