You want to learn your favorite song from a tab. But, you don’t know how to read guitar tabs. This guide will help you exactly with that. Learn reading guitar tabs in 15 minutes.
As a guitar player using tabs for more than 20 years, I want to set your expectations right. It’s pretty easy to learn reading tabs. If you do it right. Yet, figuring out how to play what you see in the tabs is much more challenging. Learning and mastering guitar techniques will take time. Learning songs and playing what’s written in the tabs will take months or years. Be patient.
A guitar tab differs from standard music notation. The tab is still by far the easiest one to understand. Tabs are the fastest way to show you what and where to play – where to put your fingers on your guitar. Tabs are very useful for people just starting on guitar. I’d suggest avoiding music notation and other systems. To learn fast how to play songs, use tabs.
Here are the steps to learn how to read guitar tabs:
What you will need to follow this tutorial?
- Your guitar
- A guitar tuner
- The tab of your favorite song
- An audio system to listen to the original song
Let’s get started.
1. Set up your learning space
A successful learning process begins with the right preparation. Set yourself up for success. How to do it?
- You will need your guitar in a comfortable playing position.
- You will want to have a good look at the tab while you are playing your guitar.
- You will also need to listen to the original song, while you are in the learning process.
Practically speaking. Sit on a chair with your guitar. Make sure to have the optimal playing position for both of your hands. Print out the tab on an A4 size sheet paper. It’s the easiest way to use the tab with your instrument in your lap. It’s large enough, easy to handle and you can take notes. As an alternative, look at the tab on your laptop or computer monitor. Don’t use your phone screen for tabs, as it’s too small. Yet, you can use your phone or any audio system to listen to the original recording.
2. Understand the logic of tabs
In this step, I’ll go through the basics. First, you need to understand tabs. Later, you will need to figure out how to play on your guitar what you see in the tabs. But, first things first.
The tab is like a picture of your guitar neck upside down
Think of it this way. Pick up your guitar like you are about to play it. Then lay it down on your lap with strings up. It will essentially be the same as looking at tabs.
Lines – strings
The top line of the tab represents the thinnest string (1st E). The following lines represent all the other strings. The thickest string is on the bottom (6th E). In standard guitar tuning the strings are E, A, D, G, B, E.
Numbers – frets
In a tab, numbers show you which fret to press and play on which string.
- If there is no number on a line you don’t play the string at all
- 0 means to play the string open, don’t press any fret
- X means to play the string with your picking hand but mute with the fretting hand
Read from left to right
You play each note just like you would read a sentence.
Play the notes at the same time when the numbers are on top of each other. This is a chord.
Rhythm in tabs
Many tabs that you’ll find on the internet don’t include rhythmic information. The reason is that you don’t need it. You learn the rhythm by listening to the original song.
Yet, some tabs include the rhythm at the top or the bottom. It looks like this:
Be familiar with it but you don’t need to learn to read the rhythm. You would only need it if you cannot listen to the original song. Learning to read rhythm takes a long time. As a beginner, you can skip it.
Tabs don’t tell you which fingers to use
It’s important to understand that tabs only tell you what to play. The numbers tell you which fret you should press and play. But, you need to figure out which fingers to use for that. You need to find the most comfortable hand positions and fingering for yourself.
3. Check the tab: is it written for your guitar type?
It’s important to choose a guitar that fits the music style you want to learn. Now, you also want to make sure to use the right tab. Accurate, and written for your instrument.
How to choose the right tab?
There are many sources of tabs on the internet. Yet, many tabs you will find are not accurate. Avoid that. Use the most trusted tab websites, like Songsterr or Ultimate Guitar.
Still, some things might confuse you when searching for your first tabs. Let’s clarify them.
Electric vs acoustic guitar tabs
The tabs look the same for these two guitar types. Yet, you would have a hard time trying to learn an electric guitar solo on an acoustic guitar. On the other hand, there are many songs that you can play on both types. Still, it’s better to choose tabs of songs that use the same type of guitar as yours. Choose based on the original recording.
The standard guitar tab
A standard guitar tab consists of six horizontal lines. Each line stands for the six strings on the guitar. If you have a standard six-string guitar, look for tabs with six lines.
Other tabs
There are tabs for other types of instruments. For example, there are tabs for 7-string guitars. In that case, you will see seven horizontal lines in the tab. There are tabs for bass guitars as well. In that case, you will see 4 horizontal lines.
Tab vs sheet music
Tabs are for specific instruments. Instead, sheet music (standard music notation) was created to write down any kind of music. Music written in standard music notation looks like this:
Shall a beginner guitarist learn to read sheet music?
The short answer is, no. It takes much more time to learn to read them. They are not as good for guitars as tabs. You would only need to read them if you want to learn music which is only available in standard music notation. It can happen if you learn classical music. But 99% of the time you can find the tab of the song that you want to learn.
Use tabs. Tabs are particularly useful for beginners. You can learn and develop your skills faster.
Tab vs chord chart
You can also find chord charts on the internet that differ from the tabs.
A chord chart shows you the best hand position for a chord. The dots show you which string and fret to play. The numbers in the chord chart show which fingers to use. 1 = index finger, 2 = middle finger, 3 = ring finger, 4 = little finger. While the numbers in the guitar tab show which fret to play.
Chord charts can tell you quickly what chords to use in a song. Tabs tell you much more. They tell you how to play a song from the beginning to the end. Always look for tabs.
4. Check the guitar tuning info on the tab
Most songs are written in standard guitar tuning. Yet, several artists use alternate tunings. You can always find the tuning info at the beginning of the tabs.
As a beginner, start with simple songs that use the standard tuning, which is E, A, D, G, B, E. It’s better to explore songs with alternate tunings later. First, practice and learn the hand positions in the standard tuning.
Always tune your guitar according to the tab. A clip-on tuner will be your best friend here.
5. Learn the symbols of tabs
For now, you know the basics of reading tabs. You will also find symbols in the guitar tabs. They stand for different guitar-playing techniques. Different tab publishers might use different symbols for the same technique. Let’s have a look at these techniques and their most common symbols.
Hammer-On
Hammer-on is a fretting hand technique. You play the first note normally, and then you strike the second note with your fretting hand finger. The strike is strong enough to create a clear-sounding second note.
Pull-Off
A pull-off is the opposite of a hammer-on. You play the first note normally. Then, without using your picking hand, pull off your fretting hand finger to play the second note.
Slide
Slide is a technique to connect notes. You strike to play the first note normally. Then, you move your fretting finger by sliding on the string to reach the second note. Then, you strike the second note with your picking hand. You achieve the sliding effect between two notes with your fretting hand.
You can slide up:
or slide down:
Legato Slide
Legato slide is the same as a slide, but you don’t strike the second note with your picking hand.
You can do legato slides up and down in the same way as you do slides.
Bend
You perform bending with your fretting hand. You start by playing the first note normally. Then, while the first note rings, you bend the string with your fretting finger to reach a higher note.
Bend and Release
Start with bending a note up to a higher one. Then return it back down, usually to the note you started from.
Pre-Bend
Pre-bend is when you strike the first note in a bent position. Then, you can also keep the note in the same bent position or release it.
When you keep the bent position, tabs use the “pb” symbol. When you release a pre-bent note, it’s written as “pbr”.
Vibrato
Vibrato is a cool effect achieved by your fretting hand. You bend the string up and down very quickly when picking a note. Alternatively, you can also move your fretting finger side by side within the fret.
Tremolo Bar
You achieve a little bit different vibrato effect with a tremolo bar if your guitar has one. You pick a note and quickly hit and release the tremolo bar to achieve the desired effect. If you see a “\n/,” where
Natural Harmonics
Natural harmonic is a bell-like tone. Achieve it by touching the string over a particular fret bar when you pick the note. Don’t push the string to contact the fretboard. Only touch the string. You use open strings for natural harmonics.
Artificial Harmonics
They are the same bell-like tones, like natural harmonics. Yet, you don’t use open strings. To perform this technique, first, you push down a fret as usual with your fretting hand. Then, with your index finger of your PICKING HAND touch the string over a particular fret. At the same time pick the note with your thumb.
Tapped Harmonics
It’s another way of creating artificial harmonics. You use two notes for that as well. You fret the lower note as usual with your fretting hand. Then, you tap on the fret wire of the higher note with your picking hand finger.
Pinched Harmonics
It’s also a way of playing artificial harmonics. You perform it with your picking hand. You can create upper harmonics by slightly touching a ringing string on a distorted electric guitar. You use this nature to perform this technique. You struck the note, and immediately touch the string with your picking hand thumb. That way you will create a higher harmonic of a normal note. You use your fretting hand as normal.
Ghost Note
It means you play the note very softly. It’s barely audible. You can play a ghost not by fretting it but not picking. The notation for it is round brackets.
Mute or Dead Note
Muting means that you play the note with your picking hand but mute it with your fretting hand. Your fretting fingers are resting on the strings without pressing them. Dead notes are often part of chords. When you are strumming all six strings to play chords, you need to mute strings that don’t fit in the chord. All the other strings should sound clear. The mute note symbol is “X”.
Palm Mute
Palm mute is a picking technique. You achieve this effect with your picking hand alone. You pick the note and at the same time, you touch (mute) the strings with the side of your picking hand. It creates a kind of muffled sound.
Strumming
Strumming is also a picking technique. You play more strings at the same time with strokes. You create the rhythm of the song with down strokes and up strokes.
Arpeggio
Arpeggio is a way of playing chords. You don’t play the notes of the chord at the same time. Rather, you play them very quickly one after another.
Fingerpicking
Fingerpicking means you pick the strings using the suggested fingers. In tab: p = thumb, i = index, m = middle, and a = ring
Tapping
Instead of a normal pick you tap on a fret with your picking hand finger to create the note.
You do tapping usually with your picking hand. In two-handed tapping, you use both of your hands in the same way.
Slapping
A slap is a percussive technique. You slap the strings of the guitar with the strumming hand.
Trills
A trill is basically a repeated hammer-on. You strike the first note, then rapidly hammer on the second note. You see in the tabs as tr
Tremolo Picking
It means you are picking the same note as rapidly as you can several times.
Tie
You can find tied notes in tabs. It means you need to hold your fretting finger on the fret and let the note sound longer.
6. Start learning a song from a tab
Now you know everything about how to read tabs. Yet, you need to practice to develop your tab reading skills. Start learning to play a song from a tab. That’s the best way to do it.
Follow these steps, when learning a song:
- Find the tab of a song that you already know
- Listen to the music several times
- Find your first finger position from the tab
- Find your second finger position, and so on
- Play your positions slowly in order
- Apply the guitar techniques, and learn small sections at a time
- Play your positions according to the song rhythm, to your own speed
- Play along with the original recording
What to do next?
Pick up your guitar every day. Practice to master your guitar skills. Keep up your motivation. Find new songs to learn. Need ideas? Check out the most influential rock albums. Need inspiration? Read about the best female guitarists.
