How To Read Guitar Tab

How To Read Guitar Tab

Here is a step by step guide to reading guitar tablature. Tablature is generally simple to read, and is also simple to write.

You start out with 6 lines which correspond to the string of the instrument. The top line is the highest pitch string, and the bottom line is the lowest pitch string. Below is a blank TAB with the string names at the left.

E----------------------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------------

Numbers are written on the lines to show you where to fret the string with your left hand. If a zero is written on a line, this means you need to play the open string. Like standard musical notation, you read from left to right to work out in what order you should play the notes. The following piece of TAB would mean play the sequence of notes (E F F# G G# A) on the bottom E string by moving up a fret at a time, starting with the open string.

E----------------------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------------------------------
E---0--1--2--3--4--5----------------------------------------

Here we have notes being played one at a time. If two or more notes are to be played together or simultaneously, they are written on top of one another, again just like standard notation.

E----3------------------------------------------------------------
B----3------------------------------------------------------------
G----4------------------------------------------------------------
D----5------------------------------------------------------------
A----5------------------------------------------------------------
E----3------------------------------------------------------------

In the next example we have a G bar chord. So this means play all these notes together as a chord. You might see the same chord written like this :

E--------3--------------------------------------------------------
B-------3---------------------------------------------------------
G------4----------------------------------------------------------
D-----5-----------------------------------------------------------
A----5------------------------------------------------------------
E---3-------------------------------------------------------------

This would mean strum the same shape starting at the bottom string, so that each string is hit slightly later than the last string, but all notes will ring together. Below is am example of the same shape again, but now the gaps between the notes are bigger - so you would probably pick the strings separately instead of slowly strumming the shape.

E------------------3----------------------------------------------
B---------------3-----3--------------------------------------------
G------------4-----------4-----------------------------------------
D---------5-----------------5--------------------------------------
A------5-----------------------5----------------------------------
E---3-----------------------------3--------------------------------

You might well ask but how do I know how fast or slow to play this and are all the notes supposed to be the same length ? This is where tablature is different to other standard notations. Most often TAB will *not* give you any information on the note lengths. It is usually up to you to listen to the song and then determine the rhythm from there. However – there is no need to panic about this. TAB should give you some indications of timing. In the example above all the notes are evenly spaced so you can reasonably assume that the notes are the same length (maybe all eighth notes or quavers) but this may not always be true - it depends on who wrote the TAB. Keep a watch on this, and if in doubt experiment a little to find the right sound.

For more lessons on how to play guitar the right way - goto http://www.startguitar.com