How to read Guitar Tabs

Guitar tablature, usually referred to as "tab", is a method of notating music that empowers beginner guitarists to learn songs quickly and easily. Guitar tabs share similarities with music staff notation by showing you what notes to play, how long to play them, and what techniques to use. But when compared to standard music notation, learning and reading guitar tablature offers a serious advantage: it shows you where to play the notes on your guitar.

This comes in handy, especially since the guitar has many different places to play the same notes. For this reason, understanding guitar tablature and learning how to read tabs for guitar is particularly useful for beginners and allows students to learn how to play the guitar without ever having to learn how to read traditional musical notation.

It can be the fastest way to learn your favorite songs. It can also be an easier way to learn, since knowing how to read guitar tabs doesn't require any special knowledge other than locating the strings and the frets on your guitar.

WHAT ARE GUITAR TABS?
Guitar tablature is the visual representation of the notes in a song. The standard guitar tab consists of six horizontal lines, with each line standing for the six strings on the guitar. When learning how to read tabs for guitar, you'll need to look at the tablature from top to bottom. The top line represents the high E string (the thinnest string) followed by lines that represent the B, G, D, A, and low E strings (the thickest string).

This also reflects the view of the strings as you look down while holding your guitar. For this reason, think of guitar tablature as your roadmap, for it will provide you with the fastest route to learning guitar songs.



When reading guitar tablature, you will also see numbers on each line of tab. These numbers stand for the frets on your guitar, which are the metal strips found on the fretboard. The frets are numbered 0-24, start at the nut (the piece closest to the headstock), and run the entire length of the guitar neck.

For example, if the string has a 0, that means you play that string "open," or without using your fretting hand. If the string has a 1, then that means you must play using the first fret. When learning how to read guitar tabs, it's important to understand that 1 represents the first fret, 2 the second fret, 3 the third fret, and so on.

HOW TO READ GUITAR TABS
Guitar tablature is read left to right, and all notes shown are in chronological order. When the numbers are in line with each other vertically, they represent a chord. A chord is played by strumming all the indicated strings at the same time. Guitar tab notation is better for beginners than standard notation, for it tells you what notes to play to make the chord and where you can find them on your guitar.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW TO READ GUITAR TABS?
When beginners learn how to read guitar tabs successfully, they must familiarize themselves with the 6 strings and the locations of the various frets. This will allow them to find the proper notes to play while using the guitar tab as a guide.

UNDERSTANDING THE GUITAR TAB STAFF
The guitar tab staff looks like the staff used in standard notation. One major difference is that the staff lines in the guitar tab represent the 6 strings, not the actual notes.

The top line is the high E string and the bottom line represents the low E string. This makes playing and learning how to read guitar tabs easy for beginners, and the staff will also be labeled "TAB" so it's not confused with standard notation.

UNDERSTANDING GUITAR FRETS
The guitar frets are the metal strips that run across the fretboard.

Most guitars will have 19-24 frets. Each fret is one note or a half step from the other (which can also be referred to as a semitone). There are 12 notes (or frets) in each octave, and most guitars have fret markers on the side of the neck or the fretboard. These markers are typically at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12 frets, and can help you easily recognize the fret positions when playing.

Remember: when looking at guitar strings, fretted strings are shown by numbers, and open strings are indicated by the number "0". This shows you to play the string "open" without using your fretting hand. You simply pick or pluck the string and let it sound.

UNDERSTANDING GUITAR TAB CHORDS
While guitar chords do not have any special symbols in the guitar tab, they can be found easily by their position. When several notes are shown to line up vertically, they are played together making a chord. If a chord is arpeggiated, it will appear as single notes even though you are fretting a chord.



UNDERSTANDING GUITAR TAB RIFFS
Many Rock songs consist of "riffs". Riffs are usually a combination of single notes and partial chords (such as power chords). For riffs, the general rules of the guitar tab apply: when two or more notes line up vertically, play them at the same time. This helpful tip makes learning how to read guitar tablature quick and easy.

UNDERSTANDING GUITAR TABS VS CHORD CHARTS
A guitar tab differs from a standard chord chart in a few ways. A chord chart is a diagram showing where to fret each string to make a chord, and it also tells you which finger to use. A chord chart can be included in the guitar tab and is usually positioned over the lyrics of the song to show when the chords are changed.

Chord charts only show the 3 to 4 unique notes that make up the specific chord. However, a correct version of the song may require single notes, notes not in the root chord, or arpeggios (the pattern used to play the individual notes within a chord) that are not indicated. For this reason, chord charts are often featured along with guitar tabs to help beginning guitarists understand how to move beyond the basic chords to play a song.

UNDERSTANDING FINGERS AND NUMBERS
Guitar tablature is linear, but chord charts are like a snapshot of your fretboard. As such, chord charts use a numbering system that shows which fingers to use when playing. The fingers of the "fretting" hand (the hand that pushes the strings down on the fretboard) are numbered. For example, the index finger is 1, the middle finger is 2, the ring finger is 3, and the pinky is 4.
This differs from the tab, as the numbers used in the guitar tab will show which fret to play, and not which finger to use. For this reason, chord charts can be included in easy guitar tabs to show beginners how to position their hands while playing.

HOW TO READ GUITAR TAB SYMBOLS
Besides lines and numbers, the guitar tab can have different symbols that indicate when to play a specific technique. Learning how to read guitar tabs and symbols and how to apply them will make your playing sound much more authentic and make reading guitar tabs easy.

Before playing, always make sure to check your guitar tuning and adjust your pitch, or your guitar won't sound right.