Actually I DID understand Dick. I should have said that at first, 'cause I sounded a bit oblique.

Earl (who was inherently musical) never learned to read music, and Travis (posibly in my view, the most technically accomplished player I've ever seen) was taught how to read by Alton Delmore in 1946 when they were both on King records as part of the Brown's Ferry Four. By then Travis' style was very formed. Alton wrote an amazing book (where I got that info) called "Truth is Stranger Than Publicity". It's hard to get and it's written in "country grammar" but I've read it now at least 20 times.....'course I'm a bit of an idiot when it comes to this kind of thing ha ha!

One of my beefs about tab is that encourages direct copying...but hopefully the student moves away from it after a while.