How to Read Guitar Tabs
One of the easiest ways to learn how to play a guitar quickly is by reading guitar tablature.
This is commonly called tab and learning how to read guitar tabs is very easy.
Guitar tab resembles sheet music.
The difference is that guitar tabs have six lines while sheet music has five lines.
The six lines represent the strings of the guitar with the bottom line being the thickest string.
Here is an example of how a tab will look.
E-Thinnest string B-Next thinnest string G-Next thinnest string D-Next thinnest string A-Next thinnest string E-Thickest string Numbers are placed on the lines.
These numbers tell which fret to play on that string.
A number "1" would mean 1st fret, a "2" would mean 2nd fret and so on.
If you see a "0" it means the string is played "open" or with no fingers positioned on the neck.
An "X" means the string is not played at all.
For instance, to play a "G" on the thickest string, the tab would look like this.
E- B- G- D- A- E-3-- Assuming that you are a complete beginner AND that you are right handed, let's make sure you know what a fret is.
As you hold the guitar, your right hand is the picking hand.
The other hand holds the neck (also called the fret board) and is the one you will use to finger notes.
If you look at the neck, you will notice that there are bars that run across the neck.
There are usually 22 (some guitars have more) of them and they get closer together as you move up the neck closer to the body.
In the tab above, you would place your third finger of your left hand just behind the third fret of the thickest string and pick the string with the right hand.
CONGRATULATIONS!! You just played your first note on the guitar! Wasn't that easy? Now let's look at a tab for a group of notes.
We'll start with the lowest string (E) and go up to the highest string (G).
E--0-1-3-- B-0-1-3- G--0-2- D--0-2-3-- A-0-2-3-- E-0-1-3- Now here is the same tab with the names of the notes instead of numbers.
E--E-F-G-- B-B-C-D- G--G-A- D--D-E-F-- A-A-B-C-- E-E-F-G- OK.
Now you know how to read single notes in guitar tab, so let's see how to tab out a chord.
By definition, a chord is at least three notes played together and sound harmonious together.
The tablature rules remain the same except that the numbers will be stacked together.
When you see this, you will play all the strings at the same time.
For our purpose here we will look at a "C" chord tab.
Here I will name the notes next to the number tabs for convenience.
E-0--E-- B-1--C-- G-0--G-- D-2--E-- A-3--C-- E-X- In the example above, you would strum the C chord once.
Each time you see the chord tabbed, strum it.
For instance, a tab that tells you to strum the chord four times would look like this.
E-0--0-0-0-- B-1--1-1-1-- G-0--0-0-0-- D-2--2-2-2-- A-3--3-3-3-- E-X--X-X-X-- As you can see, guitar tabs are an easy way to learn to play quickly.
The one shortcoming is that tabs don't really give you a rhythm pattern or timing or note/chord durations.
While some tab writers try to represent these things, tabs aren't meant to replace sheet music, but just reference how and where to play the note/chord on the guitar.
If you want to learn a song using tabs, I have two suggestions for you.
1.
Listen to a song and get an idea of how it should sound.
Then go to the tab and replicate the song the same way.
2.
Use written music that has the tab under the sheet music.
While you can read the music off of the sheet, you can also reference the position on the guitar with the tab.
This is a great tool and very powerful.
There are quite a few notations that can be made as well.
Things like bends, slides, hammer ons and pull offs are quite common.
Here are a few of the most common notations you should make it a point to learn.
b=Bend r=Release bend h=Hammer on p=Pull off /=Slide up as in 5/7 -Slide down as in 7/5 PM=Palm mute T=Tap There are lots more, but these will get you started for the time being.
These notations are written in guitar tab as follows.
E-5b-9r7- B-12h14-7p5-- G-5/7-7/5-- D-- A-PM5- E-6t7-- The above is not any song that I know of.
It is simply a random presentation of the notations.
By combining the knowledge of reading music with reading guitar tabs, you can virtually learn any song.
All you need is an idea of how the song should sound, a decent guitar, a little initiative and some practice.
In no time at all, you will be amazing your friends with the ability to play songs they have heard on the radio.
Teaching yourself how to read guitar tabs is fun and easy.
Once you learn this skill, you will be unstoppable...
a virtual musical juggernaut.
Go ahead.
Get started.
Time's wasting.
This is commonly called tab and learning how to read guitar tabs is very easy.
Guitar tab resembles sheet music.
The difference is that guitar tabs have six lines while sheet music has five lines.
The six lines represent the strings of the guitar with the bottom line being the thickest string.
Here is an example of how a tab will look.
E-Thinnest string B-Next thinnest string G-Next thinnest string D-Next thinnest string A-Next thinnest string E-Thickest string Numbers are placed on the lines.
These numbers tell which fret to play on that string.
A number "1" would mean 1st fret, a "2" would mean 2nd fret and so on.
If you see a "0" it means the string is played "open" or with no fingers positioned on the neck.
An "X" means the string is not played at all.
For instance, to play a "G" on the thickest string, the tab would look like this.
E- B- G- D- A- E-3-- Assuming that you are a complete beginner AND that you are right handed, let's make sure you know what a fret is.
As you hold the guitar, your right hand is the picking hand.
The other hand holds the neck (also called the fret board) and is the one you will use to finger notes.
If you look at the neck, you will notice that there are bars that run across the neck.
There are usually 22 (some guitars have more) of them and they get closer together as you move up the neck closer to the body.
In the tab above, you would place your third finger of your left hand just behind the third fret of the thickest string and pick the string with the right hand.
CONGRATULATIONS!! You just played your first note on the guitar! Wasn't that easy? Now let's look at a tab for a group of notes.
We'll start with the lowest string (E) and go up to the highest string (G).
E--0-1-3-- B-0-1-3- G--0-2- D--0-2-3-- A-0-2-3-- E-0-1-3- Now here is the same tab with the names of the notes instead of numbers.
E--E-F-G-- B-B-C-D- G--G-A- D--D-E-F-- A-A-B-C-- E-E-F-G- OK.
Now you know how to read single notes in guitar tab, so let's see how to tab out a chord.
By definition, a chord is at least three notes played together and sound harmonious together.
The tablature rules remain the same except that the numbers will be stacked together.
When you see this, you will play all the strings at the same time.
For our purpose here we will look at a "C" chord tab.
Here I will name the notes next to the number tabs for convenience.
E-0--E-- B-1--C-- G-0--G-- D-2--E-- A-3--C-- E-X- In the example above, you would strum the C chord once.
Each time you see the chord tabbed, strum it.
For instance, a tab that tells you to strum the chord four times would look like this.
E-0--0-0-0-- B-1--1-1-1-- G-0--0-0-0-- D-2--2-2-2-- A-3--3-3-3-- E-X--X-X-X-- As you can see, guitar tabs are an easy way to learn to play quickly.
The one shortcoming is that tabs don't really give you a rhythm pattern or timing or note/chord durations.
While some tab writers try to represent these things, tabs aren't meant to replace sheet music, but just reference how and where to play the note/chord on the guitar.
If you want to learn a song using tabs, I have two suggestions for you.
1.
Listen to a song and get an idea of how it should sound.
Then go to the tab and replicate the song the same way.
2.
Use written music that has the tab under the sheet music.
While you can read the music off of the sheet, you can also reference the position on the guitar with the tab.
This is a great tool and very powerful.
There are quite a few notations that can be made as well.
Things like bends, slides, hammer ons and pull offs are quite common.
Here are a few of the most common notations you should make it a point to learn.
b=Bend r=Release bend h=Hammer on p=Pull off /=Slide up as in 5/7 -Slide down as in 7/5 PM=Palm mute T=Tap There are lots more, but these will get you started for the time being.
These notations are written in guitar tab as follows.
E-5b-9r7- B-12h14-7p5-- G-5/7-7/5-- D-- A-PM5- E-6t7-- The above is not any song that I know of.
It is simply a random presentation of the notations.
By combining the knowledge of reading music with reading guitar tabs, you can virtually learn any song.
All you need is an idea of how the song should sound, a decent guitar, a little initiative and some practice.
In no time at all, you will be amazing your friends with the ability to play songs they have heard on the radio.
Teaching yourself how to read guitar tabs is fun and easy.
Once you learn this skill, you will be unstoppable...
a virtual musical juggernaut.
Go ahead.
Get started.
Time's wasting.
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