How to read Guitar Tabs

Learning how to read guitar tab is quite easy, all but one problem. Unlike standard music notation, there is no real standard to how TABS are written. The differences aren't huge but you do need to get familiar with the various forms of guitar tab. Another major problem with guitar tabs is that there might be no indication of rhythm. This subject is a little bit misleading and really only affects guitar tabs that are created in ASCII, but even some ASCII tabs do have the rhythmic value included.

Guitar Tab Basic

We'll start off with the absolute basics of guitar tab, how to read the notes. Guitar TAB consists of six lines, each line represents a guitar string. The lines are laid out as though you had the guitar lying down face up on your lap and were looking down at it, presuming you are a right handed player.



The vertical lines represent each bar and each bar is one measure. Because each line represents a guitar string, writing tabs is as simple as writing the fret number on each string. The horizontal axis equals time so you play each note on the fretboard from left to right.



The numbers on the fretboard below show the exact note order in which you would play the above tab.



Because the horizontal axis equals time, chords will have their notes shown in the same vertical line. The Guitar tab below shows how an A minor chord strummed four times in one measure.



So far so good, reading the notes from the guitar tab is easy enough, what we need to know now is the timing / rhythm information and how to read various guitar techniques such as slides, bends pull offs etc. This will depend on the various types of guitar tabs. Let's take a look at these before moving onto the more advanced parts of reading TABS.

Various Types Of Guitar Tabs

Various Types Of Guitar Tabs

Three main types of guitar tab are the ASCII Tab, plain tab with rhythm information and Tab with notation.

Ascii Guitar Tabs

First let's take a look at ASCII Tab, this is quite a common type of guitar tab found on guitar forums. The thing that makes this kind of Tab unique is the whole thing uses simple text to reperesent ordinary Tab. Here is an example of the same chromatic run shown above but text generated.

As handy as this kind of Tab is, it has some drawbacks.

• If a monospaced font isn't used then the whole thing can become an unreadable mess.
• It relies on a standard which is fine for fret numbers but can get messy when we need to show techniques like bends, vibrato etc.
• Rarely used with timing / rhythm information.

Basic Guitar Tabs

Next we have basic guitar tab with timing information. This TAB lets us know the time signature and the note duration so that we know whether we should play quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets etc. This kind of Tab needs to be in image format for the web. It's also used a lot in books and magazines.

Guitar Tab With Legend

This is the ultimate kind of guitar tab, we get two staffs. One with full notation and the other with basic tab like the one above.

As we can see, guitar tabs with note timing value makes a lot more sense. Even though most text style of tabs you find on the internet has no indication of note duration, it is still possible to include it to an extent. Ascii tab exported from Guitar-Pro for instance does show note duration by placing text above the TAB. Here is an example of guitar Tab exported from Guitar-Pro using the same chromatic run as above played with eighth notes. The 'E' indicates an eighth note.

Guitar-Pro Guitar Tab legend

Marty Schwartz - A Guitar Instructor ( Short Biography )

Marty Schwartz - A Guitar Instructor

A well know guitar instructor marty schwartz is a loving husband with 2(two) young children.he was always passionate about music even as a young boy.he started playing guitar when he was attending college in sante fe mexico with few of his friends whom he met on campus.this casual hobby turned into local gigs, which then led along this journey he soaked up all the knowledge he had found.after college he was asked to audition to be the lead guitar player in a well respected san diego band and he  got his gig.then he also starrted teaching guitar to local students to supplement his income.then he was known as the jack black of youtube guitar teachers.then he started giving one on one guitar lessons to students ranging from young rockers to old blues dogs looking for some new tricks.

Steve Krenz - A Guitar Instructor ( Short Biography )

STEVE KRENZ - A GUITAR INSTRUCTOR

As an instructor, Steve is best known for the top-selling guitar instruction course,Gibson's Learn & Master Guitar. He has helped thousands of students in over 95 countries across the globe to learn, improve, and master the guitar. The Learn & Master Guitar course received the 2011 Acoustic Guitar Magazine Player’s Choice Award for outstanding guitar instructional materials. Steve is also the author of the Learn & Master Blues Guitar DVD course with Legacy Learning Systems.

What is a Scale ? Basics of Guitar Scales Online

Just as learning good grammar is important to speaking properly, Scales are important for a guitarist, .

If you are too curious on "playing" guitar then learning the language of music then we are here to help you in every aspects.From my own personal and teaching standpoint, Chords are the starting point of learning guitar.Chords are nothing but just words.

When you were a child you were taught "mum" , "dad" and so on -you might learn chords A, C, G and D.These chords are sufficient to learn guitar.As you start playing guitar your curiosity in learning other chords like Em, G#, Am, F# ....also increases. And we are here to help you know these things..

Well that's where SCALES comes in. The alphabets of the chords you play are the scales. They can set the tone. By knowing these alphabet, it allows you to add twiddles and trinkets to your rhythm work.Knowing scales you will know Flat tune as well. All this KNOWLEDGE of SCALES allows you to set the mood and tone of your playing. Various styles like Blues and Jazz and Latin all have their tones and styles completely defined by the SCALES that are dominant in their music structure.
SCALES helps to understand; the ability to know and recall relationships between notes; this leads towards understanding the relationship between chords and how this sets an emotional mood; this leads towards understanding good composition and song writing; this leads towards good technique and more interesting rhythm work; this leads towards a roadmap for soloing and knowing various melodies to play over the right chords at the right time; this leads to complete mastery of the guitar.

With the help of above information you can learn alot about scales.

Essential glossary of music theory terms for beginners

For those just getting started with playing guitar, here is a collection of resources you need to start learning at home, from beginner lessons to tutorials on how to change the strings on your guitar. You can be a perfect guitarist if you are really interested in guitar. But you can never be a perfect guitarist if you are not interested in guitar.

Glossary of Music Theory Terms For Beginners

Scale

A group of notes that work well together

Chromatics

These are basically all twelve (12) notes in an octave. The naturals (7) and non-naturals (5) together make up the chromatics. (7+5=12).

Naturals

The notes that do not have sharp or flat names (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). There are seven (7) of them.

Non-naturals

The notes that do have the sharps or flats in their names (A#, C#, D#, F#, G#). There are five (5) of them. These notes are also often called the "accidentals".

Octave

In traditional music there are only 12 different notes, then they repeat themselves. When you move up or down 12 notes, you will find a higher or lower version of the note you started on. This is an octave. Same note, but one octave higher or lower.

Sharps

Sharp generally just means higher. Sharp of the note you are on would be one note higher. To tune sharp you would tune "up".

Flats

Flat generally just means lower. Flat of the note you are on would be one note lower. To tune flat you would tune "down".

Major

This is a type of scale or chord that sounds bright, happier, and more upbeat. It has no flats in it. This is kind of subjective, and will be explained much more in-depth in the lessons.

Minor

This is a type of scale or chord that sounds darker, maybe more sad, kinda gloomy. Minor scales or chords do use flats. This is kind of subjective, and will be explained much more in-depth in the lessons.

Root-note

This is basically the same thing as "key". The root note is the note that the music is centered on or built from. You could say its the "main note" in a song.

Transpose

Transposing to another key or root simply means to move our scale, etc to another key or root note. It will be the same scale, etc. but now centered on a different key.

Position

This would be the four frets that your hand is over at any given time. You have four fingers, one for each fret. Position also refers to the pattern of notes you would play at any four frets for your chosen scale, etc.

Fret

Technically, the frets are the small metal bars across the neck of your guitar or bass. When you press your fingertip down between two "frets" you will fret the string and make the appropriate corresponding note. (you do not actually press your fingertip down "on" the frets, but between them)

Interval

This is the space between notes. (see whole-step and half-step)

Half-step

This is the shortest interval. It is the next note up or down from where you are. For guitar and bass players, this would simply be moving up or down one fret.

Whole-step

This is a longer interval than the half-step. With a whole-step you would skip a note and play the second one. For guitar and bass players you would simply "skip a fret" up or down.

Pentatonic

This is a type of scale using five different notes. Penta means five and tonic means tone. So a pentatonic scale is a "five tone scale".

Mode

If theory is learned properly, the meaning of this would be different, but this term generally applies to a group of seven note scales.

Melodic-interval

A single note.

Harmonic-interval

Two notes at a time.

Chordal-interval

Three or more notes at a time.

Barre

The use of your index finger to hold down more than one string at one fret in a single chord, in order to build chords with that fret as the "nut".

Barre chord

A guitar chord in which your index finger barres all strings at one fret, and the rest of the chord is built using that fret as the nut. For example, in an F# chord, the index finger barres the second fret, and the other three fingers make an E chord using the second fret as the nut.

Bass note

The lowest note played in a chord, shown either by the chord name (e.g. E in E) or the note listed after a slash (e.g. F# in G/F#).

Chord

Three or more pitches played simultaneously, usually a root, third, and fifth, though sometimes a seventh is added.

Circle of fifths

a musical tool showing the relatedness of keys.

Closely related keys

The fifth up and fifth down (fourth up) from any key. For example, the keys closely related to G are C (fifth down) and D (fifth up).

Diminished fifth

An interval made up of two whole steps and two half steps. For example, the distance between D and Ab is a diminished fifth.

Diminished chord

A chord consisting of a minor third and a diminished fifth. For example, a D diminished chord (D?) contains D, F, and Ab.

Dominant

The fifth note of the major scale. The major chord built on the dominant, designated V, leads strongly toward the tonic.

Fifth

In a scale, the distance between a certain note and another note four notes above it. The certain note is counted as I, the note four notes above that is V.

Half step

The smallest recognized interval in Western music. The distance represented by one fret on a guitar is a half step.

Interval

The musical distance between two notes, measured by the number of whole and half steps between the two notes.

Inversion

The use of notes in the chord other than the root as the bass note (e.g. F# bass in a D chord).

Key

The basis of musical sounds in a piece. Each key uses the notes and chords of the corresponding major scale. The key is named after the tonic (e.g. the tonic in the key of A is A).

Leading

The tendency that certain notes and chords have to resolve to other specific notes or chords.

Leading tone

The seventh note of the major scale, one half step below the tonic. This note leads strongly toward the tonic.

Major chord

A chord consisting of a major third and a perfect fifth. For example, a D major chord (D) contains D, F#, and A.

Major scale

A group of eight notes with the following whole step/half step pattern between them: W-W-H-W-W-W-H. For example, the A major scale consists of A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, and A.

Major seventh

An interval made up of five whole steps and one half step. For example, the distance between D and C# is a major seventh.

Major third

An interval made up of two whole steps. For example, the distance between D and F# is a major third.

Minor chord

A chord consisting of a minor third and a perfect fifth. For example, a D minor chord (Dm) contains D, F, and A.

Minor seventh

An interval made up of four whole steps and two half steps. For example, the distance between D and C is a minor seventh.

Minor third

An interval made up of one whole step and one half step. For example, the distance between D and F is a minor third.

Modulate

To change keys.

Muting

Pressing your finger against a string while playing a chord to avoid playing that string. Muting is represented by an x in my chord diagrams (as in E/G#: 4x2400).

Perfect fifth

An interval made up of three whole steps and one half step. For example, the distance between D and A is a perfect fifth.

Resolve

A musical progression which brings finality to part of a piece.

Root

The note a chord is built on.

Seventh

In a scale, the distance between a certain note and another note six notes above it. The certain note is counted as I, the note six notes above that is vii.

Seventh chord

A chord consisting of a major third, a perfect fifth, and a minor seventh. For example, a D seventh chord (D7) contains D, F#, A, and C. Major seventh chords (notated maj7) contain a major seventh instead of a minor seventh.

Suspended chord

A chord containing either the root, second, and fifth (sus2), or the root, fourth, and fifth (sus4).

Third

In a scale, the distance between a certain note and another note two notes above it. The certain note is counted as I, the note two notes above that is iii.

Tonic

The note on which the major scale is based. The major chord built on the tonic, designated I, is the eventual goal of any song.

Transpose

Moving the musical position of a piece, keeping all intervals as they were in the original piece. For example, if you have C, F, and G (I, IV, and V), and you want to transpose to the key of G, then use the I, IV, and V of G, which are G, C, and D.

Guitar - An Introduction

The guitar is a string instrument of the chordophone family constructed from wood and strung with either nylon or steel strings. The modern guitar was preceded by the lute, vihuela, four-course renaissance guitar and five-course baroque guitar, all of which contributed to the development of the modern six-string instrument.
Source : Wikipedia.com

There are many types of guitar depending upon the country, people made by using them, and different types of materials used in them. Commonly there are three types on guitar. They are as mentioned below :

1. Acoustic Guitar 

2. Electric Guitar

3. Bass Guitar

Guitar is an musical instrument which is played worldwide in huge amount. It is the most prestigious musical instrument of this century in my view. By learning guitar you can grab attention and recognition from family members, relatives and friends too :D Many people are interested in learning guitar. So, We have made this blog to share our knowledge and experience to help all the interested people in guitar to learn guitar lessons online.