e-------3----------- B-------3----------- G-------0----------- D-------0----------- A-------2----------- E-------3-----------
EADGBe EADGBe 320033 xx0232
Guitar Tab is a short hand form of music score which can show you how to quickly and easily plan a song. It's not as good as traditional written music because it lacks some of the abilities to communcation information, such as volume and exact timing. However, Guitar tab can communicate which notes to play, how to tune your guitar, and some sense of the songs rythm.
Guitar Tab is most useful for getting a little help to figure out a song so that you can play it yourself. For example, to know which notes to play to get a certain riff or melody from a song to sound right. Unlike traditional musical score though, you will need to listen to someone else playing the song in order to be able to play it from tab notation. You'll need to listen for the length of the notes, the strumming pattern, the picking pattern, and any changes in tempo or volume.
All of that said, let me say one more thing, tab is great! Some of the most fun I have with my guitar is searching on the internet for songs I remember hearing on the radio or MTV and playing them myself. I hope this guide can help get you started reading tab so you can play some of your favoite music as well.
Guitar Tab is usually written in ascii text with numbers printed accross a set of six lines. The six lines are the six strings of the guitar, and the numbers of the fingers you should use to play those strings.
The three different types of Guitar Tab:
| Tab Chord | Computer Chord | Chord Diagram | Music Book |
|---|---|---|---|
e-------3----------- B-------3----------- G-------0----------- D-------0----------- A-------2----------- E-------3----------- |
EADGBe EADGBe 320033 xx0232 |
|
|
Tuning information is communicated by starting at least the first measure with the notes the strings are tuned to. For example, standard tuning would be shown as:
e---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------------------------------------- G---------------------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------------------------------------- E----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conversely, Drop-D Tuning would be shown as follows:
e---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------------------------------------- G---------------------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------------------------------------- D----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specific notes in Guitar Tab are represented by numbers placed on the lines which represent the strings of the guitar. The numbers represent the number of the fret where the note should be played. For example, a number 1 on the D String would mean that you should depress the D string in the first fret.
Folowing this notation, a basic blues scale would be written as follows:
e----------------------------------------------------------9---12------------ B-------------------------------------------------9---12--------------------- G-----------------------------------9---11---12------------------------------ D---------------------9---10---11-------------------------------------------- A------------9---11---------------------------------------------------------- E---9---12-------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Symbols Used in Tab
h - Hammer-on p - Pull-off b - Bend r - Release bend / - Slide up \ - Slide down ~ - Vibrato v - Vibrato x - Muted Note (5) - Harmonic
Tab Repositories and Databases On The Web
Computer Programs to Help You Write Tab