Bought Guitar Lessons on DVD - First You Need to Learn to Read Tabs - Part II - The Numbers

If you are here then you probably have read our first article on Tab basics and you are itching to learn that hit song that is on the latest "Learn How To Play Like" DVD guitar lessons so you can impress your friends and maybe catch the eye of that one special lady. Well, then let's stop talking and get down to it. In this article we are going to dive more into the number system for Tab in order to get you quickly up to speed and learning to play your song.

As discussed in a previous article tablature or Tab for short, is a system of notation for the guitar. Tablature consists of 6 lines, one for each string of your guitar. Some tablature will have 7 lines if a 7-string guitar is being used, or 4 or 5 lines for bass. Keep in mind that the lowest line is the lowest sounding string.

E---------------------------------1st sting-----
B---------------------------2nd string----------
G---------------------3rd string----------------
D---------------4th string----------------------
A---------5th string----------------------------
E---6th string----------------------------------

The numbers represent the frets that you put your fingers on. For example: 3 means the third fret, and a 0 means an open string.

E-------3------------0----------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

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.

E------------------------
B------------------------
G--------------5--------
D--------5--7-----7----
A-----7-----------------
E------------------------

In our previous example you have the notes being played one at a time. If two or more notes are to played together such as a chord then they will be written one on top of another.

E----3------------------
B----3------------------
G----4------------------
D----5------------------
A----5------------------
E----3------------------

Usually there are no indications of rhythm in tablature this is one of the main difference between Tab and standard musical notation. You may see some notes spaced further apart that others, this may or may not be a hint about the rhythm. However, the spacing of the notes will depend entirely on the person who wrote the Tab. So as obvious as it sounds it will be much easier to learn to play the Tab for a song that you know well and I would recommend you try and get a recording to help you.

There are some more specific symbols that you need to be aware of as you progress down your guitar tablature journey and we will begin to show and explain all the Tab concepts in my next article but if you can't wait or you want to learn to play your guitar in the fastest and easiest way possible, then I highly suggest you go here to learn about the best way to master the guitar.

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