How To Read Guitar Tab

If you’re having trouble learning how to play guitar tab, you’re not alone. Many people struggle when they first learn the basics of tablature. While it can be easier than reading traditional music and give you some flexibility in how notes are played, it can also be confusing, especially if it is written poorly or you are unsure of what some marks mean. If you're looking for a great way to learn the guitar we recommend Jamorama.

The Horizontal Lines 

The lines of your guitar tabs are going to be laid out very similar to a piece of music. However, instead of representing a range of notes that you must memorize and transliterate, each of the six lines in the tablature represents one of the six strings of your guitar – E,B,G,D,A, and E. The first E is the top most line and the last E is the bottom line. You will need to be able to quickly and easily translate the lines and their notes to your guitar neck as you play. Practice doing it with some basic scale tabs to start – these will have you play through the notes, either in a full scale or in a C Major.

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Numbers Written on the Lines

The hardest part of how to read guitar tab is the numbers or notes laid out on the strings of the tabs. Across the lines are multiple numbers that tell you where to put your fingers as you play. Each number represents a fret on that particular string. So, if the first note of a song was an “8” on the second string, you would hold the 8th fret on the B string and strum.

After this note, the tab will read to the right to the second note. Depending on the tab you are reading, time may not be included so it is always good to have the song to listen to as well so you can emulate the space between notes

Chords

When you learn to read guitar tab, you’ll find that chords can also be laid out on tabs for you to play. Chord tabs when you are learning guitar are often different though. Instead of a single note, it will show each string’s position. Every note you’re supposed to play will be marked by a darkened circle, often times with a number to show you which finger to place there. Each string to be left open will have an open circle and each note to be muted will have an X or a squiggly line through it.

Once you learn to play these chords by sight, most guitar tabs will simply tell you the chord to play by its name instead of its appearance.

Ultimately, if you practice regularly, pick up the speed at which you can read the tab and ensure you always get it right before moving on to another song, you will learn how to read guitar tab in no time. At that point, you can start learning a variety of different techniques to master for you and your guitar.

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