Never Too Much | TAB
Let’s look at all three sections that make up Never Too Much using TAB so you can play it correctly in your band. Here’s the signature intro/instrumental section.
I like to play the bass note on string 6 for the first A11 but leave the bass notes to other instruments when it goes chromatic for Ab11, A11, Bb11 and B11,
If we stick with these chords for the moment, they come back in different forms in bars 5, 9 and 10. In bars 5 and 10 it’s Em7, A11, and B11 instead. The rhythm is the same.
In bar 9, we use the same chords as we played in bar 1; A11, Bb11, and B11.
It’s these kinds of subtle details that if you get right move you from the average working band to one that gets paid top dollar.
The little lick between these chords is all D Major Pentatonic. You could (with time) experiment with varying these.
One note is outside D Major Pentatonic, it’s in bar 7, suggesting it’s B Dorian, rather than Aeolian. Remember B11 is not a major chord as it doesn’t have a 3rd.
Perhaps it would have been more accurate to call it A/B.
Anyway, let’s move on to the verse of Never Too Much, here it is in TAB.
Again, it’s all D Major Pentatonic notes here, which is the same as B Minor Pentatonic (remember that B11 has no 3rd!). There is more variation in the original recording than what you see here, you could even expand and invent your own lines.
The chords in bar 4 could be played as we did during the intro if you want some variation. The final bar is a clue as to what is about to come, the chorus.
I’ve gone for chords here rather than the licks you hear in the original recording. Sometimes I play the the string line live depending on what the keyboard player does.
I felt that you needed these chords first in case you play without keyboards, somebody has to play the actual chords!
Again, the chromatic 11 chords are best without a root note on string 6.
There’s a 3/4 bar in there, some people argue it’s a 2/4 + a 5/4 instead of 4/4 + a 3/4. I reckon as long as you get it right it’s fine.
Never Too Much TAB | Related Pages
Never Too Much | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn to play Never Too Much by Luther Vandross using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| B11 | B11 |
I can’t fool myself, I don’t want nobody else to ever love me…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Luther Vandross tunes
Starting as a backing vocalist in the ’70s, Luther Vandross embarked on a solo career in the ’80s before he ended up singing duets in the ’80s and ’90s.
His best tunes include covers of Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now, duets like Endless Love, and of course, his very own smash hit Never Too Much.
Luther Vandross on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This guitar lesson by Dan Lundholm featuring TAB covers Never Too Much. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.