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Reading Internet Guitar Tablature
By Shawn Bradshaw
Tablature or Tab for short, is a system of notation for the guitar.
This reference will focus on the type of tablature that is found
on the Internet. While Internet tablature has many things in common
with tabs found in magazines and books, there are many differences
as well.
Lines
in tablature
Tablature for a standard 6 string guitar will consist of 6 lines,
one for each string of the guitar.
E:-------------- --> 1st string
B:-------------- --> 2nd string
G:-------------- --> 3rd string
D:-------------- --> 4th string
A:-------------- --> 5th string
E:-------------- --> 6th string
Some tablature will have 7 lines if a 7-string guitar is
being used, or 4 or 5 lines for bass. But all of the examples
in this reference will be for a standard 6 string guitar.
The bottom line in tablature will represent the 6th string
of the guitar. The 6th string is the thickest, lowest sounding,
and closest to the ceiling if you are holding the guitar in
playing position. The top line in tablature will represent
the 1st string. This is the thinnest, highest sounding, and
closest to the floor.
E:-----1st
string---- --> thinnest...highest
sounding...closest to the floor
B:-----2nd string----
G:-----3rd string----
D:-----4th string----
A:-----5th string----
E:-----6th string---- -->
thickest...lowest sounding....closest to the ceiling
This
is how the guitar would look if you where holding it in your lap.
Numbers
in tablature
The numbers in tablature represents the frets where you will
place your left hand fingers.
For example: 3 means the third fret. So you would press down
the string just to the left of the 3rd fret bar. (See picture
above) A 0 (zero) would mean that you play that string open (not
pressing down the string with your left hand).
3rd fret open string
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E:-------3------------0---------- -->1st string
B:-------------------------------
G:-------------------------------
D:-------------------------------
A:-------------------------------
E:------------------------------- -->6th string
The
order that the notes are played
Tablature is read from left to right. If you see something like
the example below, just play the notes in the order that you see
them.
Here is how you would play the example below
first you play the 5th string...7th fret
then the 4th string...5th fret
then 4th string...7th fret
then 3rd string...5th fret
then 4th string...7th fret
E:-----------------------
-->1st string
B:-----------------------
G:--------------5--------
D:--------5--7-----7-----
A:-----7-----------------
E:----------------------- -->6th string
More
that one note played at the same time
When you see 2 or more numbers stacked up on top of each other,
you will play the notes at the same time. So in the example below
you would play the 1st string...5th fret, and the 2nd string...5th
fret at the same time. For more on this, see the "Chords
in tab" section of this reference.
E:----5------------------
-->1st string
B:----5------------------
G:-----------------------
D:-----------------------
A:-----------------------
E:----------------------- -->6th string
What
fingers to use
Tablature does not indicate what finger you should use to play
each note. You will have to make that decision on your own. But
as a general guide, think about this. You have 4 fingers, use
one finger per fret in a 4 fret area. So if you have something
like the example below, use your 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers.
5th fret---1st finger
6th fret ---2nd finger
7th fret ---3rd finger
8th fret---4th finger
E:----5--6--7--8---------
-->1st string
B:-----------------------
G:-----------------------
D:-----------------------
A:-----------------------
E:----------------------- -->6th string
Keep in mind that this is a very general guideline, and not everything
is as clear cut as the above example.
More
tablature details ahead
Knowing these basics about tablature will help you get started
playing a wealth of songs available on the Internet. But there
are some more specific symbols that you need to be aware of when
on your guitar tablature journey. One thing to keep in mind, is
that this system of notation is far from being standardized. I
will try to show you the most common symbols used, but the person
who wrote a particular piece of tablature sometimes uses their
own non standard symbols. They might even use the wrong name for
a particular technique, which can be very confusing. Get a recording
of what ever song you are working on, and use your ear along with
the tab to help.
Page 2, Information about tuning
and rhythm in tab 
How
to read tablature
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