You've probably heard about TABs before, right?

TABs is how we write down guitar music!

TAB is short for tablature, and it's a way of writing music that is specific to fretted instruments like the guitar. In this lesson, we’ll learn how to read guitar tabs. TABs are the most common way of writing music for guitar. Not a perfect tool, but it’s very easy and popular.

Let's learn all about it right now!

What is a Guitar Tab?

A guitar tab - or guitar tablature - is a way of writing music specific to fretted instruments. It’s a perfect system for musicians who don’t read traditional, standard music notation. TABs often give you more information than notation does too.

A TAB has six horizontal lines that represent the six strings on the guitar. Here’s an example:

The TAB above is an ASCII TAB, the most popular form on the Internet. It’s the one I use on my website!

Reading Guitar Tabs

As I’ve mentioned before, the six lines represent the six strings of the guitar. The top line represents the thinnest (1st) string. The lowest line represents the thickest (6th) string.

Bass at the bottom, treble at the top

Take another look at the image above. At the end of the lines, I add the letters T.A.B. - Treble (T) And (A) Bass (B). A trick to help you remember:

The Bass Strings are at the bottom. They are the fattest strings with the lowest sound.
The Treble strings are at the top. They are the thinnest strings with the highest sound.

Here's another way to think about it. A tab ‘stave’ shows the strings of the guitar as you’re looking down on them when you’re playing. :)

Step-By-Step Example

Follow the three easy steps below to play your first guitar tab:

The numbers on the lines show you on which fret to play a note. If there’s no number on a string, don't play it.
A ‘0’ means that the string is ‘open.’ You’ll play that string, but with no fingers on it!
When you see numbers aligned vertically, play all the numbered strings at the same time.

In the example above, you'd play an E chord shape first - press down the strings on the fretboard as shown. You should strum all the strings! Then, you’d play the strings 3, 2, 1, 2, and 3 in turn.

You might find TABs confusing when you first see them, but it doesn’t take much practice to master them. For beginners, reading TABs is far easier than learning traditional notation. But you're probably wondering...

Where's the Rhythm?

These types of TABs don't offer rhythmic information. Sometimes, I add rhythm notation into my TABs too, but that's not a standard practice. I recommend learning how to read rhythm as part of your study, but we won’t cover it in this Beginner Guitar Course.

💡 The absence of rhythm makes this kind of TAB easy to write. Writing the ‘licks’ that you’re learning can help your guitar development. :)

🚨 Because TABs are so easy to write, many inexperienced players post their TABs online. Most time, the TABs aren't accurate. Make sure you choose TABs from a source you trust.

Now let's take a look at how a more professional TAB looks like!

Tabs With Standard Notation

More professional tabs include standard notation (the ‘dots’) and the rhythm. Take a look at this example:

tab and notation

This example is still pretty simple. Professional TABs can include all kinds of other technical information. It takes much longer to create them, and you’ll need some knowledge of notation and rhythms. And also to be a whizz with the software you’ll choose to use!

Here are a few examples of technical information you can find in a tab:

String bends. An arrow pointing up from a note.
Slurs (hammer-ons and flick-offs). Curved lines going from one note to another.
Slides. Straight lines between two notes.
Picking directions. Shown above the notes.
Finger tapping. Usually, a+ above a note.

We’ll learn more about tablatures later on!

MY SHORTHAND FOR INDIVIDUAL NOTES

I’ve got a shorthand to represent individual notes that is really useful! You’ll often see it in my lessons, but it’s not something used by other teachers. It’s a handy way of specifying a note when you don’t need to write out a full TAB. Here is an example:

S5/F8 - It means String 5, Fret 8.

Now let's take a look at the difference between tabs and traditional notation.

TABS VS TRADITIONAL NOTATION

The big advantage of TABs is that it tells you where to play a note, not just the note itself. As you can see below, the same note (an E) appears in six different places on the neck. The standard notation shows the same dot, but the TAB shows you where to play it.

E on all strings

Standard notation can make simple things look complicated.

For example, in blues music, rhythm is very free. Writing it down ‘correctly’ is difficult - and reading it even more so! For blues, plain TABs without notation or rhythms are the easiest way to communicate an idea. But you’ll have to do some listening to understand how to play it. :)

Look at the example below. It looks terrifying, and it's a tricky rhythm to explain. It's a ‘loose and free’ improvised solo on a slow tempo blues. Take away the notation and the rhythm, and it doesn't look so complicated!

Blues Lick

Now you're probably asking yourself...

Should You Learn Standard Music Notation?

Well, my most common answer is no. I wouldn’t recommend that you learn traditional notation. It’s essential to know it for playing some styles, like jazz. But for most guitar players, music notation is not particularly useful. Learning it can be a massive waste of time! Standard music notation and guitar playing can be a nightmare because you can find most notes in more than one place on the fretboard. But TABs tell you which note to play and also where to play it. :)

I’ve always wanted to play classical and jazz guitar. Reading music is an essential skill for those styles. Even so, it’s easier to master music notation when you’ve reached a good standard of playing. I read music well, but I still prefer to use TABs for writing or reading solos.

At the beginning of your journey, learning to read music sucks all the fun out of playing. So, wait until you have a reason to know it!

TAB Alternatives

Other guitar notation systems have appeared over the last 30 years or so. TAB is still by far the easiest one to understand. I’d suggest avoiding other systems. It's frustrating to learn a new system that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

Now it's riff time! Howdy, grab your guitar - we'll play an Eric Clapton classic. :)