HoustonGuitar - Video Lessons

Free Articles

How To Find The Right Guitar For You

The Parts Of The Guitar

Make Your Guitar Easier To Play

Electric Or Acoustic

Expensive Vs Cheap Guitars

Reading Notation For The Guitar

Tablature and Staff Notation

Reading Tablature

How To Read Chord And Scale Diagrams

Electronic Tuners

The Well Tempered Guitar

Note Names On The Neck

Major Scales in 'A'

Pentatonic Scales in 'A'

Open Chords

Notes And Scales

List Of Guitar Techniques

Bending Strings

Muting Strings

How To Count Rhythms

How Read Music By Ear

Reading Tablature

Tablature is a type of notation for guitar and other stringed instruments. Tab is read left to right, just like standard notation. Tabs show the note order, and where the notes are played.

Tabs show the specific strings and frets used to play a part, so that you can use the same positions and fingerings that the original artist used.

Most of the tabs in this series don't show how to play rhythms. (A few have rhythm markings.) Once you know the note order and the fingerings, you can sound out the rhythms from the recording.

Tab uses 6 lines to represent the 6 strings of the guitar. Tab is based on standard notation with the low string at the bottom and the high string at the top. This makes tab appear to be 'upside down' if you compare it to a photo of a guitar, or to how you hold the guitar when you play it.

The string with the highest pitch is called the 'first' string. The string with the lowest pitch is called 'sixth' string.

(Place Photo next to Tab)

Numbers written on the strings tell you which frets to play, on what string and in what order.

'O' means 'Open String.' '1' means to fret a note at the 1st fret, '2' means fret at the 2nd fret, and so on.

Every number means to play a note. 'Play' usually means a pick-stroke, but it can also mean a hammer, pull, or slide. Click here to see an explanation of Guitar Techniques.

The easiest way to learn this notation is by seeing examples. Compare each of the following tabs with the video examples beneath them.

Example 1:

This tab shows the High Open E String is picked four times. 'O' means 'Open String.'

Click Here for Video Clip

Example 2:

This tab shows alternating between two notes on the High E String.

Click Here for Video Clip

Example 3:

This tab shows a single note sequence. The sequence starts on the lowest string, then moves to the 5th string, then to the 4th.

Click Here for Video Clip

Example 4:

When numbers are written above one another, it means to play them at the same time. This tab shows a strum on an open E Minor chord.

Click Here for Video Clip

й 2010 Greg Varhaug
www.HoustonGuitar.Com
info@houstonguitar.com