How to Read Guitar Tabs

Guitar tabs also known as tablature is the main way and easiest way to learn songs on guitar. Learning how to read guitar tabs is essential for all players. As a beginner you can start learning your favorite song tonight. In this article you will completely learn how to read guitar tabs as well as most common symbols you will see along your journey and what they mean. Also basic finger positionings and how to read strumming patterns.

Guitar tabs are the superior way to read music notation for guitar despite what classical guitar snobs say. Although traditional music notation conveys more information about scale and theory. The first written melody’s were in a form of basic tab and many classical musicians used a form of tabs.

It is the preferred choice by guitar players as opposed to standard music notation because of the wide variety of tabs available. Also tabs convey more helpful information for a guitar player. The main difference between standard notation and guitar tabs are that the vertical lines represent the guitar strings other than the notes on a scale.

Understanding Guitar Tabs

The six lines on the tab represent each string. The bottom line on the tab is the low E string. It is easy to get this mixed up. Your low E string is considered the sixth string. String five and string six are called the bass strings.

The numbers on the tab represent the fret numbers. With 0 meaning no frets held down also known as open string. Use your fret markers to play along as you read. Most guitars have 12-24 frets with markers on the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and twelfth fret. Try to play the tab below. Click Come As You Are by Nirvana for the full tab.

Finger Position

A basic technique that every guitar player should learn is finger positioning. Place your index finger over the first fret, middle finger over the second fret, ring finger over the third fret and your pinky over the fourth fret. This is called the first position. Only play the frets with the corresponding finger. If you do the same but with frets five, six, seven and eight this is called the second position. Moving one fret down is a semitone or half step, moving two frets down is a whole tone or whole step.

Reading Chords

When all the notes are lined up vertically that means it is a chord. Sometimes the chord is labeled above the tabs. When you see two notes on the bass strings it usually means it is a power chord. When you see two or more notes on strings away from each other, that means that it is plucked with two fingers. This is called or fingerstyle.

Common Tab Symbols

The most common symbol you will see is palm muting, often represented as a line or dotted line indicating the duration. This will have the letters P.M. above it. Palm muting is when you rest your palm lightly on the string with your picking hand as you play, creating a muted effect.

Another common one you will see is the bend symbol either represented as a B next to the note or as a curved line. The curved line bending back down indicates to bend the string and then bend back to the original note.

Tapping is shown with a curve from one note bending over another note. The tapping technique is when you play one note and tap the same string with your other finger a note or two lower usually. This is heard in the song Thunderstruck by AC/DC.

Another common one is a curve to indicate when to let the note ring, sometimes seen with the same notes next to it in parentheses. This just means to hold the note and let it ring.

Tremolo is often shown as a zigzag line above the tab or as a T next to the note. This is a technique with multiple methods but the most common is to play a note and then move the string back and worth while you are holding it.

A slash in between notes is used to show when to slide a note up or down. This is fun and easy to learn. Just slide the string up or down as the note rings. Backwards slash \ means slide down, forward slash / means slide up.

X’s on the tab mean that you mute the strings as you play. All you need to do is rest your fretting hand on the strings and strum. This is shown in chords like the A chord when the top string is muted with your thumb.

Hammer-on is sometimes shown as a curve from one note to another, or with a H. This is played by tapping down on the string while the last note is still playing.

Reading Strum Patterns

Most strumming pattern notation is in eighth notes. The arrows show when to strum up or down. The plus sign or a blank space means to not strum at that time. Sometimes strum patterns can be indicated with U for up and D for down. For example D DUD would mean to strum down pull your hand back up and then down, up, down.

Reading Time Notation

Beats per minute or BPM tells you what tempo to play the song at. A metronome can help you practice. If the song is difficult, just start at half speed until you get better at it.

The numbers before the tab show what time signature the song is in. Most common time signatures are 4/4 or 3/4 time. Bars are split up with horizontal lines usually every quarter note or eighth note.

How to Tune Your Guitar

To tune your guitar just turn your tuning knobs and pick the corresponding string. You can use a free app or use a clip on guitar tuner. A free app gets the job done just fine but a clip on tuner is more reliable and offers more. Most guitar players use standard E tuning, E A D G B E from thickest to thinnest. Remember it easily with the phrase “Eddy Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddy.” RIP Eddy, that’s messed up.