How to Read Guitar Tabs (Tablatures)

'How to read guitar tabs' is one of the basic lessons in learning to play the guitar. A beginner can only proceed to advanced guitar lessons if he is proficient in reading them. A guitar tab is a diagram of six parallel lines which represent the six guitar strings, on which there are numbers and various symbols that enable a player to read music and play the guitar accordingly. They are totally different from sheet music which has a five line stave, and is difficult to understand for a beginner. Moreover, staff notations are mostly used to read piano tablatures.

A guitar should be held in such as way that the thickest string is at the top and the thinnest string is at the bottom. Amateur guitarists consider the thickest string to be the first string, and the thinnest one to be the last. However, this is a misconception, as the thinnest string is the first string and the thickest string is the last string, according to guitar tablatures. A bass guitar usually consists of only the last four strings, so a bass guitar player will only have to concentrate on the last four lines in the tablature. The only disadvantage in guitar tabs is that the duration for holding a note, or a rhythm cannot be identified.

String Format on a Guitar Tab

The string format displayed in a guitar tablature is shown below.

e---------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------
G------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------
E------------------------------------

In the above diagram, the first line 'e' is the thinnest string of the guitar, which is also the first string, and produces the 'high E' sound.

The second line 'B' represents the second string, which is thicker than the first, and produces a 'B' sound.

The third line 'G' is the third string which produces the 'G' sound, and is thicker than the second.

The fourth line 'D' is the fourth string which is a bit thicker that the previous one, and produces the 'D' sound.

The second last line 'A' is the fifth string which gives out an 'A' sound, and is thicker than the fourth string.

The last line 'E' is the last string which is the thickest amongst all the six strings, and produces a low-pitched 'E' sound.

Single-note Guitar Tab

A guitar consists of frets that are normally used to identify the placement of fingers. Frets are not displayed in the tablatures. However, the numbers on the lines clearly show on which fret the fingers are to be placed.

An example of a simple single-note guitar tab is given below.

e---------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------
G------------------------------------------
D----4----4----6----4----2----0------
A---------------------------------------
E------------------------------------

In the above figure, the numbers displayed on the 'D' string denote the frets on which the fingers are to be placed. 4-displays the fourth fret, 2-displays the second fret, and 6-the sixth fret. The '0' means that the string is to be played open, which would produce the open 'D' sound. Every number on a string represents a particular musical note. In the above diagram, '4' on D string relates to the 'F#' note, '6' is the 'G#' note, and '2' is the 'E' note respectively. In this case, only single notes are to be played, and that too exclusively on the 'D' string.

Full Chord on a Guitar Tab

An example of a full chord guitar tab is given below.

e------0---------------------------------
B-----1---------------------------------
G------0-----------------------------------
D-----2---------------------------------
A-----3---------------------------------
E-----X------------------------------

The vertical pattern of the numbers in the above diagram shows that a full chord is to be played, along with the placement of the fingers. The 'e' and 'G' strings are to be played open, whereas the fingers are to be positioned only on the 'B', 'D', and 'A' strings. If in a tab, there is nothing marked on the string, or there is an 'X' shown, that string is to be muted or left untouched. If the same vertical format of numbers is repeated in the next column, the same chord is to be played that many times.

Various Tablature Symbols

There are several symbols that are used in tablatures to denote various guitar-playing techniques. Some of them are given below.

A Hammer On: A 'hammer on' is played when a note is struck, which is immediately followed by placing the next finger on another position on the fret. However, the second note is not produced by a separate pick of the string, but uses the sound created by the first pick and creates a different sound. Moreover, the first finger should not be lifted from it's position. A 'hammer on' is shown as an 'h' in the guitar tab.

e--------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------4h6------
G---------------------------4h6----------------
D------------------4h6---------------------
A----------4h6-----------------------------
E---4h6---------------------------------

Bending: It is represented by a 'b' symbol in a guitar tab. It includes playing a note and then bending the string without removing the finger from it's place on the fretboard.

e----------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------
G------------------------------------------
D----8b-----8b------------------------
A-----------------7b------7b----------
E------------------------------------

Sliding Up: A slide up is presented as '/' in a guitar tab. It includes playing a note and sliding it to a point on any succeeding fret, without lifting the finger from the string. The slide should always be from a lower fret to a higher one. In the figure below, the slide would be from the fourth fret till the tenth fret.

e---------------------------------------
B-----4/10----------------------------
G-----------------4/10--------------------
D-----------------------------4/10-----
A---------------------------------------
E------------------------------------

Sliding Down: This technique is presented as a '\' in a guitar tab. It includes playing a note and sliding it to a point on any preceding fret, without lifting the finger from the string. In this case, the slide would be from a higher fret to a lower one. In the figure below, the slide would be from the tenth fret till the fourth fret.

e---------------------------------------
B-----10\4----------------------------
G-----------------10\4--------------------
D-----------------------------10\4-----
A---------------------------------------
E------------------------------------

Vibrato: A vibrato is generally denoted by a 'v' or a '~'. In consists of bending the string either ways to produce a moving sound.

e---------------------------------------
B-------9v-----------------------------
G------------------------------------------
D--------------------10~--------------
A---------------------------------------
E------------------------------------

Tapping: This is the most famous guitar-playing technique used today. It is much like a 'hammer on', but does not include any note-picking. You just need to keep tapping on different notes on the fretboard with a finger of the strumming or fretting hand. It is shown as a 't' in a guitar tab.

There are many other techniques that are to be practiced thoroughly after learning these basic techniques of reading guitar tabs. With regular practice and persistent determination, I'm sure you would undoubtedly make a good guitarist.