An Online Introduction on How To Read Guitar Tabs
August 18, 2007
Because I’m always looking for news on how to play guitar tabs, I was curious about an article at jambuzz that relates how many new guitarists have a hard time reading tabs because they are self-taught–and their self-teaching doesn’t include lessons on how to read guitar tabs!
According to the article, tabs have six horizontal lines, one for each string, starting at the bottom line and working their way to the top line (i.e. E, A, D, G, B, E). The numbers next to the string indicate which fret to hold down. For example A-2 means you hold down the second fret on the A string.
The article goes on to say that one of the problems with guitar tabs is the inability of the simple tablature to convey rhythm and timing. That means if the song is new to you, you may have problems playing it because you don’t have a clue what it should sound like.
Of course, a good course will teach you the intricacies of how to read guitar tabs, including other more advanced notations.
