How to read Tablature (Tabs)

This Lesson will Teach you How to Read Guitar Tablature or Tabs.

Tablature is a method of writing Music to be played on Guitar without Using any Advance Musical Notations. This is a very simple easy way to write your favourite songs and play it on your Guitar and also very easy to read.

1> Tabs are written on Six horizontal lines. These lines represent the six strings of a Guitar. For example

e|----------------------------------|

B|----------------------------------|

G|----------------------------------|

D|----------------------------------|

A|----------------------------------|

E|----------------------------------|

2> For example:- If we want to play 3 fret of B string on Guitar, it will be Noted on Tabs as,

e|----------------------------------|

B|---3-----------------------------|                        

G|----------------------------------|

D|----------------------------------|

A|----------------------------------|

E|----------------------------------|

This shows that how to tabs a single note.

3>  If you want to tab a Chord of a tablature, this is how You should Tab a chord. this will look like this, All the Notes should be played on Same time.

e|-----3---------------------------|

B|-----0---------------------------|

G|-----0---------------------------|

D|-----0---------------------------|

A|-----2---------------------------|

E|-----3----------------------------|

Here 0 on the tabs represent for Open string, that means the string Should be played without freting.

4> This will teach you how to note a small Riff on Tablature.

e|----------------|------------------|

B|----------------|------------------|

G|----------------|------------------|

D|----------------|------------------|

A|-----4---5---4--|-2-0---0-2-0------|

E|-2-2---2---2---2|-----4------4-0-2-|

This tab Has been tabbed on two strings E low string and A string. In this tab we have to start On 2 fret E (low)string. Which numbers are tabbed first should be picked first.

For example: In this riff you will first pick: 2f E string two times then 4f A string one time then 2f E string after that 5f A string then 2f E string then 4f A string then again 2f E string.

SYMBOLS Which Can be tabbed on a Tablature.

h - hammer on 
p - pull off 
b - bend string up
r - release bend
/ - slide up
\ - slide down
v - vibrato (sometimes written as ~)
t - right hand tap
x - play 'note' with heavy damping

For example here is a Tab,

e|-3p-1------|-------3p-1-|------------|
B|------3h-5-|------------|-3p-1-------|
G|-----------|--2h-4------|------2h-04-|
D|-----------|------------|------------|
A|-----------|------------|------------|
E|-----------|------------|------------|

In this tab it shows First play on e high string 3 fret Pulloff on 1 fret then play on 3 fret and hammer on 5 fret and so on.....

E|--3/4----|---3/4-----|-----------|
B|-3p-1----|-----------|-3p-1-----|
G|---------|------2h-4-|------2h-4--|
D|---------|-----------|-----------|
A|---------|-----------|-----------|
E|---------|-----------|-----------|

In this tab first play the note on 3 fret then slide it to 4 fret without picking (Remember for slide you have to pick just once e.g if you have to slide 3/4 that means first play 3 fret and then without picking slide it ti 4 fret)