Chords in Tab

If you see numbers stacked up on top of each other, you will play all of the notes at the same time. The example below represents a C chord. The transcriber (person who wrote the tab) may write the name of the chord above the tab like in the example.

         C
E:-------0------
B:-------1------
G:-------0------
D:-------2------
A:-------3------
E:--------------

Sometimes the notes of a chord are picked individually. If you were to see something similar to the example below, you would put your fingers on a C chord and pick the notes in the order that you see them. Take inventory of the notes, and see if it is a chord that is being played. The transcriber may also write "hold" or "let ring" to give you a cue that the notes should continue to ring, and are part of a chord.

E:-----------------------------------------
B:------------------------------1----------
G:------------------0--------0-------------
D:-------------2----------2----------------
A:----------3-----3------------------------
E:-----------------------------------------
          |-- hold --- or let ring--|

 

Tablature is a term that is used loosely on the Internet. In fact, you may find that a song does not have any tablature in it at all. The song may just contain chords, and therefore the detail of tablature is not necessary.

You might just see a list of chords in the order they are played:

G D7 G

Or you may see the lyrics with the chords written above the word or syllable that it is played on:

G                       D7           G
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb
G                       D7                       G
Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece was white as snow.

 

A variation on having the chord written above the lyrics, is to write the chord in parenthesis before the word or syllable.

(G)Mary had a little lamb, (D7)little lamb, (G)little lamb

(G)Mary had a little lamb, it's (D7)fleece was white as (G)snow.

 

You might just see a line of lyrics and then a list of the chords that are used in that line, with no indication of where to change.

I'll have a blue Christmas without you; [F C7]

 

There are usually no indications of measures. So unless you know how the song goes, or can get a recording, playing a song from the tablature alone would be difficult. Some transcribers will divide the song into measures using a vertical line "|".

G                      |D7           G          |
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb
G                           |D7                  G   |
Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece was white as snow.

 

When you see G in a song, that does not really tell you which G you should play. There are many ways to play a G chord. Sometimes the transcriber will give you a list of the chords and how to play them. Here are some common ways that you will see chords described.

You may see the chord written in tablature.

      C
E:----0----
B:----1----
G:----0----
D:----2----
A:----3----
E:---------

You might also see an indication of what fingers you should use in parentheses next to the frets to be played.

      F7
E:----5(4)----
B:----4(2)----
G:----5(3)----
D:----3(1)----
A:------------
E:------------

You might see a chord written with a list of the frets that you will put your fingers on. This will read from left to right, starting with the 6^th string. The x means either a muted string, or you will not play that string.

C: x32010

There is an Internet equivalent of a normal chord chart as well.

  C
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X32010