How to Read Tabs

Guitar tablature is the unofficial language of guitar music online. It is an essential skill for guitarists who want to learn the guitar online and can be picked up very easily. Furthermore, being able to read tabs gives you one of the quickest and easiest ways to start playing the guitar.

Guitar tablature is divided into bars (horizontal lines) with a set number of beats (usually 4 beats) per bar.  Each horizontal line represents a string of the guitar. The top most line represents the 1st string of the guitar (thinnest string ~ high e) while the bottom most line represents the 6th string (thickest string ~ low E).

Notice that there are numbers on the horizontal lines. These are fret numbers that indicate which fret to play on the given string. In this example. The 1st note is a 0 which indicates an open string (strike the string without pressing any frets). The next note is played by fretting the 2nd string at the 3 fret and so on. The main drawback of guitar tabs is that they do not provide the duration of the notes. Unless you have a software like Guitar Pro 5, you've got to figure out the timing of the tabs yourself in most cases.

The above melody is the intro to “Mary had a little lamb”. Try and play it on the guitar.

Common symbols in guitar tablature are shown below.

         String Bending        - Strike the note and bend the string up a tone (2 frets).

 Pre-Bend and Release - Bend the note up 2 a tone before striking it and release the bend back down to the                                                   original note.

                   Vibrato               - Vibrate the string by rapidly using the left hand or tremolo arm.

            Wide Vibrato        - Same as vibrato but varying the pitch to a greater degree.

  Harm.      Natural Harmonics  - Place finger over the string at the indicated fret but and lightly touch the string as

                                                   you strike the note.

  A.H.    Artificial Harmonics   - Fret and play the note normally. Produce the harmonic by touching the string lightly

                                         with the edge of the thumb when striking the string

        Tremolo Bar Dip        - The pitch of the note is dropped and returned by depressing and releasing the

                                                   tremolo bar.

   Inverted Tremolo Bar   - The pitch is raised and returned to by raising and releasing the tremolo bar.

         Hammer On        - Strike the first note and use your finger to hammer on the second note.

             Pull Off             - Position your fingers on the notes to be played. Strike the first note and use your

                                                    finger to pull off the second note.

                        Trill               - Fret the note and rapidly hammering and pulling off the fret indicated in the

                                                     brackets.

                Slide                 - Strike the first note and slide to the second note and strike the 

                                           second note.

        T             Finger Tapping     - Tap the fret indicated and pull off.