Tablature or TAB is used to show
guitarists where to put their fingers for the Notes or Chords of a song without
having to read music and is very easy to learn. Here we will show you how to
read TAB and the various symbols and notations used for proper performance.
Tablature notation
show guitarist's when to change how notes are to be played such as bending, hammer-ons, pull-oofs, slurs and so on.
The pictures below show a right-handed fretboard marked with each string's number, string name and the Fret numbers. The fret numbers are used on the Tab staff.
The TAB staff consists of 6 lines with each line representing each of the 6 strings. The fret number will appear on a TAB line to show you which Fret to play for each string.
The Number "0" means
to play that string as an open string OR play a string without pressing
down on the string with any fingers of your Left-Hand.
When a number appears on a Tab
line it tells you which fret to play for that string only. The right-handed
fretboard picture below shows all of the fret numbers.
When a TAB line does not have any numbers it means you don't play that string. This is the same as when you look at a chord diagram which has an "X" above a string.