To see the full guide over on my Hubpage click here.
Guitar tabs or tablature is an very old way of music notation. They can be used for other instuments as well as the guitar,like the drums,banjoe and a number of others.To start we will look at a blank tab of a guitar.Picture 1 below.
A blank guitar tablature - Picture 1
Now you see the 6 horizontal lines, they are the 6 guitar strings. The bottom of the tablature staff starts with the low E string (the thickest string), then come strings A, D, G, B and the high E string (the skinniest) is on top of the staff,just as in the picture 1 above.
Next we are going to put numbers on the tablature lines. The numbers tell you what frets you have to place your finger on. 1 means you have to put your finger on the first fret of the appropriate string, 2 means the second fret, 3 the third one, ... A 0 on a guitar tab means and open string.
Here's an example to make it more clear for you: the guitar tab for the C chord:
Guitar tab,picture 2, C chord
The picture above is the Chord 'C' using traditional type of notation.While the same can be represented by a Tab seen below.
C chord represented in tab form.
That was a Strum!
In the above notations the pictures represented a Strum. All the numbers were all together,or on top of each other if you like.When you see that,it means all the indicated notes should be play together and at the same time.Thats called a strum,they are stummed together.
In the next example,below,you will see the number follow each other. So now the notes follow each other in time and should be played after each other as you play.
Notes follow each other.
In the example above,you play the 5th fret on the low E string first.Then the 3rd fret on the same string,next the 5th again,now move up to the 3rd fret on the A string and so on.
That's the basics on playing guitar tabs but there's more.We need cover a few more symbols you will see on tabs.
Hammer on. Play the second note of the tab,not using your pick but by nammering your finger on to it. See the little 'h' on the tab below.
The 'hammer on'
The Pull off. Here you play the second note of the tab.Not by using your pick but pulling your finger of the 7th fret,while another finger is on the 5th fret.See the little 'p' on the tab below.
The 'Pull off'.see the little 'p'on the tab.
The Slide. The next guitar technique is called the slide.You do this by sliding your finger from the 5th fret to the 7th fret without lifting your finger,as shown below
The Slide.See the little 's' on the tab.
We have now covered the most used guitar techniques on guitar chords and seen on tabs.There are other more advanced techiques but we are only doing beginners here so we shall leave that for now.
Guitar tabs are sometimes combined with the standard note script as seen in the big staff below.It looks a bit scarey at first but take closer look.This is useful as you can see the guitar tab and the the rhythm.Rhythm is not shown on guitar tabs.
