To read or not to read – that is the question! It is, indeed, one of the most heated questions in music, with some arguing the ability to read is necessary and others saying you shouldn’t ever bother trying. 

It’s easy to assume the best guitar players of our times must be able to read music, but this is not always the case. History knows some amazing guitarists, some of who are still going strong, that couldn’t read a note! 

Here’s a look at some of the guitar virtuosos that struggled reading music. 

Jimi Hendrix 

Jimi Hendrix has been voted as the greatest guitarist of all times in a number of occasions. When you consider the amount of unique guitar solos and memorable tunes Hendrix gave to the world, it’s easy to assume he would have been fluent in reading music. 

But in an interview in 1969, he was asked whether he is able to read music and the legend replied, “No, not at all”. 

Eric Clapton 

Mister Clapton may be the only musician in the world who’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times, but he isn’t your go-to guy when it comes to sheet music. 

He revealed his inability to read on his autobiography. He told he had been playing with the legendary Aretha Franklin and gotten so nervous because everyone else was playing from a sheet and he didn’t know how to ready any of it! 

Nonetheless, Clapton’s career has turned out all right! 

Tommy Emmanuel 

This is a bit of a shocker, but one of the biggest classical guitar virtuosos can’t read music. Tommy Emmanuel started playing the guitar at the ripe-old-age of four and trained himself completely by ear! 

Despite never learning to read music, little Tommy became a professional when he turned six. You can understand why by listening to the tunes below. 

Slash 

Slash might be the man behind some of the world’s most recognisable riffs such as Sweet Child O’ Mine, but he is not able to read notes. 

In a Snakepit Q&A session, he revealed that he isn’t able to read music, but relies fully on his ability to play by ear. His inability to read music also has made him prefer writing songs on his own. 

You can find out more about Slash’s inspirations from the below YouTube video. 

The Beatles 

You are right to point out that the Beatles isn’t really a single guitarist, but we couldn’t help but point out that none of the famous four knew how to read music. In a surprising interview to Playboy in 1980 – yes, Playboy! – John Lennon revealed that none of the guys knew how to read music. 

In fact, John Lennon shocked many by saying he has never practiced scales! We, of course, don’t encourage you to skip practicing guitar scales, but each to their own. 

You might think the above guitarists are just an exception to the rule, but there are actually quite a lot of guitarists out there that don’t read music. Guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young and Tony Iommi are among some of the notable self-taught guitarists. 

Of course, the ability to read music won’t make you a worse player either. It’s a good idea to test different ways of learning to play the guitar and find the methods that suit you the best!