I used this feature to rapidly access artists, etc. without scrolling through my whole library. How do I do this in 1.8?
You scroll quickly and it shows you the letter of the alphabet you are on. 
That is so cool - much smarter than the old ABC. Thanks for pointing it out
Many prefer the alphabet because faster than scrolling:
On desktop / laptop: just type one or more letters to get to the first row with a match.
As far as I know, scrolling / dragging is your only option on mobile / tablet.
You can also just click into the filter box and type the first 2 or 3 letters of whatever you’re looking for.
And yes, on desktop you can just type (on your keyboard) to jump.
This is not a replacement, please see the many posts in the other thread, Why has the Alphabetic way of quick searching gone in 1.8?
In the filter box, typing “BA” to go to Bach shows you half of your library because it shows every album containing “b” and “a” in any position. (Entering more characters into the filter bar is particularly tedious on tablet in landscape, as the on-screen keyboard is big).
The filter is nice for other things, but not for this. (The letter popup when scrolling is also not a replacement).
The alphabetic search existed in 1.7 on tablet, please bring it back. The tablet has the editing features like the desktop has, as well. (If the idea is consistency on phones and tablets, add the alphabetic bar on phone, instead of taking it away on tablet)