Guitar tabs give you access to loads of your favourite songs without having to sit through lengthy YouTube tutorials or spend hours picking up the notes by ear.
In this article, I’ll show you how to read guitar tabs, covering everything from fret numbers to the special techniques that’ll spice up your playing.
In a hurry?
Here are the basics to reading guitar tabs:
- Horizontal lines represent the guitar strings – the bottom line is the low E string, and the top line is the high E string
- A number on a line shows which fret you should press on the corresponding string
- “0” means an open string – you play the string without pressing any frets
- Tabs are read from left to right, showing the order of notes or chords to play
- When numbers are aligned vertically, play all the indicated notes simultaneously – this is a chord
- Special notations like “h” for hammer-ons, “p” for pull-offs, and “/” for slides denote special playing techniques
- Tabs indicate pitch but not timing – I always use accompanying music for rhythm guidance
- Adjust to alternate tunings if specified, retune your guitar to match the tuning mentioned at the start of the tab
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What are guitar tabs?
Guitar tabs are visual representations of the notes of songs. Six horizontal lines represent the guitar’s strings, with the top line indicating the high E string and the bottom line indicating the low E string. The numbers on the lines show which fret to press on a given string, so you can play along to your favourite songs with accuracy.
Tabs are great if you’re a beginner because they’re much easier to read than standard musical notation. They show when, where, and how to apply pressure to get the right sound. Like standard notation, you read tabs from left to right.
How to read guitar tabs
The staff
The staff used for guitar tabs looks like that used in traditional musical notation, only it’s much more intuitive, so you’ll be able to get to grips with it if you’re a beginner. The line at the bottom represents the low-E string, followed by A, D, G, B, and the high-E string at the top.
Frets
Guitar frets are the small metal bars on the neck of the guitar that divide it into sections, each representing a half-step in pitch. When you press a string down just behind a fret, it changes the note the string produces. Numbers on the lines of a tab indicate which fret to press. For example, a “5” is telling you to press the fifth fret on a given string. A “0” means the string is played open, without pressing any fret.
Chords
Chords are a collection of notes played at the same time. On guitar tabs, they’re shown by a stack of vertically arranged notes. For example, a D-major chord will read “0” on the D string, “2” on the G string, “3” on the B string, and “2” on the high E string – with the numbers making a straight line running vertically up the tab.
Symbols and techniques
Muting guitar notes
Muted notes are shown with an “x” on the line. To play a muted note, you should lightly rest your finger on the string without pressing it fully against a fret – this creates a percussive sound rather than a clear note.
Sliding
“Sliding” is represented by a forward slash “/” for sliding up the fretboard or a backslash “\” for sliding down.
You start by pressing a note on one fret, then slide your finger along the string to another fret without lifting it. For example, “5/7” means you press the fifth fret, strike the string, and slide up to the seventh fret in one smooth motion. You’ll hear this technique played frequently in blues and jazz.
Hammer-ons and pull-offs
Hammer-ons are indicated by a “h” in tabs, while pull-offs are shown with a “p”. A hammer-on involves striking a string and pressing a higher fret with another finger on the same string without picking again. For example, “3h5” tells you to play the fifth fret, then press the seventh quickly.
A pull-off is the reverse – you play a higher fret and pull your finger off to a lower fret, as in “5p3″. If you want to hear a famous example of consecutive hammer-ons and pull-offs, try Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile”.
Bending strings
Bends are shown with a “b” or an arrow in tabs, often followed by the target pitch, such as “7b9″. This means you play the seventh fret and bend the string to match the pitch of the ninth fret. To perform a bend, push the string upwards (or downwards) with your fretting finger while keeping it pressed firmly against the fretboard. It’s one of the most expressive techniques you can do, making your guitar scream!
Strumming patterns
Strumming patterns in guitar tabs are often shown with two symbols: a horizontal line with legs for downstrokes and a “V” for upstrokes. These indicate the direction of your strumming hand. An X above an arrow means you should mute the strings. A” > “indicates that the note should be played more aggressively.
Guitar tabs vs. chord charts
Guitar tabs and chord charts both help you read and play music, but they serve different purposes. Chord charts provide a visual representation of a chord, showing the position of each finger on the fretboard for all notes in the chord. Frets are indicated at the top of the chart.
Open strings are marked with an “O”, and muted strings are shown with an “X”. Chord charts provide an overview of the general chords in a song – I find them particularly useful when I’m learning pop or country style songs because they tend to use simple chord progressions, but they’re also great if you just want to learn some general chord shapes.
Tabs offer more detail, covering specific techniques. If a chord appears in a tab, it shows you how to play it in the context of a song, including fingerpicking patterns and subtle note changes. They’re ideal for learning riffs, solos, and intricate chord progressions. For example, if you want to learn “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, a tab will help you a lot more than a chord chart because it goes into much greater detail.
FAQs
How do you read tabs on guitar?
Guitar tabs are read from bottom to top because the lines on the tab represent the strings as they’re seen from your point of view. Numbers on tabs tell you where to place your fingers on the fretboard as you read from left to right.
Is it hard to read guitar tabs?
Compared to standard musical notation, guitar tabs aren’t hard to read. The intuitive layout of tabs – a series of horizontal lines that represent guitar strings with numbers indicating finger placement on frets – means you can read them quickly, unlike standard notation which takes some people years to learn.
Are guitar tabs easy to learn?
While tabs are easier to learn than standard musical notation, if you’ve only just picked up a guitar, you’ll find chord charts to be a better starting point. Learning chords builds up your finger strength, dexterity, and understanding of the fretboard, which you’ll need if you want to tackle more advanced tabs.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you now know how to read guitar tabs and make the most of this easy, intuitive way of learning your favourite songs. Why not take your sound further with one of our favourite guitar amps?
There’s more to learning guitar than just reading tabs. If you want to dive into other aspects of playing guitar, check out our article teaching you how to learn the basics.
I’d recommend learning some easy riffs to begin with – classic beginner songs like “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple or “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes are always great starting points! If these songs don’t float your boat, there are plenty of other easy guitar riffs that are perfect for learning via tabs.
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