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By: Derek Gordon
How to Read Guitar Tabs
If you're still a beginner around a guitar, then you've probably
recently been relieved to learn that you do not need to read
music notation in order to play your favorite songs. There are
many great resources on the internet that give tablature
interpretations of pretty much any song that you can think of.
But where do you start when tablature also looks like a foreign
language? Luckily, tablature is quite simple to learn, and after
taking a few minutes to read this lesson, you will be able to
play simple riffs from looking at a tablature table.
Take a look at the table below, and notice that I've separated
it into 6 different parts, or 'pieces':
E--------0---------2----------5h7---------------------7/9--------------
B-------0----------3---------------------------------------------------
G------1-----------2---------------------------------------------11\7--
D-----2------------0---------------------------------------------------
A----2------------------------------------3p2--------------------------
E---0------------------------------------------------------------------
Now let's look at each moving from left to right:
* Piece 1: This is the E chord picked, which means that
you're playing one string at a time. You start with the top
string (the bottom row of the table), as you need to start with
the number farthest to the left. So, you play your top string
open, your middle finger is on the string below (the 5th) in the
second fret; your ring finger is on the string below that (the
4th) also in the second fret; your index finger is on the string
below that (the 3rd), but in the first fret, and the second and
first strings are then played open. SO: The numbers tell you
which fret you're in, and the string is denoted by the table
itself, with the bottom string on your guitar at the top of the
table and vice versa.
* Piece 2: This is D chord strummed. To get your fingers
placed properly, place your middle finger on the bottom string
in the second fret; your ring finger on the second string in the
third fret, and the index finger on the third string in the
second fret. The '0' on the fourth string of our table means
that you strum the bottom four strings, with the fourth string
played open. Strum downwards and upwards to get a feel for this
chord.
* Piece 3: This is the 'hammer on', a favorite of
beginner guitarists everywhere! In order to play this 5h7, all
you need to do is place your index finger on the bottom (1st)
string in the fifth fret, pick the string, then take either your
middle or ring finger (whichever you're comfortable with) and
hit down on the same string with it, but in the seventh
fret.
* Piece 4: This (3p2) is the 'pull off', not as fun as
hammering, but useful nonetheless. Here you're placing your
index finger on the fifth string in the second fret, and your
middle finger on the same string in the third fret. Pick the
string, and pull your middle finger off the string to change the
sound. You're going to find that you need to do the pull off
firmly, even aggressively, in order to get the strong sound that
you want.
* Piece 5: This (7/9) is the slide up, a favorite move of
blues guitarists everywhere. Here you're going to take your
index finger and place it on the first string in the seventh
fret. Pick the string, and then slide your finger up the neck to
the ninth fret. * Piece 6: This (11\7) is the slide down, same as slide
up, just going the opposite way. Find the eleventh fret on the
3rd string, pick the string, and slide down your finger to the
seventh fret on the same string. These are the basics of reading guitar tabs. There is more to
learn, and a fully comprehensive guide to beginner guitar is
outside the scope of this article, but hopefully it has given
you something to start playing around with. And don't worry if
any of this feels awkward at first. It will feel more 'second
nature' with time, I promise.
If you're interested in exploring some beginner guitar resources that can have you playing quite well in a short period of time, you can click here to learn more about how to read guitar tabs and more.
About the author:
Derek Gordon has been playing guitar for 14 years - at home, at
the beach , and even on stages in front of hundreds of people.
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