HOW TO READ GUITAR TABS

How to read guitar tabs

If you are going to learn how to play guitar, it is absolutely important that you learn how to read music. Just like knowing how to read English. If you can not read English you can not read this blog. So you need to know how to read music. In guitar playing there is a form of music notation called guitar tablature (tabs). It is a simple and effective way of recording music in writing. In tabs you will see 6 lines representing each string on the guitar.

E------------------------5----------(Thinnest string)
B----------------------4------------
G-------------------3---------------
D--------------2--------------------
A--------------2--------------------
E--------------0--------------------(Thickest string)

The number on that line indicates which fret you need to press on that string. It is basically telling you which part of the string you need to press. If the numbers line up vertically like the example above with 0 2 2 on the same vertical. That means you have to play those 3 strings at the same time. 0 means playing the string open and 2 means pressing on the 2nd fret. That is actually an E minor chord. Sometimes you might see chord names written just below the tab as well. For string G B E you will press fret 3 then 4 then 5 in consecutive order.

7 Most common tab symbols

There are symbols on the tab to indicate how the note is played. The way a note is played can dramatically affect the tone and the mood of that note.

1.
b : string bend – one of the most widely used techniques. Usually written like this 5b7. It means bending the string from the note on the 5th fret to the note on the 7th fret. You do this by pressing on the 5th fret, while holding the string push or pull the string until the note is at the same pitch as if you were pressing on the 7th fret.

2.
s : slide – similar to be bend you change the pitch by sliding from one fret to another on the same string. Usually written something like this 5s7 or 5/7 or 7\5.

/ means sliding to a higher pitch, \ means sliding to a lower pitch

3.
v : vibrate - sometimes written as ~ . It means vibrate the string using your finger on the same fret, prolonging the sound of that note.

4.
h : hammer on – usually written like this 5h7 meaning holding on 5th fret and then taping another finger on to 7th fret. By taping your finger on the fret you don’t need to pluck the string again. The tapping force should generate the sound.

5.
p : pull off – is the opposite of h written like this 7p5. It is done by holding on fret 7 and 5 on the same string. Playing the note on 7th fret then pulling your finger off the 7th fret in a quick action leaving only your other finger holding down on the 5th fret.

6.
t : right hand tapping (for left handed players it would be right hand tapping) – same as h, usually used in conjunction with h and p to play notes in a wider rang of pitch in greater speed. E.g. 3h5t12p5p3

7.
x : mute – meaning that string is not played. Usually dampening the sound with your fingers lightly touching that string absorbing the vibration



Now that you have an idea about how to read tabs you can write your own tab later on. You can share your tabs on the internet for other guitar player. There are lot of site which share tabs. Most of those tabs are made by guitar enthusiasts, some of them sounds a bit off and bit hard to read. But you can still find lot of good quality ones.

You can try sites like these to search on songs you would like to learn.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/
http://www.guitartabs.cc/