The numbers refer to fret numbers on a given string. In tablature, the six horizontal lines represent the six strings of the guitar, with the first string on the top and sixth on the bottom. The most common time signature is 4/4, which signifies four quarter notes per measure and is sometimes designated with the symbol “C” (for common time). The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom number indicates the rhythmic value of each beat (4 equals a quarter note, 8 equals an eighth note, 16 equals a 16th note, and 2 equals a half note). The fraction (4/4, 3/4, 6/8, etc.) or “C” character shown at the beginning of a piece of music denotes the time signature. A quarter note equals one beat, an eighth note equals half of one beat, and a 16th note is a quarter beat (there are four 16th notes per beat). A whole note (see below) equals four beats. The duration of a note is determined by three things: the note head, stem, and flag. Notes are written in alphabetical order from A to G. In the next lesson we’ll look at some more advanced guitar techniques and tablature symbols.Standard notation is written on a five-line staff. However you play it, a muted note is shown by an X on the string instead of a number. Single notes and whole chords can be muted. When you pick a muted note it should sound dead and percussive. The second way is to mute the string as you play it with your fretting hand.
The first way is to gently press on the string with the fretting hand, making sure you don’t push the string all the way down to the fret. This is called a mute and it’s normally performed in one of two ways.
#HOW TO READ GUITAR TABS FOR FINGERSTYLE HOW TO#
How to read guitar tab example 6įinally, it’s possible to play a note on the guitar which doesn’t have any pitch at all. To test yourself, play the following melody on your guitar.
#HOW TO READ GUITAR TABS FOR FINGERSTYLE FULL#
Normally, when a full chord is notated in tablature we add the chord grid and symbol above it to make the music easier to read. In the previous example, you may have recognised the final chord of D Major. Remember, we read from left to right, so notes that are written vertically are played simultaneously. If we need to play two or more notes at once, the fret numbers are stacked vertically on top of each other. To indicate that a string should be played open without any fretted note, we simply write a 0 on the required string. Play through the following example and listen to the audio track to check you’re doing it right. Play the 7th fret on the fourth (D) string. Play the 2nd fret on the second (B) string. Play the 5th fret on the highest (first) string. Play the 3rd fret on the lowest (sixth) string. To indicate that a specific fret should be played on a particular string, we simply write the required fret number on the relevant line. Often in guitar tab you will see the note names of the strings written to the left of the tab stave, and the word TAB written on the strings themselves.Īnother handy way to remember which string is which is to look at the word TAB and see that the B (for bass) is on the lowest line and the T (for treble is on the highest line) How to read guitar tab example 1Īs with standard notation and written English, we read music from left to right. You can now easily see how the lines relate to the strings on the guitar. On paper, it’s the furthest line away from you and also the furthest string away from you on the guitar. The highest pitched string of the guitar (high E) is the highest line on the tab. If you lay the book flat on a table, the closest line to you is the closest string to you.
The easiest way to tell which one is which is to remember that the lowest (bass) string of the guitar is the lowest written line of tab. The tablature stave or staff contains six lines and each line represents one string of the guitar. The basics of how to read guitar tablature are very simple.