How To Understand Guitar Tabs

Tablature is a system of notation that that graphically represents the strings and frets of the guitar fingerboard. Each note is indicated by placing a number, which indicates the fret or finger position to be picked, on the appropriate string.

For example:

|---------------------|----------10----------|----------3----------|-|
|---------------------|----------10----------|----------0----------|-|
|---------------------|----------------------|----------0----------|-|
|----------5----------|----------------------|----------0----------|-|
|---------------------|----------------------|----------2----------|-|
|---------------------|----------------------|----------3----------|-|

The first bar indicates the 4th string, 5th fret.

The second bar indicates the 1st string, 10th fret and the 2nd string, 10th fret to be played together.

The third bar indicates an open G chord.

Dictionary Of Guitar Notation

One or two note up bend:

Pick the first note, then bend the string to sound up either one or two frets.

|---------------------|                                     
|----------5b7--------|                                      
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|

One or two note down bend:

Pick the first (bent) note, then straighten the string to sound the lower (second) note.

|----------------------|
|----------7b5---------|
|----------------------|
|----------------------|
|----------------------|
|----------------------|

Slide and Pick:

Pick the lower (first) note, then slide the fret finger up to sound the higher (second) note.

|-----------------------|
|----------5/8----------|
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|

Slide Off:

Pick the note, then slide the fret finger down an indefinite number of frets, removing the finger tension at the end of the slide.

|----------------------|
|----------5\----------|
|----------------------|
|----------------------|
|----------------------|
|----------------------|

Hammer-on:

Pick the lower (first) note, then hammer-on (tap down) the higher (second) note with another finger. Pick only the first note. These notes are always played on the same string.

|------------------------|
|------------------------|
|----------5h7-----------|
|------------------------|
|------------------------|
|------------------------|

Pull-off:

Place both fret fingers on the two notes to be played. Pick the higher (first) note, then pull-off (raise up) the finger of the higher note while keeping the lower note fretted. Pick Only the first note.

|--------------------|
|--------------------|
|----------7p5-------|
|--------------------|
|--------------------|
|--------------------|

Vibrato:

Pick the string as the fret finger or a tremolo bar rapidly rolls back and forth or bends up and down, making the note sound slightly higher and lower. An exaggerated vibrato can be achieved by rolling the fret finger a greater distance.

|--------------------|
|--------------------|
|----------5~--------|
|--------------------|
|--------------------|
|--------------------|

Now that you know what these symbols mean you can try and play this guitar solo i wrote that uses them. By the way brckets () mean the note is to be held/sustained.

Rock Guitar Solo

    Em             Em7           D       A                   Em
|e|-------12-11----------------|--------------------------------------|
|B|-15b17-------12-15-14-------|--------------------------------------|
|G|----------------------12-11-|-15~-----12-13-14-(14)-12-------------|
|D|----------------------------|--------------------------14-15p12----|
|A|----------------------------|-----------------------------------14-|
|E|----------------------------|--------------------------------------|

             Em7                 D             A           F#m
|e|----------------------------|----------------------12-|-12b14------|
|B|----------------------------|---7h8-10~-------9h10----|------------|
|G|-14p12----12p10----10----9--|-7-------------9---------|------------|
|D|-------14-------12----12----|-------------------------|------------|
|A|----------------------------|-------------------------|------------|
|E|----------------------------|-------------------------|------------|
       A           B           E             F#m             A
|e|-12-9--------------|------------7-----7-|-9------------------------|
|B|------12-10-14b12--|--------0h5---5/9---|---------10-9----12b14~---|
|G|-------------------|--------------------|--------------11----------|
|D|-------------------|--------------------|--------------------------|
|A|-------------------|--------------------|--------------------------|
|E|-------------------|--------------------|--------------------------|
            E
|e|-10p9-----------------------------------|
|B|------10-------9--9---------------------|
|G|---------9~--9h11-9------9--9-----------|
|D|--------------------11-9h11-9-----------|
|A|------------------------------11-7------|
|E|----------------------------------------|

Comments

[WOODY_B]

Hmm pretty good beginer guitar tab reading lesson

[try.fail.repeat]

I agree with, WOODY_B, very nice.

[izzizz]

pretty good.

[guitar*guy]

I always thought brackets were for ghost notes.

[Paul Tauterouff]

Nice one Jack!

[jakestib8r]

Im a beginner but i didnt understand what a hammer on and stuff like that is... sorry

[jmgx2]

nice work dude this help me out alot

[gallioh1]

jakestib8r, hammer on is when you hit your finger to that note hard enough that it will make a sound. Pull off is when you have your fingers like this:
-----
| | | | | |
o | | | | |
| | | | | |
o | | | | |

And you pull the lower finger out (snaping it alittle) so it makes a sound. I suggest you go look the guides from youtube (search "Hammer ons and Pull offs")

[Jack Bevan]

gallioh1 wrote:

jakestib8r, hammer on is when you hit your finger to that note hard enough that it will make a sound. Pull off is when you have your fingers like this:
-----
| | | | | |
o | | | | |
| | | | | |
o | | | | |

And you pull the lower finger out (snaping it alittle) so it makes a sound. I suggest you go look the guides from youtube (search "Hammer ons and Pull offs")

this is the first lesson ive put on before so some of the parts were going to be wrong

[noly_sp]

Thanks, for a beginner like me, this is a good start

[silverspade7]

good.helps me get started

[tommy1232009]

in the solo at the end of this lesson what is the purpose of the chord letters above the top line of the staff? if these need to be strummed as well as the lead notes being picked u think i'll be needing more fingers !! please enlighten me.

[Jack Bevan]

tommy1232009 wrote:

in the solo at the end of this lesson what is the purpose of the chord letters above the top line of the staff? if these need to be strummed as well as the lead notes being picked u think i'll be needing more fingers !! please enlighten me.

there just chords that go well in the background of the solo

[deathslayerjord]

good work jack

[deathslayerjord]

[doomstring21]

can someone please tell me how to read the complicated chords and strings like 15 16 12
18 12 10

[doomstring21]

under neath each other

[kay-kay]

great lesson for begginners

[DryvBy]

I'm lost on the 5b7 stuff. No idea what I'm bending. Anyone know of a video I can watch to see this in action?

[Jack Bevan]

5b7 means you play the 5th fret and bend the string towards you or the floor. It helps if you put your third finger on the note your bending and your second and first behind it to bend it two frets higher.If its something like 5b6 you should just use 1 finger to bend it or it might go to high

[Chris16373]

I've just started with the guitar and I was looking into tabs (no note-reading yet ).I did not have the slightest idea how to do the "special things" like those explained here. This keeps me practising! Thanks a lot...