How To Read Guitar Tab

This guitar lesson is a simple concept, but a very important one- How To Read Guitar Tab (or Tablature)

If you have been looking at guitar books or magazines or tried learning songs online, you have probably come across guitar tablature. In the video lesson below, you will learn exactly how to read guitar tablature as well as traditional chord diagrams. It’s best you go into this lesson with a good understanding of essential guitar theory and a knowledge of some basic chords.

What Is Tablature?

When you look at guitar tablature, you will see that it consists of six horizontal lines and some numbers. Each of those lines represents one of the guitar’s strings. The numbers represent the frets. The most important thing to understand is how the tablature relates to your guitar. The easiest way to see this is to place your guitar face up on your lap. The way that the strings are oriented is how tablature is written. For example, the closest string to you (the low E String) is the lowest line on the tab diagram. The string that is furthest from you (the high E String) is the highest line on the diagram.

The numbers represent the frets, numbered starting from the nut (or headstock side) of the guitar. When the number is listed as “0”, it means the string is played “open” or without pushing down on a fret.

Please watch the video lesson for further explanation: